Environmental key performance indicators

Target #1: total carbon emissions - achieve and maintain an at least 20 percent reduction in total carbon emissions per employee compared to 2015 until 2025

Target #2: facilities emissions - achieve and maintain an at least 20 percent reduction in total facilities emissions per employee compared to 2015 until 2025

Target #3: travel emissions - achieve and maintain an at least 20 percent reduction in total business travel emissions per employee compared to 2015 until 2025

Zurich achieved its carbon reduction targets during 2018, and further advanced its performance in 2019. As we continuously improve our work environments around the world, we are able to deliver spaces that better support our workforce, while reducing our real estate environmental footprint. Emissions reductions from office facilities were particularly notable in Malaysia and Germany, where we relocated our local headquarters into new, state-of-the-art buildings. In the United States and the United Kingdom, we were able to hand back unutilized space that is no longer required to support our increasingly flexible workforce. As some of the buildings exited were sourced by renewable power, our overall percentage of renewable power has decreased, therefore this has not been a driver for emissions reductions in 2019. With our 100 percent renewable power target, global facilities emissions will be minimized by end 2022. Travel emissions have reduced, as we continue to focus on technology to support alternatives to business travel.

Parentheses around percentages or points indicate a reduction. The data covers 100 percent of our Group’s operations and the methodology is based on the Greenhouse Gas Protocol.

⁽¹⁾ Includes flights, rental cars, car fleet, and rail
⁽²⁾ Scope 1 emissions include direct emissions from our car fleet and heating produced at our facilities
⁽³⁾ Scope 2 emissions include indirect emissions from purchased electricity and district heating/cooling. Zurich calculates scope 2 emissions according to the Greenhouse Gas Protocol’s market based methodology
⁽⁴⁾Scope 3 emissions include indirect emissions from air travel, rental cars, rail, energy production and generation losses, and electricity distribution losses

Target #4: energy efficiency - achieve and maintain an at least 20 percent reduction in total energy per employee compared to 2015 until 2025

Target #5: renewable electricity - purchase 100 percent certified renewable electricity across all operations by the end of 2022

Zurich continues to demonstrate consistent year-on-year improvements in energy performance. While weather has a strong influence on our energy performance, as this directly impacts heating and cooling demand, Zurich’s commitment to sustainable buildings is helping drive efficiencies. Energy efficiency improvements were particularly notable in Malaysia and Germany, where we relocated our local headquarters into new, state-of-the-art buildings. In the United States and the United Kingdom, we were able to hand back unutilized space that is no longer required to support our increasingly flexible workforce.

In 2019, Zurich announced its commitment to purchase 100 percent renewable electricity across all operations by end 2022.

Parentheses around percentages or points indicate a reduction. The data covers 100 percent of our Group operations

Zurich continues to explore ways to continue to reduce the amount of paper consumed as part of doing business, and to use more environmentally-friendly paper produced through sustainable forest-management programs (Forest Stewardship Council – FSC).

Target #6: copy paper - achieve and maintain at least 80 percent FSC certified paper purchased compared to 2015 levels

Zurich successfully transitioned further purchasing processes to FSC certified paper in 2019, most notably in Australia, Italy and the United States. In 2019, a major global program was launched to reduce internal paper usage by 80 percent. While a 13 percent reduction has been seen in copy paper since 2018, lasting behavior changes are expected to deliver significant and permanent reductions in paper use.

Parentheses around percentages or points indicate a reduction.

Zurich does not have a target on distance traveled for business purposes. The figure below is an aggregate of all kilometers traveled across air, rental car, fleet, and rail. In 2019, data coverage for air travel was 97 percent, rental car 77 percent, and rail 59 percent. In 2020, Zurich will be evaluating the potential to transition to more electric fleet vehicles. Car fleet coverage will be confirmed in the course of this project.

Zurich does not have a target on waste. Where Zurich is directly responsible for waste management services, we have been very successful in ensuring the majority of waste is recycled⁵. Currently Zurich captures waste data from approximately 57 percent of the space we occupy globally. The quality of coverage varies across our waste indicators, for example, paper recycled tends to have higher coverage due to the security requirements around the destruction of confidential paper.

In 2019, Zurich set the ambition to eliminate single-use plastics from our operations. This includes products such as cups, lids, straws, bags and PET bottles. We also included paper products that have a plastic lining (as these traditionally cannot be recycled). We are addressing single-use coffee pods, either ensuring they enter a responsible recycling stream, or by moving to a bean-to-cup solution. Further, we are eliminating individual under-desk bins, as these contributed to the use of millions of plastic liners each year, promoting instead the use of centralized waste and recycling facilities.

Parentheses around percentages or points indicate a reduction.

⁽⁵⁾ The majority of Zurich’s facilities are managed by a third party, building management company

Zurich does not have a target on water. Zurich currently captures water data from approximately 40 percent of the space we occupy globally⁶. Where possible, Zurich commits to initiatives such as installing low-flow water fixtures and native landscaping to ensure efficient use of this resource. Good practice examples can be seen at our headquarters locations such as the Zurich North America headquarters in Schaumburg Illinois, USA.

Parentheses around percentages indicate a reduction.

⁽⁶⁾The majority of Zurich’s facilities are managed by a third party, building management company