Environmental protection and sustainability: Our commitment

Preamble to the environmental guidelines of the Munich Reinsurance Company

As a leading risk carrier and provider of financial services operating worldwide, Munich Re acknowledges its responsibility for environmental protection and sustainability. Preserving the natural foundations of life is also a contribution to value-based management, as our economic success is inseparably linked with protection for people, the environment, and physical resources.

Seeing opportunities in risks

As reinsurers, we support and safeguard innovative technologies and large industrial projects. The risks associated with these form the focus of our interest and responsibility, both locally and globally.

We use our knowledge of climatic and environmental changes – which are increasingly caused by man – to manage risks by consistently promoting preventive measures.

In our financial sphere, we take account of environmental criteria when making investment decisions. Through our investments, we promote suitable environmental-related projects, and we observe ecological aspects when managing our property investments.

In close cooperation with our clients, we develop our services further on an ongoing basis in order to continually reduce environmental damage and environmental risks for everyone’s benefit and to exploit the business opportunities inherent in the risks, both today and tomorrow.

Acting prospectively at our business locations

We aim to reduce as far as possible the environmental impact arising from our business operations and in connection with the use of our properties. Besides complying with statutory provisions, of course, we also need to pay particular attention to consistently avoiding waste and emissions, as well as to reducing our energy and water consumption. To this end, we orient ourselves towards the highest technical standards wherever economically reasonable. We also choose our suppliers and service providers according to these principles.

Learning from each other through dialogue

Intensive research and development help us to assess current and future risks and to find appropriate starting points for our environmental-related activities. This enables us to exert a positive influence on our partners’ risk behaviour, in order to meet the challenges of the future together.

We take our knowledge and experience to the public at large and encourage the exchange of information on relationships in the area of environmental risks.

We communicate openly on the subjects of the environment and risk, both in-house and with the outside world.

Taking responsibility with commitment

Our staff are responsible for implementing the environmental guidelines in their particular area of influence, observing the environmental impact of their actions and decisions. We agree concrete goals which we document each year in our environmental programme and against which we measure our performance. By means of targeted training and promotional measures as part of our environmental management system, we are continually developing our professional and personal skills as regards environmental protection and sustainability.

On the basis of our mission statement, we declare these to be the general principles of our dealings.

The Board of Management of Munich Reinsurance Company
Munich, May 2006

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