Zurich expanded its environmental efforts in 1998 by formally adopting the Zurich Environmental Policies and an Energy Policy. These represent a commitment to introduce good environmental management practices into the workplace, and an opportunity to increase environmental awareness among our employees in the communities where they live.
Our efforts to implement the above policies began in Switzerland, followed by the UK and the US. Progress toward environmental management requires various strategies. Where a major leap is not immediately possible, a series of medium or small steps can be used to build upon one another. Our recycling, energy conservation and travel planning activities are examples of this.
In connection with our environmental strategy, Zurich decided in 2004 to seek appropriate opportunities to support selected external organizations involved in the environmental area, where such organizations might have experience and expertise beyond what Zurich can offer. In 2005, this opportunity presented itself as the Group selected a leading environmental group for a major donation under Zurich's response to the Tsunami of December 26, 2004. This initiative is to help with preventive efforts to minimize damage from any future Tsunamis, including through targeted and strategic planting of mangroves in exposed coastal areas.
Waste minimization
Since the late 1990s the building facility managers of participating locations in Switzerland and the UK have been working to improve the reduced consumption, reuse and recycling of valuable materials. Efforts in the UK have met with some success. The waste minimization programme at the UK corporate centres made a 33% reduction in the quantity of waste being sent to landfill between 2001 and 2003. The quantity of unwanted materials being recycled rose from 21% (2001) to 41% (2003) as a percentage of total solid waste. Paper recycling increased by 83% over the same period. Our UK employees consume about 8.3m plastic cups every year. During 2003 the "save-a-cup" initiative in UK corporate centres recycled over 90% of these.
An appeal was launched for environmental volunteers who would be supported by the Global Action Plan (GAP). Some 25 employees in UK corporate centres received training before conducting audits and staff awareness campaigns. The GAP results were just a snapshot at a moment in time although the results were most encouraging:
| Decrease in waste to landfill |
Increase in paper recycling |
| Swindon |
56% |
57% |
| Cheltenham |
9% |
38% |
| South Coast |
44% |
19% |
In December 2003, all the volunteers were presented with a United Nations certificate in recognition of their important contribution.
Further improvements were made to the segregation of waste paper in our UK corporate centres. Over 2,500 employees were asked to co-operate by placing waste paper in desktop cardboard folders. Their personal bins were withdrawn. Other materials such as plastics and organic waste had to be taken to a shared facility nearby. In recognition of these efforts Zurich won the Gloucestershire Environmental Business Award in November 2004.
Commuting
The environmental impact of travel such as commuting has been recognized as an important issue, particularly in the UK. In 2002 local travel plans were devised for the UK corporate centres and in 2003 the plan for Cheltenham was particularly successful in helping with the relocation of over 700 employees.
A travel survey across the UK corporate centres indicated that during 2003 about 15% of our people moved from solitary car use to a different way of getting to work. The use of audio and visual video conferencing has reduced business mileage by over a million miles, with fuel cost-savings of £122,000 and an extra 17,000 working hours being created. In recognition of these efforts, in February 2004, Zurich was awarded the Commuter Initiative Award 2004 for the private sector, by the Association for Commuter Transport (ACT). Zurich was the first financial services company to win this prestigious accolade.
