Sustainability
Having a real-world impact
Alexforbes is on a journey to build a future for clients that delivers growth, inclusivity, and sustainability.
We will do this by pioneering insight to deliver advice and solutions that impact people’s lives. This means orientating our actions, decisions and intent to build a future that we can all connect with.
Our ambition to pioneer insight is driven by the conviction that knowledge is power. By harnessing our wealth of data, we empower decision-making for clients that will positively affect their tomorrows. Given the significant breadth of our consulting footprint, Alexforbes has the responsibility to ensure that the advice provided is of the highest quality to help clients navigate increased complexity, delivering long-term sustainability and value creation in the paths chosen.
As the largest investments multi-manager in South Africa, Alexforbes is in a position to amplify its impact on people’s lives beyond their financial circumstances. We will influence the asset management industry by setting demonstrable and pragmatic transformation and environmental, social and governance (ESG) requirements for asset managers, enabling greater relevance sustainably into the future. In delivering our advice and solutions, and through our engagements with asset managers and other service providers, we aim to unlock value by connecting and collaborating in groups to create more sustainable outcomes and security for our clients and members.
Our focus on ESG factors is critical to ensure we play our part towards sustainable economic development for our clients, business partners, investors and the South African society at large. This includes the expansion of our board charter to address climate risk and to enhance the group’s ESG ambitions and strategic intent.
Core sustainability beliefs
In delivering sustainable outcomes, we adhere to the following core sustainability beliefs:
- A purposeful strategic focus on sustainability and our own ESG performance as a corporate entity, right from the board and throughout the company, ensures our continued relevance as an impactful corporate citizen and protects our ability to sustainably deliver on our objectives to all stakeholders
- Incorporating sustainability (including ESG considerations) into advice intermediary services and intermediated discretionary financial solutions ensures better risk adjusted returns for our clients and members
- Incorporating sustainability (including material ESG considerations) into investment advice and our multimanaged portfolios ensures improved risk and returns to clients in the long-run
Our response to climate risks
Climate change is an increasingly urgent matter, not only for our company but for the countries in which we operate and the planet as a whole. In recognising its importance and criticality, in our previous report we indicated a heightened strategic focus on climate change.
During the 2024 financial year, we conducted our second assessment of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, covering Scope 1, Scope 2, and Scope 3 emissions. We also significantly improved our process for measuring Scope 3 emissions, which mainly pertain to financed emissions. Given the complexity of this process, we are committed to continually enhancing our measurement methods, including improving data availability and quality, with the goal of fully disclosing our Scope 3 emissions in the future.
Our transformation intent
The group has a long-standing transformation vision that goes beyond the regulatory requirements of the B-BBEE codes. Supporting South Africa’s transformation agenda is an important aspect of our responsibility to society. For us, it is about creating realistic, impactful and sustainable broad-based opportunities in partnership with those who have previously been denied such prospects.
Our approach to financial education and learning
Equipping our members with information, advice and skills to proactively manage their finances, investments and risks remains a key part of our social impact strategy. Additionally, we are committed to providing consumer education through targeted programmes that equip individuals with the knowledge and skills to make informed financial decisions, thereby enhancing their financial literacy and overall well-being.
Responsible investing
We believe in the power of responsible investing by integrating Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors into our investment decisions. We aim to generate sustainable long-term returns while making a positive impact on society and the environment. Our approach ensures that your investments contribute to a better future, responsibly.
Environmental impact
As a service-based business, our direct environmental impact is limited, coming predominantly from our network of offices. Nonetheless, we strive to make the most efficient use of our natural resources. Our impacts lie in the electricity, water and paper consumed in our buildings as well as general office waste generated.
Transformation
Our commitment to transformation is deep rooted and extends beyond compliance with the broad-based black economic empowerment (B-BBEE) codes of good practice. Driving execution against our transformation vision is ultimately the responsibility of the group’s board and the social, ethics and transformation committee.
Diversity & inclusion
We are committed to building a diverse team to ensure that we can harness the benefits of diversity. Diversity and inclusion focus on inclusivity, co-existence and tolerance in areas such as gender, ethnicity, religion and generational differences.