Better Health for All

Rathbones, through its Greenbank ethical investment arm, invests in companies with positive health impacts, such as DSM-Firmenich (health and nutrition, vitamins, omegas)

, Boston Scientific (medical devices) , and GE Healthcare Technologies (diagnostic imaging) . It also supports Greensleeves Care (elderly care) and Hightown (specialist housing and support for individuals with learning disabilities and mental health problems) . Rathbone Greenbank participates in the Long-term Investors in People’s Health programme to embed health considerations into investment policies . For its employees, Rathbones provides preventative health measures like annual medicals (including screenings) and flu jabs , alongside extensive mental health support including an employee assistance programme , wellbeing apps with counselling , and 43 mental health first aiders . The company supported Disasters Emergency Commission appeals and engages in food policy advocacy, providing oral evidence to the House of Lords Select Committee on Food, Diet and Obesity and advocating for mandatory health metrics in food reporting . As an investment manager, its core business does not have direct health impacts, either positive or negative, nor does it produce health-related products or conduct health R&D.

Fair Money & Economic Opportunity

Rathbones Group PLC reinvested 0.7% of its pre-tax profit in local communities, supporting 78 charity partners with a total of £699,793.

The company provides investment and wealth management services, including banking services and loans to existing clients. It aims for fees to be simple, clear, and fair, and has closed legacy 'R share classes' to move investors to lower-charge share classes, while also stating it avoids upselling products not aligned with client interests. However, charges for the I share class of the Rathbone High Quality Bond Fund were found to be higher than peer funds and are under review. The company supports financial literacy initiatives, running nine financial awareness sessions in 2024 with 755 attendees, and reaching over 13,000 people over the past 12 years. Rathbones operates 23 offices across the UK and Jersey. An acquisition in 2021 primarily served high-net-worth individuals and did not focus on financial inclusion for underserved communities.

Fair Pay & Worker Respect

Rathbones is a Living Wage accredited employer, extending this commitment to subcontractors.

In 2019, the CEO-to-median-employee pay ratio was 23:1. The company reported a voluntary employee turnover rate of 6.7% in FY24, and employee engagement was 81.0% in FY24. However, a significant gender pay gap persists, with women's median hourly pay being 29.8% lower than men's as of April 2024, meaning women earned 70.2p for every £1 men earned.

Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing

Rathbones, an investment management company, reported no incidents of modern slavery in 2024

, and generally states no incidents of child or forced labour have been reported. The company conducts ongoing monitoring of key suppliers and responsible business assessments. Given its business model, the company has no material sourcing of at-risk inputs like conflict minerals or uncertified palm oil. Similarly, there are no supply chain tiers to map for provenance, and no remediation processes are required for its operational supply chain as no violations have been reported.

Honest & Fair Business

Rathbones maintains a zero-tolerance policy towards bribery and corruption

, with 95.2% of employees completing anti-bribery training in 2023 . All in-scope employees are required to complete ongoing anti-bribery and anti-corruption training , and the company encourages transparent reporting of suspicious cases . A whistleblowing policy is also in place, reviewed in December 2023 , which encourages reporting from employees, suppliers, clients, and third parties through direct or independent channels , including a third-party hotline and an independent charity . Annual training on this policy is undertaken . However, a Forfeiture Complaint was filed in June 2023 by the USA , alleging fraud, money laundering, and smuggling involving $12 million in Rathbones Investment Management Portfolio Accounts in Jersey .

Kind to Animals

Rathbones, through its Greenbank division, actively engages in public policy for animal welfare.

Greenbank co-signed a private letter to the European Commission, advocating for an ambitious review of EU animal welfare legislation, including robust standards for phasing out cages, and has committed to continued advocacy in 2026. Greenbank is also an active participant in the Finance for Biodiversity Pledge since 2020 and supports the Business Benchmark on Farm Animal Welfare (BBFAW). As an investment management company, Rathbones does not directly engage in animal testing, animal agriculture, or the production of animal-derived products, making most related KPIs not applicable to its direct operations. However, its investment funds, such as the Rathbone Greenbank Global Sustainability Fund, exclude companies involved in animal testing without appropriate welfare policies (referencing the 3Rs principles), deriving revenue from fur or exotic animal skins, or operating intensive livestock farming without evidence of farm animal welfare policies.

No War, No Weapons

Rathbones Group PLC, an investment management company, has no direct revenue from arms or defense contracts.

The company aligns with the UN Global Compact and has a human rights work plan for 2025 and 2026. Its Modern Slavery Statements require suppliers to respect the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Rathbones reviews 79% of its in-scope suppliers through a responsible business assessment. The company has a codified ethical red line to exclude investments in companies with more than 10% sales from armaments. While Rathbones states it does not hold defense stocks in its sustainable multi-asset funds, its general policy allows for investment in companies with up to 10% revenue from armaments, indicating indirect ties via such holdings.

Planet-Friendly Business

Rathbones Group's near-term emissions targets, which include a 42% reduction in absolute Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030 from a 2023 base year, are currently being resubmitted for validation by the Science-Based Targets initiative.

The company sources 66% of its total energy consumption from renewable electricity across 20 of its 33 sites. Rathbones reports against all 11 recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD).

Respect for Cultures & Communities

Rathbones supports 78 charity partners.

Its Greenbank division co-authored a report advocating for World Heritage Sites to be declared 'no-go areas' for extractive industries, and the company partners with cultural sites like Chatsworth House. No cultural appropriation incidents have been reported.

Safe & Smart Tech

Rathbones provides users with comprehensive data control options, including rights to access, rectify, erase, restrict processing, withdraw consent, and data portability.

Users can close their accounts at any time via their profile page, with deletion occurring within 5 business days of request. The company demonstrates a very strong regulatory compliance program, adhering to GDPR, UK, Jersey, Guernsey, European, and international laws. This includes compliance with GDPR Article 27 (designated EU representative), Article 32(2) (register of processing activities), Article 35 (DPIAs), and Article 36 (prior consultation). Rathbones also mentions compliance with Consumer Duty regulations, the Green Claims Code, the Modern Slavery Act 2015, anti-money laundering, and 'know your client' purposes. Furthermore, the company conducts regular vulnerability assessments and penetration testing.

Zero Waste & Sustainable Products

Rathbones has implemented several waste reduction initiatives, including introducing a waste protocol in 2015.

The company reduced paper use by 15% and digitized client communications, with an additional 27% of clients using MyRathbones, saving £3.5 million in print postage. The use of Docusign saved 127,796 gallons of water and 43,402 pounds of wood. Furthermore, Rathbones decommissioned 16 physical servers and two storage devices, reducing power draw by 15.31%.