Royal London Asset Management's (RLAM) team was already winning high plaudits from its parent about sustainable investing as 2022 approached, reflecting on the role "continued high demand for our sustainable funds" had played in external net inflows rocketing from £1.7bn to £4.4bn, year on year.

The manager's sustainability initiatives in 2022 were legion – moving over £20bn from benchmark trackers into lower-emitting ESG-tilted strategies, by halting the assets' adherence to a third-party index "which offers no control", launching funds for sustainable short-duration corporate bond, global equities transition, and growth in shares and fixed income classes, all the while remaining mindful of its stewardship obligations. These saw the manager meet 221 companies "to effect positive change," voting on a record 44,452 resolutions at 3,765 meetings, in every region of the world.

For all the activity on the issue, its stance on sustainability may best be encapsulated in its simple phrase: "One thing is certain - none of us can afford to be passive.

Now is the time as responsible investors to be active, engaged, and part of the solution."