Memberships and commitments
Achmea participates in various initiatives of national and international organizations to share knowledge and jointly contribute to a more sustainable future. We have also signed a number of commitments and we support various initiatives that are in line with our sustainability ambitions. The following is a list of these memberships, commitments and initiatives.
Memberships
The Forum for Insurance Transition to Net Zero (FIT) is an international, multi-stakeholder platform organised by the United Nations to enable insurers and other parties to engage in dialogue about making the industry more sustainable. FIT focuses on knowledge exchange and the development of voluntary guidelines that support insurers in the transition to a carbon-neutral portfolio by 2050.
The UN Global Compact is a global initiative of the United Nations that encourages companies to operate sustainably and responsibly. Within this network of companies, civil society organisations and governments, participants commit to 10 universal principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption.
CSR Netherlands is the largest network of sustainable entrepreneurs in the Netherlands, encouraging and supporting companies in their corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts. CSR Netherlands was established by the government and provides support for companies that want to be more sustainable. CSR Netherlands regularly organises knowledge sessions and networking meetings.
The Sustainable Finance Platform is an initiative of the Dutch Central Bank in which the financial sector, regulators and ministries collaborate to promote sustainable finance. The platform accelerates efforts to make the Netherlands more sustainable, such as through financing solutions for climate adaptation and the circular economy. Achmea is active in several working groups, contributing to a more sustainable financial sector and society.
The Partnership for Carbon Accounting Financials (PCAF) is a global initiative aimed at standardising the measurement of greenhouse gas emissions associated with loans, investments and insurance. Created to help financial institutions better understand their climate impact, PCAF provides a methodology for measuring and reporting the carbon footprint of their portfolios. Achmea participates in several working groups within this initiative.
The Dutch Association of Investors for Sustainable Development (VBDO) is an independent organisation dedicated to responsible investment and sustainable entrepreneurship. VBDO supports institutional investors in integrating environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors into their investment policies by regularly publishing benchmarks and thematic studies, and organising roundtables, webinars and seminars.
Commitments
The Principles for Sustainable Insurance (PSI) is a United Nations initiative that encourages insurers to integrate sustainability and social responsibility into their operations. The Principles focus on the integration of ESG factors into product development, underwriting, investment and risk management, stakeholder collaboration and transparent reporting.
The Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) is a United Nations initiative that encourages institutional investors to integrate sustainability and social responsibility into their investment policies. These Principles focus on ESG factors in investment decisions, active shareholder practices and transparent reporting.
The Financial Sector Climate Commitment is an initiative of Dutch financial institutions aimed at reducing their climate impact and contributing to a carbon-neutral economy by 2050. Signatories commit to three commitments: to measure the carbon footprint of loans and investments, to establish action plans and reduction targets, and to invest in the energy transition.
The Green Deal on Sustainable Health Care 3.0 is an initiative of health care institutions, governments and companies that have joined forces to increase the sustainability of the health care sector. The Green Deal focuses on concrete actions such as reducing carbon emissions, waste and the environmental impact of medication. The ultimate goal is to achieve a climate-neutral and circular health care sector by 2050, benefiting people, the environment and prosperity.
The Dutch Green Building Council is a national organisation that works to make the built environment future-proof. By signing this commitment, we have committed to ambitious goals aimed at accelerating the sustainability of our own real estate and the real estate in which we invest, and reducing energy consumption by two-thirds.
The Creditor Coalition is a partnership between public and private parties such as creditors, municipalities and collection agencies that have reached agreements on socially responsible debt collection. The Social Debt Collection Agreement Framework contains 10 promises relating to how we will support customers who are in arrears with respect, empathy and consideration for their situation. These agreements are a standard part of Achmea's vision for social debt collection.
Through the International Corporate Social Responsibility (ICSR) agreement for the insurance sector, we are committed to working on themes relating to the environment and social conditions as well as good governance. The arrangements in the Agreement are based on the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises and UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
The Finance for Biodiversity Pledge is an initiative intended for financial institutions committed to protecting and restoring biodiversity. Participants commit to measuring the impact of their investments on biodiversity, engaging with companies to reduce negative impacts and increasing positive impacts, sharing knowledge, setting goals and reporting on their progress.
The Sustainable Mobility Pledge is an initiative of the Anders Reizen (Travel Differently) coalition, an alliance of major Dutch organisations seeking to accelerate the transition to more sustainable mobility. The goal is to halve carbon emissions associated with business travel (including commuting) by 2030 compared to 2016.
The Tobacco-Free Finance Pledge is a global initiative that calls on financial institutions not to provide investments, loans or insurance to the tobacco industry. The goal is to reduce tobacco-related harm to health and the environment.
Initiatives
The European Road Safety Charter is a European Commission initiative that unites more than 4,000 organisations in collaborating to improve road safety, share knowledge and best practices, and reduce the number of road deaths and serious injuries on European roads.
Stichting Financiële Gezondheid Nederland (Netherlands Financial Health Foundation, SFGN) is a coalition of public and private organisations committed to working together for a financially healthy society. They do this based on the belief that good financial health contributes to the well-being of individuals, organisations, the economy, and thus to our society as a whole. The goal of this coalition is to halve the number of households in the Netherlands that are financially vulnerable or unhealthy by 2030.
Bank voor de Klas (Bank in the Classroom) is an initiative of Dutch banks that offers free teaching materials and interactive guest lessons for primary and secondary schools, with the aim of promoting financial literacy among children and young people. The programme teaches students in a fun and interactive way to use money wisely so they are better prepared for financial independence.
Stichting Lezen en Schrijven (the Reading and Writing Foundation) is committed to preventing and reducing functional illiteracy in the Netherlands. They raise awareness of the problem, advise municipalities, work with partners and promote the provision of language education for adults so that everyone can participate in society with good literacy, numeracy and digital skills.
JINC is a Dutch non-profit organisation dedicated to equal opportunities on the labour market for young people from neighbourhoods with socioeconomic challenges. Achmea supports JINC as a partner, including by deploying employees as volunteers.
Stichting LEF (the Foundation for Life and Finance) aims to increase the financial awareness of students at the secondary vocational education level. The foundation does this through guest lessons on money and financial choices given by volunteers from the financial sector. The curriculum helps young people manage money responsibly so they will be better prepared for their financial future and less at risk of debt.
Talent naar de Top (Talent to the Top) is a Dutch foundation dedicated to increasing the inclusivity at the top end of the business sector. Organisations that sign the Talent to the Top Charter set goals for more female and culturally diverse talent in leadership positions and report annually on their progress.
The Diversity Charter of the Social and Economic Council of the Netherlands (SER) is an initiative through which organisations commit to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Signatories work to create an action plan and can participate in knowledge exchange and networks to promote an inclusive organisational culture.
Geldfit is an initiative of the Stichting Nederlandse Schuldhulproute (the Dutch Debt Assistance Route Foundation, NSR) that supports people with questions and concerns about money. Visitors to the website can take an online test for personalised advice, find information or contact staff directly by phone, chat or app. Geldfit also puts people in touch with local organisations that can help them further.
The Sustainable Repairs Manifesto is an industry-wide initiative in the Netherlands that aims to make sustainable damage repair the norm. All parties in the repair chain, insurers, repair companies, loss adjusters and suppliers, are collaborating to encourage repair instead of replacement, focusing on circularity, energy use and people & mobility. The goal is for sustainable repair to be common practice by 2027.
The Vuurwerkmanifest (Fireworks Manifesto) is a Dutch initiative uniting doctors, emergency workers, animal and environmental organisations and associations in the call for a complete ban on consumer fireworks. They advocate for professional fireworks as an alternative, with a view to reducing casualties, damage, nuisance and environmental impact.
More information
A complete overview of our SRI collaborations and initiatives can be found in the SRI report at SRI documentation.