Helping Clients Address Challenges In The Collections Life-Cycle

We are committed to making a positive impact and leading the way in the credit management sector. Our approach is guided by a clear Sustainability Strategy and set of goals on which we share our progress against in our annual Sustainability Report.

Our Strategy and Commitments

Our Sustainability Strategy is there to support our mission and address wider societal needs for a more inclusive and sustainable future. We have set clear ambitions across four key areas so we can measure our positive impact on our customers and clients, our people, their communities, and the environment for the long term. It is underpinned by a set of KPIs and performance targets, with progress regularly monitored and measured.

Our 2022 Sustainability Report

In our latest Sustainability Report we provide an update against our targets and deeper insight into our actions as a responsible business. Our reporting is aligned to the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB), and we support the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

All of our reports can be found on the Sustainability Reporting Hub.

Download our2022 Sustainability Report

Listen to Lowell's Group CEO, Colin Storrar, talk about what Sustainability means to him and the importance of Lowell's mission

"Our mission acts as a solid anchor to guide us as we continue to build a better business with a sustainable future."

A journey to a more sustainable future

We are proud of our performance and achievements in 2022 across the four pillars of our strategy. Better for Customers, Better Ethics and Understanding, Better for Society and Responsible Business. Here are some highlights from 2022:

2 m

million customers became debt-free with Lowell in 2022

8.2

Group client satisfaction score

11.5m

consumers reached to raise financial awareness

99%

Group client customer treatment score

UN Global Compact Commitment

In a welcome addition to our strategy, we also joined the UN Global Compact network in January 2023 and are committed to their four areas of impact including human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption, which adds additional focus to our efforts.

Understanding our client’s challenges

Across our business, our experience helps our clients address a wide range of financial and operational challenges. This also extends to sharing our knowledge and learnings. In 2022, we focused on financial abuse following its incorporation by the UK government into domestic abuse law, and, by sharing our learning, we helped our clients to increase their knowledge and introduce new policies.

Specialist and bespoke debt purchase arrangements

Also key to our partnership approach is understanding the unique challenges our clients face and offering solutions.
In 2022, we developed a bespoke approach for purchasing ring-fenced portfolios of customers in vulnerable situations, drawing on our skills and experience in working with such customers and offering innovative solutions for our clients.

Customer journey mapping

Sharing our sector knowledge and expertise also assists clients to better understand the customer journey and how that can help customers avoid problem debt in the first place. Through our Customer Panel, Client Satisfaction Index and feedback from our Customer Engagement Centre, we can gain insights into the issues that matter most to customers and share this knowledge.

Parliamentary reception

In April, Lowell UK sponsored a special parliamentary reception to launch Credit Week 2022. Aimed at MPs, the event provided an opportunity to share insights from our Financial Vulnerability Index with legislators and discuss key issues and challenges for the credit industry. We were joined by nine clients, with discussions around key themes such as financial inclusion, debt management and financial wellness. We will be staging a similar parliamentary event in 2023.

We are continuing to make Lowell a better business

Good corporate governance practice is fundamental to Lowell in creating and building internal and external stakeholder value and delivering against our Sustainability Strategy. Our Sustainability Development Group (SDG) is pivotal to the successful delivery of our strategy and is responsible for supporting its delivery against our leadership ambitions.

More information on sustainability governance is available on our Responsible Business sustainability page, while copies of some of our main policies and procedures can be found on our main Governance page.

Ambitious future goals

As our strategy evolves, we continue to look to the future and how we can drive progress and improvements across our areas of focus. A list of our current targets is below, and our Scorecard has more detail on our 2022 performance.

Download the 2022 Sustainability Scorecard

Better for Customers

Establish a standardised process for collecting customer NPS scores across all regions by the end of 2023 and achieve above market rates ongoing
>85% Group Client customer Treatment Score

Better Ethics and Understanding

Better for Society

Responsible Business

We are also proud of the external recognition we receive and the range of awards that Lowell continues to win, including:

CCS Awards

Winner, Debt Purchaser of the Year

Winner, Company Award for Sustainability

Finalist, Best Vulnerable Customer Support Initiative

Engage Awards

Highly Commended, Best Use of Technology in Employee Engagement

Women in Credit Awards

Silver winner, Employer of the Year (non-creditor category)

Workplace Savings and Benefits Awards

Winner, Best Flexible Benefits Strategy

Sustainability at Lowell

At Lowell, it’s our strategic aim to be a sustainable business and it’s embedded in our mission – to make credit work better for all.