Aviva is playing an active role in setting the green business
agenda for the insurance and financial services sector. Not only
are they encouraging debate on how businesses can de-couple climate
change from financial growth, crucially, they are getting their own
house in order and putting green growth at the
heart of its long term business strategy.
Aviva is a setting a strong example in its sector by publically
reporting on its environmental performance in the same way it
reports on its financial performance. Its commitment to sustainable business
growth has received recognition internationally. The Dow Jones
Sustainability World Index ranks Aviva in the top 10% of socially
responsible companies globally, and Aviva is also recognised by the
FTSE4Good Index and has been awarded the Carbon Trust Standard.
Last year Aviva significantly boosted their profits while
reducing their carbon footprint by over 5%.
A green leader in its sector
Aviva has recognised the benefits of environmental transparency
since the publication of its first Environment Report in 1999.
Today, the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index ranks Aviva in the
top 10% of socially responsible companies globally, and Aviva is
also recognised by the FTSE4Good Index.
By publicly reporting its carbon emissions and committing to
reducing them Aviva has found its place in the debate on how
businesses can decouple climate change from financial growth. For
example, Aviva was the founding signatory and co-author of
Climatewise, the insurance industry's first ever set of principles
on climate change, as well as being a member of the United Nations
Environment Programme, the United Nations Global Compact and a
signatory and responder to the Carbon Disclosure Project
survey.
Overall, Aviva's position on the world's most respected league
tables reflects its recognition that a company's overall
performance in the context of macro-economic factors, such as
climate change, is of strategic importance to a companies'
long-term growth.
Lord Sharman, Chairman, Aviva:
"We feel that sustainability is sufficiently material to company
performance to warrant disclosure, which is why Aviva attributes
the same seriousness to reporting sustainability results as it does
its financials."
"As a publicly owned organisation, it makes sense for us to stay
ahead of oncoming mandatory carbon regulation.
By getting third party accreditation of our carbon footprint from
the Carbon Trust Standard, we can guarantee the same level of
reliability and robustness of data for financial and non-financial
reporting - making firms more attractive to investors and the
financial markets."
Working with the Carbon Trust
A key part of Aviva's focus on carbon emissions, it is ensuring
that its own 'house is in order'. In August 2008, Aviva became the
first insurer in the UK to be awarded the Carbon
Trust Standard, which recognises good practice in carbon
measurement, management and reduction. The Standard was awarded for
managing, measuring and reducing the company's carbon footprint
across its UK operation of 120 sites and a fleet of vehicles,
between January 2006 and December 2008.
Carbon reduction initiatives at Aviva have included:
- Improving energy efficiency in buildings, introducing new
energy efficiency lighting
- Speed limiters were introduced into the RAC motoring services'
1,763 recovery vehicles, which cut fuel use by 7.5%
- Installing telepresence (videoconferencing) facilities to
reduce domestic and international air travel. As a result, CO2
emissions from air travel have been cut by 5% and reduced
kilometres travelled by 20% in 2009