As a company that truly cares about its social and environmental impact, we have incorporated the principles of CSR (corporate social responsibility) in our corporate strategy.
When it comes to our group insurance products, the most striking example of sustainable and responsible management practices is undoubtedly our approach to sustainable investing.
But being a socially responsible company obviously goes further than that: we are mindful of the social and environmental impact of our activities on society, we make every effort to reduce any negative effects we have on society, we apply principles of good governance to our strategy, and we are transparent and ethical in our communication.
"Sustainability is part of the DNA of AG, a company whose roots go back to 1824. You cannot survive and keep growing for close to 200 years if you don’t think and plan for the long term, with the interests of your customers and society in mind.”
Heidi Delobelle, Chief Executive Officer at AG
How does AG Employee Benefits incorporate CSR principles in your group insurance?
We apply a general investment policy to all of our products, services and funds based on the following three fundamental principles:
We engage.
We exclude controversial activities.
We integrate ESG criteria.
1. We exclude controversial activities
When it comes to exclusions, we go beyond what is required by international legislation. We refrain from investing in countries subject to international sanctions, in controversial weapons manufactures, etc. We avoid investments routed via tax havens. We have also added the weapons, tobacco and fossil fuel sectors to our exclusions list.
2. We integrate ESG criteria in our investment decisions
In order to measure the sustainability of our funds, we take social, environmental and good governance (ESG) criteria into account when analysing our investment opportunities in Branch 21 and Branch 23. In other words, this means that in addition to accounting and financial data, we also use "non-financial" data and analysis:
- With our environmental criteria, we examine greenhouse gas emissions, water and energy consumption, etc.
- With our social criteria, we review the treatment of workers, respect for human rights, labour law and business ethics
- With our good governance criteria, we check corporate governance, risk management, etc.
By investing sustainably and incorporating ESG factors in our decision-making process, we can better assess the risks and therefore obtain more stable long-term returns by intentionally leaning towards companies with high ESG scores.
3. We engage
We apply a policy of engagement and voting rights, which means that we exercise our voting rights at certain shareholders' meetings and establish a dialogue with the companies we invest in. We require a certain transparency when it comes to compliance with ESG criteria and commitment to sustainable goals. Moreover, we encourage decision-making in this direction.
For more information about AG's global investment policy, see the page “Our investment policy” (only available in French or Dutch) and check the details of our investment policy in the document entitled "Our general framework for sustainable and responsible investing" (only available in French or Dutch).
We have also signed the U.N. PRI (Principles for Responsible Investment), a decision that highlights our long-standing commitment to sustainable and responsible investing practices.
Society's expectations for sustainable and responsible investing are constantly changing. In response to these needs, AG has created a range of group insurance products based on an even more advanced approach to sustainable and responsible investing.
You can therefore be sure that your premiums and reserves are always invested sustainably. This way, we contribute together to a better future for our society.
Interested in finding out more about our sustainable solutions? Feel free to contact us.
Other CSR commitments in addition to our investment policy
At AG, the concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR) goes beyond sustainable investing. We also apply CSR principles across our entire company. Reducing our CO2 emissions is one of many examples of our broader commitment to CSR.
We calculate, reduce and compensate our CO2 emissions. As a result, we were recently awarded "CO2 neutral" certification. To reduce our environmental footprint, we use sustainable materials in our new constructions, encourage our staff members to adopt sustainable mobility solutions, and reduce our CO2 emissions by allowing all of our staff members to work from home.
Want to find out more about what AG is doing in this area? Take a look at AG's global vision (only available in French or Dutch).