Bloise: Sustainability is an increasingly important issue for investors. This is also evident from our regular dialogue with our…

Alexandra Engerser

June 28, 2022

Sustainability, Investors, Strategy

The questions are very different. If I had to cite a subject that comes up very often in an ESG context (economic, social and governance criteria), it would be responsible investment policy in asset management. Other topics also include the focus on our corporate culture as well as our strategic goal to rank among the top 5% employers in Europe. Many investors question diversity within the company and are interested in gender parity on the board, in management and in the workforce. Additionally, investors are often interested in areas where we have incorporated sustainability criteria into our business operations and what we are planning for sustainability in the coming months.

It varies from conversation to conversation. On average, in a one-hour meeting, five to ten minutes are spent talking about sustainability. But every fall we offer sustainability-only talks as part of our ESG roadshow. These are then entirely devoted to the subjects of diversity, remuneration, reduction of CO2 emissions, etc.

Right now, our risk underwriting policy is certainly a key topic. We have spent the last year identifying which customer business activities we consider critical. We enter into dialogue with these customers, and we have also imposed certain exclusions. This year has marked the beginning of a learning phase in this area, and we are applying these new principles to our existing and new activities.

In terms of investment strategy, we are often asked about the pillars of our sustainable investing strategy, i.e. the exclusion of certain sectors and companies from our investments, the factor integration approach ESG and our active ownership policy, i.e. how we exercise voting rights and seek dialogue with companies on sustainability issues. Investors want to understand what criteria we apply and, in particular, why we do so.

It’s not easy to stand out as a business and most insurers are pursuing quite similar approaches. When it comes to reducing CO2 emissions, many other insurance companies are already more specific than us. In our underwriting policy, we meet all challenges and face complexity head-on. The response to this approach has been very positive. But what sets us apart most from our peers is our strong focus on our culture. Thanks to the improvements that Baloise has made in recent years, we often receive positive feedback. For us, sustainability is an integral part of our strategy, which also makes it a very important part of our communication with investors and analysts.