Better Health for All

RBC, the parent company of Brewin Dolphin, demonstrates a strong commitment to mental health, having delivered over $8 million in support to the Integrated Youth Services (IYS) initiative since 2017 to provide community-based mental health and substance use services.

The company offers extensive mental health resources for employees and youth, including the MindShift® CBT app, Kids Help Phone resources, a COVID-19 Youth Mental Health Resource Hub, the Family Navigation Project for youth mental health and addictions, Youthtalk, BeanBagChat, and free walk-in mental health counselling. The RBC Foundation has committed C$14 million to support healthcare workers in Canada. Additionally, RBC provides health education resources for young people, such as Kids Help Phone, a COVID-19 Youth Mental Health Resource Hub, and a self-care checklist. The Family Navigation Project and IYS-Net also support youth struggling with addiction concerns. The company's core business of investment management and financial planning has a neutral direct impact on health, and it does not generate revenue from products with direct negative health outcomes. Its services do not have direct safety implications, health risks requiring disclosure, or involve health-related R&D, data management, or clinical trials.

Fair Money & Economic Opportunity

The company does not provide debt products to consumers, making the debt burden ratio not applicable. Similarly, as an investment management firm, it is not regulated as a lender in the context of consumer credit, so fair lending compliance is not applicable. The company does not currently include documented initiatives for financial inclusion, microloans, or small business support, meaning no share of its book is aimed at these segments.

It also has no revenue from high-cost financial products or penalty fees. For financial literacy, guides on fees and charges are available for download, which constitutes basic financial information available on request but not a structured program.

Fair Pay & Worker Respect

87% of employees report pay at or above the Real Living Wage.

The median gender pay gap for UK employees was 32% in 2024, meaning women earned 68% of men's median pay. The employee engagement score for Brewin Dolphin was 88% in 2021.

Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing

Brewin Dolphin is an investment management firm and does not directly procure or trade physical commodities, making the 'fair_trade_cert_share' and 'materials_risk_index' KPIs not applicable to its direct operations. For its own operational supply chain, the company's procurement policy, updated in 2021, mandates that its values and sustainability strategy be considered in all vendor engagements.

RBC (parent company) requires its suppliers to acknowledge the Supplier Code of Conduct, which sets expectations for human rights laws, and third-party labor providers are explicitly in scope of supplier policies. This indicates 100% coverage of contracts with robust ethical terms. The company also has a zero-tolerance approach to slavery and human trafficking, complying with the Modern Slavery Act 2015. There is no specific data on the percentage of procurement budget directed to diverse suppliers, nor on audit frequency, forced/child labor incidents, traceability coverage, or remediation speed for its own direct supply chain.

Honest & Fair Business

The company has a 'Speak Up' whistleblower policy in place with mandatory training for staff members

, including an annual overview of modern slavery risks as part of conduct risk training . Issues can be escalated to the Board and executive management , and an external 'Speak Up' statement is available for external parties to raise concerns via a third-party administered hotline . However, there is no public measurement of the program's effectiveness. Brewin Dolphin also maintains an Anti-Bribery and Corruption Policy, last reviewed in March 2024 . This policy covers all aspects of the business , includes procedures to prevent the facilitation of tax evasion , and ensures compliance with international sanctions regimes . Training for this policy is being revised to cover all firms within the group, with a targeted launch in November 2024 . The policy is comprehensive and covers international markets, but specific customization for high-risk areas is not detailed.

Kind to Animals

Brewin Dolphin, as a wealth and asset management firm, does not have direct involvement in activities such as animal testing or animal agriculture.

However, it manages investment portfolios that incorporate animal welfare considerations. For instance, Brewin Dolphin manages the Scottish SPCA's investment portfolio, which explicitly excludes investments in the production and distribution of cosmetic products tested on animals, non-cosmetic products tested on animals (except where testing is for medical or regulatory reasons and facilities are accredited), the provision of animal testing services, and intensive farming operations. This demonstrates a comprehensive no-testing policy for this specific portfolio, except where legally mandated, and a leading-edge approach to avoiding unethical animal agriculture practices. While some of Brewin Dolphin's ESG-focused portfolios have a 14.6% exposure to animal testing, this is often due to legal requirements in the healthcare industry. Clients also have the option to exclude companies involved in animal testing or factory farming from their portfolios.

No War, No Weapons

Brewin Dolphin, an investment management firm, has no direct revenue from arms or defense contracts, nor does it develop dual-use technology or engage in sales to embargoed regimes.

However, the company cannot demonstrate zero exposure to the defense sector, as its portfolio included holdings in Raytheon Technologies Corporation, a defense contractor, valued at approximately $2.79 million as of Q2 2022, with no evidence of its divestment. The company introduced a firm-wide restriction in October 2022 on investing in companies that derive greater than 10% of their sales/revenue from weapons banned under international treaties, including anti-personnel mines, cluster munitions, chemical weapons, and biological weapons. It has a formal policy to divest from funds that conflict with its exclusionary policy, stating that such funds will be removed from the 'buy list' and divested "as soon as practicable." Additionally, the company conducts annual reviews of every fund on its buy list to ensure compliance with its exclusion policies, meeting formally with each fund manager at least once per year.

Planet-Friendly Business

RBC, which includes Brewin Dolphin's properties, sourced 100% of its electricity from renewable sources in 2024.

Brewin Dolphin's total Scope 1, 2, and financed Scope 3 emissions were 1.401551 million tCO2e in 2024. However, its operational Scope 1 and 2 emissions increased from 837 tCO2e in 2023 to 1,551 tCO2e in 2024. 40% of RBC's applicable leased and owned buildings, encompassing Brewin Dolphin's properties, are green building certified. RBC achieved an 87% waste diversion rate from landfills across its operations, which includes Brewin Dolphin. Brewin Dolphin's climate report is guided by TCFD recommendations, and the company supports ISSB standards (IFRS S2) which fully incorporate TCFD. The company conducts comprehensive climate scenario analysis, considering 1.5°C, 2°C, and 3°C temperature pathways using NGFS transition scenarios, and identifies indirect exposure to companies unaligned with the Paris Agreement goals. Brewin Dolphin discusses climate-related transition risks, implicitly addressing potential stranded assets, but does not explicitly disclose specific stranded asset risks.

Respect for Cultures & Communities

RBC, which acquired Brewin Dolphin, provides globally available grievance mechanisms for community concerns, including a Conduct Hotline for employees and contract workers, and specific mailboxes for Indigenous Peoples' banking and reconciliation-related inquiries.

A protocol exists for assessing cultural impact, as RBC applies an Environmental and Social Risk Questionnaire to certain client transactions that may impact Indigenous Peoples, communities, or lands. The company also has a framework for responding to human rights reports, which includes assessment, timely response, investigation, and identifying remedies. No cultural appropriation incidents have been reported for the company itself, and its business model does not typically involve operations near cultural or heritage sites that would lead to disruptions. Brewin Dolphin supports charities promoting cultural life, such as the Ipswich Art Society. Employees complete annual Code of Conduct training, which has enhanced content pertaining to human rights impacts.

Safe & Smart Tech

RBC Brewin Dolphin demonstrates strong commitment to Safe & Smart Tech. Privacy by Design is implemented in all new projects, services, and tools.

The company ensures high algorithmic transparency for its GenAI workflows, with every recommendation traceable to its original source for 80-90% of client annual review meeting pack preparation. RBC, the parent company, has a Responsible AI Centre of Excellence, an Executive Steering Committee, and adopted Responsible AI principles. RBC Brewin Dolphin leverages DAST and SAST for automated threat detection across cloud and Kubernetes platforms and uses ExtraHop Reveal(x) 360 for real-time threat detection across its technology environment. The firm ensures adherence to SOC 2, ISO 27001, and GDPR, and has a 100% CIS Compliant Platform. Users have comprehensive rights over their data, including access, rectification, erasure, and data portability. All RBC employees are required to complete mandatory Fundamentals of Privacy and Security training every two years , with 99.3% compliance in 2024 , and are regularly tested through phishing simulations. RBC's AI systems also undergo testing, validation, and monitoring throughout their development lifecycle.

Zero Waste & Sustainable Products

RBC, which includes Brewin Dolphin's operations, achieved an 87% waste diversion rate from landfills across its global operations in 2024.

The company has implemented numerous waste reduction initiatives, including proactive work with suppliers to reduce packaging on deliveries, recycling coffee pods, secure waste, and technology equipment, and recycling furniture from decommissioned offices. It has also replaced disposable cups with reusable mugs and plastic stirrers with wooden alternatives, significantly reduced hard copy documents through digital scanning, and managed internal mail to reduce delivery miles. Furthermore, RBC has a Supplier Code of Conduct that sets environmental management expectations for all suppliers, supported by risk assessment and due diligence programs to ensure alignment. Brewin Dolphin also considers its sustainability strategy in all vendor engagements.