It's in our nature to care for people and the planet. Now more than ever. With AG's fourth Sustainability Report now hot off the presses, Director of Sustainability Jolien Sabbe explained the impact of our initiatives on AG Employee Benefits & Health Care's operations and products. She also outlined how these sustainability initiatives are directly relevant to you.
Long-term sustainable thinking and stakeholder dialogue
The fourth edition of the Sustainability Report clearly shows that sustainability is increasingly embedded in AG's corporate culture and decision-making processes. "For example, when we look at the 200 challenges we're organising for our 200th anniversary, many of them are sustainability-driven. We're also increasingly involving our stakeholders in our transition to a more sustainable world. With the Go4Impact platform, an online tool that brokers can use to calculate and reduce the carbon footprint of their operations, we've already inspired more than 400 brokers to embrace sustainable business practices.
Twelve billion invested in a more sustainable world
In Jolien's view, the greatest achievement this past year was the fact that AG hit the mark of EUR 10 billion in investments in assets that accelerate the transition to a more sustainable world. "This not only includes green assets such as the Nysäter wind farm in Sweden, where AG is an important minority shareholder, but also initiatives that benefit local communities, such as building schools and residential care centres, and investing in loans for low-income housing. These kinds of investment have the biggest impact on the environment and society."
Investing 12 billion in a more sustainable world is a powerful tool for change.
EcoVadis Label: from gold to platinum
Last year, AG was awarded a gold medal for being among the 5% most sustainable companies in the world. This year, the Belgian insurance market leader moved into the platinum segment (FR - NL), the world's top 1%.
This label is an excellent recognition of the countless sustainability efforts that AG makes on a daily basis, as an insurer, investor, employer and responsible company.
Responsible investing
AG has been taking a variety of sustainability initiatives that help customers adopt more sustainable business practices. "We're steadily expanding our range of Towards Sustainability-labelled products and are always looking for the best opportunities for people, the environment and society when investing (group) insurance premiums.
Innovative solutions with a focus on mental wellbeing
"At Employee Benefits & Health Care, our innovative healthcare and wellbeing solutions provide employers with the tools they need to tackle long-term absenteeism effectively. For example, our assistance programme helps get employees on long-term sick leave back to work successfully. Two new services in the MyAG Employee Benefits app offer employees tools to enhance their mental health as well as an easy way to schedule a video consultation with a doctor at their convenience.
Of course, as an employer of 4,427 staff members, we want to set a good example ourselves and be a "Great Place to Grow for all". So far, we've been successful with this approach: we've earned Top Employer honours for the past 12 years in a row. We also remain committed to further incorporating diversity, equity and inclusion in our daily activities. In 2023, we started a partnership with "Onberperkt Jobstudent", an association that connects students with disabilities or chronic conditions with companies via student jobs."
The future of sustainability
The transition to a more sustainable world is certainly not a given. "Doing more, and above all doing better, is our motto in this gigantic challenge. In the short term, we'll continue to make a positive contribution via our products. In the long term, one of our goals is to achieve a carbon-neutral investment portfolio by 2050 via our commitment to the Net Zero Asset Owner Alliance."
AG takes sustainability initiatives in four areas. Read through the fascinating Sustainability Report 2023 and find out more about our initiatives and ambitions in sustainability.