Zwitserleven leads the way in sustainable investing.

Zwitserleven, part of Athora Netherlands, has the most sustainable investment policy in the Netherlands. This is shown in the annual benchmark 'Responsible Investment by Insurers in the Netherlands' of the Association of Investors for Sustainable Development (VBDO).

Insurers under the microscope

This is the ninth time that VBDO has scrutinised the responsible investment policy of the 30 largest insurers in the Netherlands. Each year, insurers are assessed on sustainability based on four themes: governance, policy, implementation and transparency. The survey published today shows that Athora Netherlands, the parent company of Zwitserleven, is the best performing Dutch insurer with a score of 4.5 on a scale of 5.

"It is fantastic that we are leading the way in sustainable investing," says Hans Visser, General Manager at Zwitserleven. "We feel a great responsibility to achieve both a financial and social return on the money our customers entrust to us. Therefore, we only invest the pension money in companies and countries that are contributing to the transition to a sustainable world. And we exclude companies with activities that, for example, cause serious damage to people and the environment. This award is a wonderful recognition of the steps we have taken to align our investment policy with, among others, the Paris targets. And we will continue to work to contribute to a sustainable world in the years to come."

Sustainable investment

Corporate social responsibility is widely embedded at Zwitserleven. Because we all want to have enough money to be able to retire comfortably, but also to live in a world where we can still enjoy our retirement and live a worthwhile life. This is why Zwitserleven invests the pension contributions with a focus on both financial return and sustainability. We thus have three specific sustainable investment goals for 2030: reducing the CO₂ emissions from our investments by at least 50% by 2030 compared to 2010 levels, water neutrality by 2030, and no deforestation by 2030.

This is how we work towards a better world

About the VBDO Benchmark

The Dutch Association of Investors for Sustainable Development (VBDO) represents private and institutional members who believe it is important to invest in companies that do business in a socially responsible way. The VBDO supports a sustainable capital market which takes account of social and environmental criteria as well as financial criteria. The VBDO makes investors and companies aware of sustainable opportunities through research and organising meetings. It also puts critical questions to management about sustainability and other matters at shareholder meetings.

• Press release VBDO (in Dutch)
• Publication: Benchmark on Responsible Investment by Insurance Companies 2021