The Munich Re Group – On the road to climate neutrality

In June 2007, Munich Re’s Board of Management decided on the climate neutrality strategy of the reinsurance group. The Munich headquarters is set to become carbon neutral by 2009, to be followed by our international organisation – with over 50 locations worldwide – in 2012.

Immediately after adopting the resolution, we began implementing the planned measures. Various efficiency-enhancement IT projects have now been launched, some of which are now in place; for example, new, highly efficient flexible-use servers are currently being installed. By the end of 2008, we expect to have achieved energy savings of around ten per cent.

Since 1 January 2008 energy consumption at the Munich location has been climate neutral within the meaning of electricity labelling requirements pursuant to Section 42 of the German Energy Industry Act (EnWG). The lion’s share is drawn from the citiworks product citiGreenPower. The Technical Inspection Agency TÜV SÜD has certified that citiGreenPower is 100% generated from renewable energies. Another share is drawn from the ecological energy product M-Natur provided by the Stadtwerke München.

In addition, we support renewable energies by investing in corresponding products. Examples are our investment in a 1 MW photovoltaic plant on the motorway near Altötting and in a total of 2.7 MW on roofs in southern Germany. Other plants are set to follow in 2009. A resolution for investments in forest projects has been drafted, and we are currently working on its implementation.

In order to implement our climate neutrality strategy within the Munich Re Group, we have begun discussing and realising measures and implementation options with the large and medium-sized locations of our international organisation.