Meet our experts
Jack Roper
Group Head of Sustainability
Our report explores four major societal trends and the ways we’re responding to them, as well as detailing how we’re growing our business in a responsible way and our plans for the future.
Tackling climate change
As a major investor with significant influence, we have a responsibility to do our bit towards combatting climate change.
In 2021 we took practical steps towards achieving our target of a net zero operational footprint, as well as using our Climate Impact Pledge to support clients on their journey to net zero. We also extended our exclusion of coal, avoiding investments in new coal mining.
Legal and General’s climate strategy is based around three pillars: investing, influencing, and operating. You can find out more in our annual Climate Report.
Building fairer economic growth
Investing to benefit the future of society is central to our purpose of practising inclusive capitalism. In the context of chronic underinvestment and the ongoing housing crisis in the UK, we believe we can make a real difference through investing in homes and infrastructure.
In 2021, our housing business completed more than 1,000 new homes, and we invested £270m from our retirement business in housing.
We also launched our Rebuilding Britain Index in April, which measures the UK’s progress in levelling up every quarter. Among our own investments was £1.5bn spent on the regeneration of central Manchester.
Prioritising health and wellbeing
There’s a clear economic, business and social case for tackling the UK’s health inequality, which unfortunately worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Previously, health inequality was seen as a problem for the government to deal with, but we believe business has a vital role to play in improving health and wellbeing in the UK.
We were proud to announce a long-term partnership with Sir Michael Marmot, professor of epidemiology and director of UCL’s Institute of Health Equity. You can read more about this work in our full report, The Marmot Review for Industry.
Driving greater transparency and equity
Businesses in every industry are increasingly being held to higher standards of ethical behaviour. We believe it’s crucial that businesses, including our own, work to create a diverse and inclusive workplace where everyone can perform at their best no matter who they are, as well as a fair and transparent supply chain.
In 2021, we invested another £100,000 in FastFutures, an online course that provides mentoring and learning opportunities for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Growing our business responsibly
Our prosperity as a company depends on a strong and resilient society, and we recognise that our impact is felt far beyond our own business. The way we work is shaped by our guiding principle of inclusive capitalism.
One way of growing our business in a responsible way is focusing on developing and strengthening our workplace culture. In 2021, we consulted with our employees to establish a hybrid working model that works for both our people and our business needs. We remain committed to our zero tolerance policy on bullying, harassment and discrimination.
What's next?
As the world continues to recover from the impacts of Covid-19, significant challenges remain, including climate change and geopolitical instability. It’s crucial to look to the future and set targets that are ambitious, clear and measurable.
Our targets include delivering 3,000 modular homes per year by 2024, increasing our direct investment portfolio to £5bn in the next five years, and achieving net zero emissions from our occupied offices and business travel by 2030. You can find further details about our targets in the Sustainability Report’s appendix.
