Climate Targets and Action Plan

Climate change poses a major threat to our planet and all the people and animals that live on it. Athora Netherlands strives to stop climate change. How we intend to achieve that goal, we have summarized in a climate plan. Here we describe how we are helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero.

Athora Netherlands' overall long-term goal is to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. This climate objective applies to our investments, our own operations as well as the emissions of the entire value chain.

Interim objectives

Interim targets have also been set for 2030 and 2040 (compared to the end of 2019):

• 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in 2030
• 75% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2040

Climate action plan for investments

In our role as investor, we want to actively contribute to making the "real economy" greenhousegas-free. By this we mean that we do not simply exclude polluting companies from our investment horizon. Rather, Athora encourages these companies to change their business model through engagements, for example.

Through its investment portfolio, Athora seeks to meet climate goals in three ways:

• Influence companies we invest in through engagements and at shareholder meetings.
• Invest in fossil-free energy supplies and other solutions that reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
• Exclude companies that are unable to make the transition to net zero.

Climate action plan for investments

In our role as investor, we want to actively contribute to making the "real economy" greenhousegas-free. By this we mean that we do not simply exclude polluting companies from our investment horizon. Rather, Athora encourages these companies to change their business model through engagements, for example.

Through its investment portfolio, Athora seeks to meet climate goals in three ways:

• Influence companies we invest in through engagement conversations and at shareholder meetings.
• Invest in fossil-free energy supplies and other solutions that reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
• Exclude companies that are unable to join the transition to net zero.

Climate action plan for its own business operations

Since 2015, Athora Netherlands' business operations have been net carbon neutral. For our own buildings and facilities, we use only renewable energy, both purchased and generated through solar panels and other technical installations. Remaining emissions are now offset by acquiring carbon credits. (You can read more about this in this article).

We have raised our ambitions for the future. By 2030 at the latest, we want to be truly CO2 neutral, without the need for offsetting via carbon credits. By 2040, we aim to make our entire value chain carbon neutral.

We will do this in three ways:

• Housing, transportation and other facilities increasingly sustainable.
• Green IT: for our data servers we use more and more renewable energy, and we use IT equipment in a circular way.
• Require suppliers to also commit to climate goals and demand sustainable business practices from them.

Climate Commitment

The entire financial sector has agreed to actively contribute to the implementation of the Paris Agreement and the Climate Accord. This is why Athora Netherlands, through the Insurers' Association, also put its signature to the Climate Commitment Financial Sector in 2019. You can see the Climate Goals and Action Plan as a summary of Athora Netherlands' concrete plans and actions to meet the Paris climate goals.