In the 2014 Dow Jones Sustainability Indices, Swiss Re has been named as the insurance industry sector leader. Highlighting Swiss Re's commitment to sustainable business, this is the eighth time since 2004 that the company has led the insurance sector in these rankings.
David Cole, Swiss Re's Group Chief Financial Officer, says: "For over a decade Swiss Re has been at the top of this important measure of sustainable business. We achieved this long-running success because we build sustainability into our approach to managing our company on both the asset and liability side. We approach sustainability in a way that can be measured and which can be made a part of our value proposition to clients and investors."
The close link between sustainability and core business such as underwriting and asset management is exemplified by Swiss Re's Sustainability Risk Framework. This framework allows Swiss Re's underwriters to identify sensitive business risks, and to start a dialogue with clients on significant environmental, social, reputational or governance concerns. In such cases, underwriters are empowered to work with clients to address these issues – or to abstain from business.
Swiss Re has formally endorsed, and implemented both the UN Principles for Responsible Investment and the UN Principles for Sustainable Insurance. Swiss Re is committed to investing its assets responsibly through a controlled and structured investment process, which also reflects our commitment to corporate responsibility by integrating environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria.
Swiss Re's risk management processes encompass a forward-looking approach to risk. For example, the SONAR programme is an industry leading programme to identify new and emerging risks. SONAR is used directly in quantifying and modelling such risks. Swiss Re is also building on its long track record in addressing the possible future risks of climate change and climate risks. For example, in 2013 Swiss Re's Mind the Risk report made Swiss Re's in-house expertise on managing climate risks available to insurers and others who manage climate risks in urban areas.
Swiss Re has been active in encouraging sustainable practices in the way it operates its own business. This is especially true for employees, who will continue to receive financial incentives to reduce their carbon footprint through the COyou2 programme. The Own the Way You Work™ programme gives employees the flexibility and technical infrastructure to work where and when they need to. This has proven especially beneficial for those with children or dependent relatives, who may need more flexibility in their workplace.
Sustainable growth is a priority in Swiss Re's strategy, especially in high growth markets, where increased wealth presents very positive business opportunities for the insurance sector. Globally, approximately 70% of the world's assets are still uninsured and risk being lost to natural catastrophes and other risks. By closing this protection gap, Swiss Re expects demand for natural catastrophe cover to double in high-growth markets between 2012 and 2020, while demand in mature markets is estimated to grow by 50% over the same period.
In order to achieve this growth in a sustainable way, Swiss Re is actively engaging insurance partners and community stakeholders to develop funding programmes for communities at risk of natural catastrophes. It is also developing a knowledge base for promoting awareness of mitigation measures and the benefits of adaption measures. Swiss Re helps its partners to build markets at the grassroots level; for example, through microinsurance programmes to help smallholder farmers. These programmes typically involve the use of cutting-edge satellite-based insurance techniques, which trigger payouts based on weather data.
David Cole says: "Swiss Re is committed to growing our business in a way which makes sense in the long term. This ensures profitability for our shareholders today and contributes to sustainable economies in the future."
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