Primary insurance

The primary insurers of the Munich Re Group are the ERGO Insurance Group with its brands VICTORIA, Hamburg-Mannheimer, DKV, D.A.S. and KarstadtQuelle Versicherungen together with the companies Europäische Reiseversicherung, Watkins Syndicate and Mercur Assistance.

The sustainability issue is one to which the primary insurers of the Munich Re Group attach great importance, as the examples below illustrate. Detailed information is available on the websites of the companies concerned.

ERGO environmental management

The ERGO Insurance Group has significantly stepped up its endeavours in the cause of environmental protection since 2005.

This positions entails:

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  Developing the fundamental environmental aspects of the ERGO companies (brands);
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  Coordinating environmental activities within the Group;
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  Providing motivation and communicating the subjects of environmental protection and environmental management both inside and outside the company.

DKV - Environmental protection working group

DKV has had an "environmental protection working group" for 14 years, comprising staff from Organisational Design and Development, the Staff Council, the Company Medical Team, Health and Safety at Work, Human Resources, Public Relations and a staff initiative on environmental protection. The working group meets four to six times a year.

The working group's activities have facilitated the implementation of a wide range of environment-related measures, such as introducing a system of waste separation and waste disposal at the DKV headquarters which conforms to the requirements of the product recycling and waste management act (Cologne), identifying operational ecology parameters and savings potentials, promoting the idea of cycling to work (for example by providing convenient bike parking facilities, a toolkit for emergency repairs, special changing rooms), promoting the use of "job tickets" and travelling to work by public transport; providing information on the subject of environmental protection (for example through an info brochure with environmental tips for staff).

Hamburg-Mannheimer - Environmental protection

The improvements in the installations at Hamburg-Mannheimer's HQ are to be continued. The conversion of the switchgear focused on the aspects of personal safety, the implementation of official regulations and continuous availability. Now, however, attention has switched to modernisation of the 30-year-old air-conditioning units and to the aspects of energy saving and thus also environmental protection.

A new concept for air conditioning is to be adopted by the end of 2005, with the introduction of state-of-the-art energy-saving technology helping to achieve an energy reduction of at least 40%.

Environmental management at VICTORIA insurance companies

Environmental management system

Victoria has been actively involved in environmental protection since the mid-80s and introduced measures that were truly remarkable and foresighted for the time. Since 1988 Victoria has had an environmental management system that has been verified and officially recognised by an external and independent environmental auditor. The validation in accordance with EMAS and the certification in accordance with ISO 14001 are confirmation that Victoria is actively committed to environmentally friendly and sustainable development.

Further evidence of environmental commitment was provided by the European Commission, which honoured Victoria with the "1st EMAS Award" in June 2002. Along with twelve other European companies, Victoria was honoured for its exemplary implementation of EMAS. Incidentally, Victoria was the only German company to receive this award.

Validation in accordance with EMAS and certification in accordance with ISO 14001 of VICTORIA Versicherung AG, VICTORIA Lebensversicherung AG and VICTORIA Krankenversicherung AG at the locations Düsseldorf (headquarters), Berlin, Hamburg, Leipzig and Mannheim were confirmed again in March 2005.

Operational ecology

The addition to our headquarters in Düsseldorf of the outstanding office tower is a successful example of the combination of ecological and economic benefits in the field of operational ecology. Thanks to the newly developed dual facade of the VICTORIA Tower, it has largely been possible to do without conventional, energy-intensive air conditioning systems. Power is generated by a block-type thermal power station directly on site. The high level of thermal efficiency of the plant, which generates power for electricity, air conditioning and heating, helps us to save on resources and reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

We also strive to raise staff awareness of the need for a more sparing use of resources. In this way, we promote sustainable behaviour.

Product ecology

Victoria uses the following options for ecological design of its insurance products and services:

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  By providing our clients with consultation and information on loss-prevention and loss-minimising measures and by highlighting environmentally sound alternatives, we sensitise our clients, promote the principle of precaution and thus also environment-friendly behaviour on the part of our clients.
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  With some of our insurance products additional loss-prevention measures by the policyholder play a part in the premium calculation (commercial and industrial insurance) or we offer our clients extended insurance cover (for example, the inclusion of cistern systems for homeowners' insurance.
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  One essential - though by no means automatic - aspect is our willingness to accept risks, especially in the case of innovative technologies, which for the most part have limited experience on loss frequencies and loss dimensions. This makes it possible, for example, to push the development of facilities for the use of renewable energies.
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  Positive environmental effects in the field of investment can also be promoted, negative effects reduced and social and ethical considerations taken into account. However, in doing so, it is also important to meet insurance supervisory requirements relating to risk and return aspects. In accordance with the act concerning the certification of private pension contracts, we report to our clients about how we consider ethical, social and ecological concerns in deploying the paid-in premiums. With the financing of new building projects and modernisations we inform our clients specifically about ecological construction methods.

The following examples highlight our consistent implementation of these options:

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  In October 2004 VICTORIA published (in cooperation with the energy agency NRW) the consumer brochure "energy-conscious behaviour and comfortable living". This brochure provides a guide to ecological construction methods and raises awareness of environmental protection.
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  We promote environmentally friendly construction methods by offering reduced premiums in homeowners' insurance for all-wood constructions.
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  In the field of engineering insurance VICTORIA continuously and intensively monitors current technological developments. For example, VICTORIA is involved in the project group "renewable energies" of the engineering insurers in the German Insurance Association and was also involved in the drafting of a publication "renewable energies - a comprehensive overview of the state of the art and technical hazard potential", published by the Underwriting Commission for Engineering Insurances of the German Insurance Association. This comprehensive study was published in March 2004. This enables us to insure policyholders' risks even in these highly innovative fields.
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  Since January 2004, VICTORIA Lebensvericherung AG has been offering its clients new products for unit-linked annuity insurance in the categories "dual" and "invest". The "dual" product offers a combination of a flexible guaranteed benefit and a fund investment. "Invest", as the name suggests, places the client's entire savings premiums in return-oriented funds. With both products it is the clients who decide which funds their paid-in premiums will be invested in on the basis of their risk willingness and their own personal views and values. We offer clients the possibility of investing in MEAG's sustainability fund - an equity fund managed by MEAG Munich Ergo Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH and which primarily invests in well-established companies across the world which contribute to responsible economic growth.