Ethical policy and guidance

We are guided by The Methodist Church’s Joint Advisory Committee on the Ethics of Investment (JACEI).

This Committee was originally formed to provide input into ethical investment decisions surrounding apartheid in South Africa.  It now provides insight into a wide range of issues and also reviews the work that Epworth undertakes on behalf of clients – to ensure it is consistent with Christian ethics.

We look to work positively with companies and are committed to improving their ethical performance. We engage on a wide range of issues, including: Climate Change, The Living Wage, Human Rights and Farm Animal Welfare.

We always vote at company meetings – seeing this as an important tool to encourage management to meet our requirements.

In addition to engagement, JACEI’s guidance leads to the avoidance of investment in companies whose businesses are wholly or mainly involved in alcohol, armaments, gambling, high interest lending, the oil and gas sector, pornography, tar sands, thermal coal and tobacco.

Full details on the thinking behind what we do can be found in our Position Paper and Policy Statements.

Climate change is one
of a number of key
issues that we consider
when investing.