Swiss Life wants to make an active contribution to reducing CO₂ emissions. To this end, it has defined measures to make its own business activities more sustainable.
In the context of operational ecology, Swiss Life strives to reduce emissions at its own locations within the Swiss Life Group that are caused by its business behaviour and by its own employees.
Swiss Life aims to reduce its CO₂ emissions per FTE by 50% by the end of 2027 compared to 2019, primarily by adjusting business travel and further increasing energy efficiency. With this aim in mind, the new “Swiss Life 2027” Group-wide programme follows on seamlessly from the previous programme.
Targets up to 2027
Within the framework of operational ecology, Swiss Life pursues clear goals for making progress in the area of sustainability and making this measurable and transparent for stakeholder groups.
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Sustainability indicators
Swiss Life collects sustainability indicators from its locations as part of a Group-wide data collection process. The exact data is compiled annually and can be found in the Sustainability Report.
Sustainability in business behaviour
Diligence and responsible action constitute the basis for Swiss Life's successful and sustainable business operations.
Measures taken within the Swiss Life Group
A company-wide working group is responsible for designing the appropriate measures, setting the objectives and monitoring them. All divisions are represented by experts in this working group. Each division pursues its own specific measures to reduce CO₂ emissions from its own business activities.
- In Switzerland, Swiss Life is a member of the Zurich Energy Model and has been drawing all its electricity from renewable energy sources for over 15 years now. Founded in 1987, the Zurich Energy Model is an association of companies that set themselves voluntary targets for energy efficiency. In setting its new targets for 2020, Swiss Life renewed its pledge to increase energy efficiency at its Zurich location by 1.5% annually until 2030.
- Swiss Life’s head office in Zurich is virtually carbon-neutral. Since the early 1990s, the building has been cooled and heated with water from Lake Zurich. In addition, a photovoltaic system entered into operation in February 2024. Rainwater is used for sanitary installations at the Binz premises in Zurich. Since 2023, 100% Swiss biogas has been used for heating buildings at both locations. Since 2021, Swiss Life been steadily increasing the share of recycled copying and printing paper. The aim is for recycled paper as a percentage of total paper consumption to increase to 80%. All sites pay due attention to waste separation. There are recycling points on all floors of the operational buildings in Zurich.
- Swiss Life also helps its employees behave in an environmentally aware manner by promoting the use of public transport by providing its employees with season tickets for local public transport operators at reduced rates. In addition, Swiss Life supports cycling and the use of e-bikes by offering discounts on local cycle rental systems.
- With its operational ecology programme, Swiss Life seeks to make an active contribution to climate change mitigation. This is why it set up the Swiss Climate Foundation in 2008 in cooperation with other Swiss companies. The Foundation supports SMEs in becoming more energy-efficient and reducing their CO₂ emissions. Swiss Life actively contributes to the Foundation through its chairmanship of the Advisory Board and its permanent seat on the Board of Trustees.
- Since the initiation of the “Swiss Life 2024” Group-wide programme, Swiss Life France has focused on the following four priorities for reducing CO₂ emissions in its own operations: cutting resource consumption and optimising waste separation, reducing CO₂ emissions, increasing employees’ environmental awareness, and involving business partners and suppliers. These priorities, as well as the measures defined in relation to them, will be continued by Swiss Life France as part of the new “Swiss Life 2027” Group-wide programme.
- To better manage resource consumption, Swiss Life France has implemented an energy saving plan. The key components of this energy saving plan are the harmonisation of heating and air-conditioning temperatures, reduced lighting times, switching-off of hot water in sanitary areas, grouping of teams by floor or building, and awareness campaigns. Thanks to these measures, Swiss Life France has been able to reduce its electricity consumption by 50% per FTE in its operating environment since 2019.
- In order to steadily reduce CO₂ emissions, Swiss Life France has drawn up a more restrictive car policy. The vehicles will be successively replaced with hybrid and electric vehicles after the expiry of the existing lease agreements. For the top management, Swiss Life France aims to have 90% of the leases renewed with electric vehicles by the end of 2027.
- Sustainability is taken into account at all professional events: from the conception to the selection of the service provider to the choice of the location, the means of transport and the catering solutions. To this end, a guideline for responsible purchasing and holding events was presented to all employees in 2024, with a focus on providing training to those responsible for organising events.
- In Germany, the two main Swiss Life locations – in Garching near Munich and in Hanover have repeatedly been awarded the ECOPROFIT seal for their outstanding commitment to corporate environmental protection; they were once again awarded the seal in 2024. The seal rewards efforts to reduce CO₂ emissions and save resources.
- Swiss Life Germany has also been represented in the Klima-Allianz der Stadt Hannover (Climate Alliance of the City of Hanover) network for over ten years and, in cooperation with other companies, undertakes to reduce CO₂ emissions and increase energy efficiency in this urban area.
- In order to further reduce CO₂ emissions, Swiss Life Germany decided with immediate effect to replace the company cars of its Executive Board Members and level 1 managers with electric vehicles. The Car Policy, the central set of rules for the company car fleet, was already amended as of 1 September 2022. The cars will be replaced successively as their current leasing contracts expire. In the medium term, this means exchanging around 50 vehicles, a process which will be completed by the end of 2025. This corresponds to 100% of the company car fleet in Internal Services. To this end, charging infrastructure for company cars and employee vehicles has been put in place at both locations.
- An AI-supported building automation analysis and control tool has been tested at the Garching location near Munich since 2024; this will help optimise the site and thus make energy savings in the future.
- External energy audits in accordance with DIN EN 16247 were carried out in 2024 at the two major locations in Garching near Munich and Hanover in order to identify potential for improvement and further develop building technology.
- Environmental impact is steadily being reduced in all areas through progressive digitalisation, optimised use of workplaces and environmentally friendly means of transport. The teams work in modern, energy-efficient office buildings. The incentives provided in recent years to reduce paper and water consumption as well as waste and to switch to e-mobility are materialising in large parts of the division and leading to a significant reduction in emissions per FTE.
- Since October 2020, Livit Ltd has concluded more than 11 000 contracts digitally via the myLivit app. Livit Ltd also introduced a new internal training course in 2024 with a focus on sustainable lifestyles, which presented practical and efficient ways to act sustainably in everyday life.
- In Germany, energy from 100% renewable sources is used at all locations and recycled paper is used for all copying and printing. In addition, the number of printers will be systematically reduced and the paperless, digital office will be gradually expanded. Waste is systematically separated at the recycling points located in all kitchens on all floors of the buildings. Since 2019, the provision of glass bottles and water dispensers has also reduced the number of disposable and reusable bottles. The fleet of company vehicles is being continuously reduced and is expected to be almost completely eliminated over the next four years.
- Swiss Life Asset Managers France’s Tour La Marseillaise office building in Marseille (70 FTEs) is one of the most efficient skyscrapers in France and is HQE Level Excellent and Leed Gold certified. It houses a marine geothermal loop that supplies the building and the buildings connected to it with heating and air conditioning. This loop makes it possible, amongst other things, to significantly reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.