VBDO: Athora Netherlands most sustainable insurer

Athora Netherlands is the most sustainable insurer in the Netherlands. This is evident from the annual benchmark 'Responsible Investment by Insurers in the Netherlands' of the Association of Investors for Sustainable Development (VBDO).

It is the ninth time that VBDO has examined the responsible investment policies of the 30 largest insurers in the Netherlands. The insurers are assessed annually on sustainability based on four themes: governance, policy, implementation and transparency. The study published today shows that Athora Netherlands is the best performing Dutch insurer with a score of 4.5 on a scale of 5.

Tightened Policy

"We are extremely proud of this result and our leading position when it comes to sustainable investment," says Jan de Pooter, CEO at Athora Netherlands. "We have further tightened our policy in recent times and that has not gone unnoticed. With the assets that we manage on behalf of our Zwitserleven and Reaal clients, we want to exert influence to make society more sustainable. The recently published IPCC report by the United Nations climate panel makes it clear once again that accelerating the pace is a necessity if we are to meet the Paris climate targets. We therefore only invest in companies that comply with our investment principles. In doing so, we contribute to tackling societal challenges, such as climate change, human rights violations and animal suffering."

Three Areas of Focus

Athora Netherlands sees it as its task to create value in the long term. For customers and for the world around us. Therefore, corporate responsibility is an important part of the company strategy. Within the sustainability policy, Athora Netherlands distinguishes three areas of attention: sustainable operations, sustainable investment and sustainable products. As an institutional investor, we invest the assets of clients and policyholders only in companies and countries which are good for people, animals and the environment. Companies and countries which do not comply with these principles cannot be part of the investment portfolio of Athora Netherlands.