Corporate sustainability
Corporate sustainability is an important issue for a reinsurer. Unsustainable trends threatening natural resources and social coherence may reinforce known risks or create new risks, raising the loss potential for the insurance industry. At the same time, new types of risk transfer products can help society mitigate or adapt to the risks associated with the sustainability challenges that it currently faces. This process creates new business opportunities. Swiss Re strives to address both sustainability-related risks and opportunities through combined efforts in risk assessment, product development, internal operations and stakeholder dialogue.
Swiss Re’s commitment to corporate sustainability is enshrined in the Companies' Sustainability Mission Statement. The principle of sustainability has also been firmly embedded within the fabric of the company through its normative frameworks. It is one of four core values in the Group’s Principles and, through its detailed treatment in the Group Code of Conduct, forms an integral part of Swiss Re’s corporate governance regime. The governance of the topic has been defined from the Board of Directors to the operational level.
Corporate Sustainability Governance
Level |
Body |
|
|
|
Board |
Governance Committee |
Executive Management |
Executive Committee |
Operational Management |
Sustainability & Emerging Risk Management |
Swiss Re makes direct use of its expertise in risk management and also cooperates with external experts on specific sustainability-related issues. This knowledge is either fed into the Group’s underwriting and investment processes or, when feasible, will be used in the development of new products and services. At the operational level a specialist unit, Sustainability and Emerging Risk Management, is charged with driving the implementation of corporate sustainability strategy. A part of this programme is to ensure that we reflect high standards of social and environmental sustainability in our business practises.
Details of Swiss Re’s corporate responsibility activities can be found in the annual Corporate Responsibility Report.
Unsustainable social or environmental trends may reinforce known risks or create new ones.
Related links
Corporate Responsibility
Business
Employees
Internal Environmental Management
Ratings
Climate change
