Saving for Retirement
The Aviva Sustainable Stewardship Funds
The Sustainable Stewardship Funds were launched as the Stewardship Funds in 1984. They have been managed by our dedicated asset manager Aviva Investors since 2018. The philosophy behind the Funds has always been, and remains, to guide capital allocation responsibly, and therefore to exclude or to include a company in the Funds based on what the company does and how it does it.
The UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals, also referred to as the SDGs, serve as the framework for the Sustainable Stewardship Funds and the businesses they invest in. We believe that this demonstrates that the Funds are committed to investing in companies with sustainable business practices, and which are helping to contribute to a more sustainable world. Read more about the UN's SDGs here.
Exclusion screens are also used to exclude businesses that could be deemed harmful to the world and people from the Funds. Find out more about the exclusion screens in the Sustainable Stewardship philosophy here.
Customers can access UK and international equities, fixed interest, or a blend of equities and fixed interest via the Sustainable Stewardship Fund range. There are five funds in the Sustainable Stewardship range:
- Sustainable Stewardship International Equity Fund
- Sustainable Stewardship Bond Fund
- Sustainable Stewardship Managed Fund
- Sustainable Stewardship UK Equity Fund
- Sustainable Stewardship UK Equity Income Fund.
Factsheets for the funds are available at: Aviva fund centre.
We also provide the Stewardship default strategy, which was launched in July 2019 to enable customers to invest in the Sustainable Stewardship Funds throughout their retirement journey.
We want our customers to be confident that regardless of where they are in the retirement journey – at the very beginning or near the end – their money is helping to make a positive difference and helping to create a more sustainable future, alongside delivering a return. The Aviva Investors' Public Markets ESG team and the Sustainble Investment team work with the Funds' Portfolio Managers. Please see details about our Sustainable Stewardship team below.
The Stewardship default strategy uses the Sustainable Stewardship International Equity, Sustainable Stewardship Managed and Sustainable Stewardship Bond Funds from when investors join the pension scheme to when members reach their selected retirement date. Find out more about Stewardship default strategy and the Sustainable Stewardship funds here.
A dedicated Sustainable Investment team
We have a dedicated Sustainable Investing function of more than 50 sustainability experts.
Specifically within the function, the Sustainable Investment team plays a key role in the Sustainable Stewardship funds. They work collaboratively across Aviva Investors and share their research and analysis with the Portfolio Managers. The analysts within the Sustainable Investment team cover three core pillars of the Sustainable Stewardship approach – earth, climate and people.
The ESG Public Markets team also sits within the wider function and manages ESG risks in the investment process as well as engagement.
Working with businesses and other stakeholders
As well as using our voice as a shareholder to vote for change at company meetings, we also engage with businesses themselves. We engage with companies to encourage them to enact the best possible sustainability practices. When engaging, we will expect to see a clear timeline for progress and outcomes. Our key priorities when engaging with businesses are the cost of living crisis, transitioning to a low carbon economy and reversing nature loss.
We will also work with other stakeholders, including governments, other asset managers and charities.
Read more about how we have engaged with businesses in the Stewardship Fund annual report.
While we are working towards our sustainability ambitions, we recognise that while we have control over Aviva's operations and influence on our supply chain, when it comes to decarbonising the economy in which we operate and invest, Aviva is one part of a far larger global ecosystem. There are also limits to our ability to influence other organisations and governments. Nevertheless, we remain focused on the task and are committed to playing our part in the collective effort to enable the global transition. Find out more about our climate goals at www.aviva.com/climate-goals and our sustainability ambition and action at www.aviva.com/sustainability.
Aviva’s history as a Sustainable Investor
Meet our people
Sustainable Investment team
The Sustainable Investment team provides research and insight to help inform our investment decision-making.
Sam Tripuraneni
Head of Sustainable Outcomes
Ivelina Stefanova
Sustainable Investment Analyst – Earth Pillar
Luisa Jobson
Sustainable Investment Analyst – Climate Pillar
Prince Marapao-Gittings
Sustainable Investment Analyst – People Pillar
Sustainable Stewardship Investment team
Trevor Green
Head of UK Equities – Portfolio Manager - Sustainable Stewardship UK Equity Fund and Sustainable Stewardship UK Equity Income Fund
Charlotte Meyrick
Co-Portfolio Manager - Sustainable Stewardship UK Equity Fund and Sustainable Stewardship UK Equity Income Fund
Edward Kevis
Portfolio Manager - Sustainable Stewardship International Equity Fund
Jonathan Toub
Co-Portfolio Manager - Sustainable Stewardship International Equity Fund
Thomas Chinery
Senior Portfolio Manager – Sustainable Stewardship Bond Fund
Elmarie Matheou
Co-Portfolio Manager – Sustainable Stewardship Bond Fund
Useful documents
Articles and publications
Sustainable investing trade-offs
In this article, Mirza Baig, Chief Sustainable Investment Officer at Aviva Investors, explores the nuances between sustainable investment and investment performance. As Mirza says, trade-offs are a part of life and that trade-offs, as long as they are understood, need not be inherently negative.
Ten threats to marine ecosystems
This article talks about the risk to the ecosystem from human actions.
Boosting low-carbon investment in the UK: A Policy Roadmap
In this article, Nick Molho, Head of Climate Policy at Aviva Investors sets out the fund manager's in-depth Roadmap for the UK's journey to a low-carbon economy.