Social responsibility and sustainability
Building a responsible and sustainable future
We are committed to being a sustainable business. To us, this means that everyone can benefit; our members, people and society. To achieve this ambition, we strive to do business in a financially, environmentally and socially responsible manner – this is the mutual way.
Since 1826, we’ve been working together to do the right thing and make a difference through fair, clear products that help our members plan their finances and secure their future. So it’s only natural we should be so committed to building a more responsible and sustainable society in which everyone can benefit.
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Working together: Our responsibility to members
Why are we so passionate about working together? Because it best serves you, your money and the world we all live in. We’ll always put you first. And that means always acting responsibly before anything else, including how we nurture your future finances.-
Mutuality
We believe mutuality is an inherently sustainable way to run a business. That’s why mutuality is at the heart of everything we do. And because we don’t have shareholders, we’re free to act in your best interests, reinvesting any profits we make back into the business for the benefit of our members.
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Member Voice programme
It’s nice to know that you’re being listened to. That’s why we have a dedicated internal team that is focused on not only listening to your feedback, but putting your feedback into action. In fact, it’s how we provide the very best products and levels of service for all our members.
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Corporate partnerships
For us, sustainability is a constant journey of improvement. So, we’re always looking to partner with companies that share our commitment to becoming more sustainable, now and in the future. Whoever we partner with, you can be sure they share our belief in making the world a better place.
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Member support
Whoever you are and whatever your needs, we’re committed to your personal and financial wellbeing. Meaning that if you have a disability or any personal circumstances we could make an adjustment for, you can relax knowing that we’re equipped to help. Our people are fully trained, with everything in place. So, if there’s anything you need, just let us know.
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Doing the right thing: Our responsibility to our people
It’s only right that everyone should benefit from the same opportunities. That’s why we’re so focused on creating a diverse, inclusive and engaging place to work. After all, the happier our teams, the better the service our members will enjoy.-
Board diversity policy
We believe that diversity and inclusion begins in the boardroom. Our Board is made up of people from all backgrounds, with a breadth of knowledge and perspectives that span society. Appointing Board members on merit, we’re always seeking out new voices and opinions, so we can better represent the members we serve.
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Women in Finance Charter
As part of our commitment to creating a more diverse, inclusive workplace, we fully support the Women in Finance Charter. This means we’ve got our own set of targets for increasing the number of women on our senior management team. Not only is it the right and fair thing to do, it’s helping us to deliver the best quality products and services for our members.
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Mutual Diversity Alliance
We’re proud to be part of the Mutual Diversity Alliance, a group of organisations committed to good practice in diversity and inclusion. Whether it’s within our business or the wider financial industry, we work together to learn and innovate. Also, we can create a more diverse society, within finance and beyond.
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Living Wage Employer
Everyone should be paid a fair wage that reflects the real cost of living. So as you’d expect, we’ve have been accredited as a Living Wage Employer by the Living Wage Foundation. In fact, we take just as good care of our people as we do our members.
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Gender pay equality
As a mutual built on fairness, it’s no surprise that we strongly encourage and endorse gender equality. We’re fully committed to being inclusive and proud of our record in gender pay gap performance.
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Investors in People
You may notice we have a Platinum award from Investors in People. This is down to the importance we place on developing our teams, giving them the same level of support as they do our members. Just 2% of organisations reach Platinum status. But for us, it’s just part of being a mutual.
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Modern slavery policy
While it goes without saying, we have a zero-tolerance policy on slavery and human trafficking. This means being ethical and transparent in everything we do. Thankfully, we have checks and balances in place to make sure we live up to our word, whether it’s looking after our people, or your money.
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Making a difference: Our responsibility to society
By acting responsibly, we can make a positive difference to society. Here you can learn more about how we’re creating a more sustainable world for you and your family.-
Our carbon-neutral commitment
One of our values is making a difference, which is why we are committed to maintaining Shepherds Friendly status as a carbon-neutral business. We’ve been able to do this through supporting carbon offsetting projects with ClimatePartner (you can read more about this below), and by finding ways to reduce our overall carbon footprint. This has been through lowering our wastage, making it easier to recycle, and encouraging our people to take advantage of our ride-to-work scheme. We will continue to look at what other projects we can invest in, as well as other internal initiatives to keep our environmental impact at a minimum.
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Investors in the Environment (iiE)
Designed to help organisations reduce their impact on the environment, Investors in the Environment (iiE) is an environmental accreditation scheme for the whole of the UK. Being accredited means we’re making good on our promises to go greener every day. Reducing our carbon footprint and helping to care for the planet. We were proud to be awarded the Green award in 2024.
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ClimatePartner
We’re delighted to have teamed up with ClimatePartner. They work with organisations like ours to put climate action strategies in place. Through supporting their work on afforestation and clean ocean projects in the UK and as well as investing in the expansion of renewable energy generation across Asia, our head office operations are now carbon neutral, meaning we have no net release of carbon dioxide. Find out how much carbon we’ve offset so far here.
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Our environmental policy
Making an impact is sometimes about lessening your impact. For this reason, we’ve made sustainability a top priority, and our environmental policy is part of that. It makes sure we’re offering you the best possible service, while leaving the smallest possible footprint. We also have a dedicated Green Team who are the champions of our environmental policy. They make sure it remains front and centre of all our decisions and actions. They even generate innovative new ideas on how we can all chip in to reduce our carbon footprint, whether in work or at home.
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Charity support in the local community
We’re passionate about making a difference in our communities. That’s why all our people are free to devote one working day per year to support a local charity. We put on regular fundraising events as we love to do our bit, so charities can continue their amazing work.
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Our brand values are the principles that underpin our culture and run through every aspect of how we operate as an organisation. We don’t see these as a guide to how we should behave, but as a summary of how we do behave. Our three core values are as follows:
Working together
An uncompromising commitment to moral standards and behaviour. Honouring our commitments and acting responsibly and in good faith.
Doing the right thing
We are an organisation that cares, always putting people first. We thrive and succeed as a team, building trusting and rewarding relationships, inside and out.
Making a difference
We are committed to providing the best possible products and services that help make a positive difference to the lives of our members.
We promise to maintain and evolve our commitment to sustainability for current and future generations.
Yours sincerely,
Ann-Marie O’Dea
Chief Executive
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