The criteria below apply to the following insured funds, managed by Aegon Asset Management, across our pension, life, Aegon Retirement Choices (ARC) and Aegon One Retirement (AOR) fund ranges. If you'd like more information about responsible investing including details of other options within our fund range, visit our responsible investments hub.
Please note, this criteria only applies to our range of ethical funds managed by Aegon Asset Management. There are other funds within our ranges, which may invest in-line with different ethical, environmental or socially responsible criteria.
You can view the insured fund factsheet by clicking on the fund name:
These funds are designed to meet the needs of clients who wish to make investment decisions based on strong ethical principles.
All use highly selective investment criteria. Our ethical screening process evaluates the effects that certain companies’ activities, products and services can have on the environment and society at large.
Screening process
The funds do not invest in companies that:
- provide animal testing services or manufacture or sell animal-tested cosmetics, household products or pharmaceuticals
- have any involvement in intensive farming
- operate abattoirs or slaughterhouse facilities
- are producers or retailers of meat, poultry, fish or dairy products or slaughterhouse by-products
- derive more than 10% of their total business through involvement in brewing, distillation or sale of alcoholic drinks
- are corporate or international banks with exposure to large corporate or Third World debt
- are involved in activities which are commonly held to be environmentally unsound – specifically manufacturers of PVC, ozone depleting chemicals and hazardous pesticides
- are in breach of internationally recognised conventions on biodiversity and companies in energy intensive industries which are not tackling the issue of climate change
- have investments in betting shops, casinos or amusement arcades accounting for more than 10% of their total business
- have patented genes
- manufacture armaments, nuclear weapons or associated strategic products
- provide critical services to, or own or operate, nuclear facilities
- operate in countries with poor human rights records, and which have no established management policies on human rights issues
- have made political donations of 1% of revenues in the past 12 months
- provide adult entertainment services
- derive more than 10% of their business from the growing, processing or sale of tobacco products
These funds are restricted in what they can invest in, either to a single country, such as the UK, or to certain types of companies which pass the ethical screening. This increases the risk if market conditions do not favour a particular country or types of company.
For more details of other funds available within our responsible investments range visit the responsible investments hub.