One of the most significant ways Aegon positively impacts sustainability topics is via responsible investment.
We recognize our responsibility to limit the negative impacts of our investments on society and the environment. We apply this ethos to our own general account investments and use our influence to encourage similar standards in the investment decisions made by our customers.
By taking an active approach to responsible investment, we seek to reduce the risks to our business and explore ways to serve the interests of our customers and society at large.
Responsible Investment Policy
Our Responsible Investment (RI) Policy acts as the basis for how Aegon’s investments should be managed, consistent with our RI objectives, relevant laws, and governance standards.
Our approach to RI is based on the concepts of good stewardship and active ownership. We believe we can influence the behavior of investee companies through engagement where we reward companies that intentionally pursue RI principles. Through these efforts, we encourage companies to make positive changes to their operations and products for the benefit of wider society and the environment. Our RI approach will continue to adapt and evolve to meet the needs of our stakeholders and align with industry best practice.
Responsible activities in 2023
The responsible investment landscape continued to evolve with a focus on managing financially material climate risks in our portfolios and accelerating the low-carbon transition through investment opportunities. We identified the top 20 corporate carbon emitters in our general account portfolio and engaged with them with the objective of achieving commitments-based net-zero targets. By the end of 2023, we had engaged with 19 of those companies, well on track to achieve our 2025 target. For more information about the role of Aegon AM in Aegon’s responsible investment activities and approach, please refer to the Aegon AM Responsible Investment Framework documents available on the Aegon AM website.
Principles for Responsible Investment
In November 2022, Aegon became an asset owner signatory to the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), following Aegon Asset Management's longstanding asset manager signatory status since 2011. The PRI sets out guidelines for how investors should take into account ESG factors when making their investment decisions. Going forward, we will take these practices onboard when reviewing our RI Policy and further developing our overall Group-wide approach to responsible investment.
By 2025, you will be able to read about our progress in our transparency report, which we will publish on our website.