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.
- Swiss Life Switzerland has been obtaining all its electricity from renewable energy sources for almost 15 years and, under the Zurich Energy Model, is committed to increasing energy efficiency at its Zurich premises by 1.5% annually until 2030. Since the early 1990s, the head office building has been cooled and heated with water from Lake Zurich. In addition, a photovoltaic system entered into operation in February 2024. Since 2023, 100% Swiss biogas has been used for heating the buildings at both the head office and the Binz business premises in Zurich.
- As part of the renovation of its Binz business premises, Swiss Life Switzerland is also implementing various measures to further increase energy efficiency. The implementation of these measures started in autumn 2025. They include replacing the heat generation system with a geothermal heat pump, installing a photovoltaic system and converting the lighting installations to LED lamps.
- With the aim of further reducing emissions from business travel, various measures were implemented as part of a pilot project to promote e-mobility amongst Swiss Life Sales Force advisors. These measures included installing charging infrastructure at around a third of the General Agencies.
- In the year under review, Swiss Life France has implemented an energy-saving plan to better manage building energy consumption. The associated measures are currently under review and will be adapted to the specific features of the new building. The key components 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. Swiss Life France is implementing a series of additional measures in connection with the relocation of two sites in 2025 and 2027 respectively. These relocations will affect around 75% of the local FTEs. The buildings at the new sites meet environmental and social criteria and comply with local environmental certifications.
- In order to further reduce the CO₂ emissions generated by business travel, Swiss Life France has refined its decarbonisation guidelines. Vehicles will be successively replaced by hybrid and electric vehicles after the expiry of the existing lease agreements. Swiss Life France aims to increase the lease renewal of electric vehicles for top management to 90% and for middle management to 50% by the end of 2027. In addition, the existing travel policy will be tightened in order to further restrict the use of air travel for internal purposes.
- Swiss Life Germany had already completed the switch to district heating at its central service office in Hanover at the end of 2024. The large-scale cooling system at the Hanover site was also modernised. The new system is significantly more energy-efficient and uses more environmentally friendly refrigerants. This reduces electricity consumption and emissions.
- In order to further reduce CO₂ emissions in the area of business travel, Swiss Life Germany has set itself the goal of replacing the company cars of members of its Executive Committee and level 1 management with electric vehicles. The central policy framework for the company fleet at Swiss Life Germany had already been amended with effect from 1 September 2022. The cars will be replaced successively as their current lease agreements expire. In the medium term, this means exchanging around 20 vehicles, a process which will be completed by the end of 2027. 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. In addition, Swiss Life Germany aims to further encourage the use of e-mobility in the Sales Force through pilot projects and adjustments to its central policy framework.
- Swiss Life International continues to use electricity from renewable energy sources at its locations. It is also planning further conversions of heating systems to biogas, electricity from renewable sources or district heating with green certificates. In addition, energy efficiency in offices and data centres is to be further increased and lighting systems replaced by LED lamps with motion sensors where possible.
- In the area of business travel, where appropriate and possible, flights in general are to be replaced by increased use of online meetings, and short-haul flights by greater use of rail travel. In addition, Swiss Life International plans to continue switching its vehicle fleet to hybrid and electric vehicles.
- Swiss Life Asset Managers uses energy from 100% renewable sources at all locations in Germany. The Tour La Marseillaise office building in Marseille is also 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.