Our sustainability priorities
Environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks impact our customers and consequently our business. This is why our Group continually and thoroughly assesses the propensity of each risk to upend our way of life. Our assessment is based off:
- Disruptive capacity: A risk’s potential impact on businesses
- Proximity: The period with which the issues would have an effect.
- Adaptive capacity: The preparedness to manage each risk.
These metrics have guided our Group in paving and committing to a path forward that actively seek solutions for the following issues.
The increasing frequency and intensity of natural disasters caused by climate change are risks shared by the entire planet. For non-life insurance companies deeply involved in responding to such disasters, the continued degradation of our climate has a pronounced impact on our operations when it comes to addressing increasing claim payouts.
This is why our parent company, the MS&AD Insurance Group endorses the Paris Agreement. The agreement aims to alleviate climate change issues and is ratified by countries and businesses around the world. In December 2015, our Group signed on to the Paris Pledge for Action to declare its commitment toward this goal. Since then, these goals have been front and centre in our accelerating plans to transform into a more sustainable business.
As an insurer, the MS&AD Insurance Group is focused on addressing accumulated risks of compounded damage caused by natural disasters. Our Group also continually ascertains social changes to strengthen the business’ risk management capabilities.
We are pushing ambitious targets on all fronts. The entire Group is committed to half our emissions by 2030 (using 2019 as the base year) and achieve net zero emissions by 2050.
In the markets we operate in, we continue to support sustainable development by providing insurance products that are designed to reduce damage and loss incurred from extreme weather events caused by climate change which in turn adversely impact the activities of corporations and those of other nature. Through extensive research and development, we are also carving new paths by developing products and services that help advance the transition towards a decarbonised society.
Our Group endorses the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) and promotes the disclosure of financial information as well as subscribes to CDP’s approaches by continuously submitting new data.
Our ecosystems and natural resources are the foundation of economies and lifestyles around the world. The degeneration and depletion of which will significantly and detrimentally affect the quality of our lives.
In July 2016, MS&AD Insurance Group signed the Natural Capital Declaration (NCD) in support of its assertion that financial institutions should incorporate the idea of “natural capital” into their financial products and services.
To address this, our Group provides risk management and insurance products that guard against the risks of climate change and natural capital degradation. By meeting the challenge of climate change in our times, our Group is building up the resilience of our customers and the communities we operate in.
The change we envision can be even more impactful if everybody leans in. That is why we actively engage group-wide employees to deepen their knowledge of the importance of biodiversity conservation.
This includes highlighting the Group’s multiple initiatives aimed at conserving biodiversity that also seek to deepen engagement with local communities in the areas of environment, people development and social welfare.
Once such example is the restoration of Paliyan Wildlife Sanctuary in Yogyakarta Special Province on Java Island, Indonesia. Since our Group’s involvement from 2005, this initiative has restored and replanted 300,000 native tree species. It is estimated that the sanctuary will absorb around 70,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide over a 20-year period and helps in reducing floods and landslides in that region.
Back within the organisation, change from within is also apparent with sustained efforts focused on reducing the use of plastic and greenhouse gas emissions. Each and every single undertaking reflects our understanding that a sustainable operations model isn’t just good for people and the planet – it’s also good for business.
MS&AD Insurance Group signed the UN Global Compact and voiced support for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in June 2004.
To demonstrate our Group’s commitment, approaches have been adopted in line with the ILO Core Labor Standards and the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. An initiative that has resulted from that is the MS&AD Insurance Group Basic Policy on Human Rights, announced in February 2017. The policy reflects how the Group continually strive towards the highest ethical standard when it comes to respecting human rights throughout the organisation’s value chains.
MSIG is also committed to enhancing the enterprise value and contributing to the creation of a sustainable and resilient society through behavior that takes into account interaction with the environment and society in all business activities, with the aim of realizing Our Mission.
We recognize our responsibility for the actual and potential adverse impact our business activities have on human rights, including the impact of value chain, and have pursued activities and dialogues that respect human rights.
1. Basic Approach
(i) We respect international norms on human rights such as the United Nations International Bill of Human Rights1, the corporate code of conduct in the United Nations Global Compact2, and the principles concerning fundamental rights set out in the International Labor Organization Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work3.
(ii) In addition to complying with laws and regulations in countries and regions where we conduct business activities, we seek ways to respect the principles of internationally recognized human rights when these laws and regulations conflict with the principles, while considering the circumstances in such countries and regions.
1.2. Non-discrimination
We respect basic human rights in all business activities and do not discriminate based on race, nationality, gender, age, ethnic origin, descent (family origin), social status, creed, religion, physical characteristics, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or pregnancy.
1.3. Corporate culture that respects human rights
(i) We will foster a corporate culture that respects human rights.
(ii) We respect diverse values and engage in the creation of a friendly working environment with consideration for the mental and physical health and safety of every single employee.
2. Human Rights Due Diligence
We will create a system for human rights due diligence in accordance with the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and engage in dialogue, consultation, and reporting.
2.1 Assessment and prevention
We will identify and assess any actual and potential human rights risks and take prioritized steps to prevent and mitigate them.
2.2 Remedy, remediation, and dialogue
If MSIG causes adverse human rights impacts, we will perform appropriate remedy and remediation through proper procedures and engage in the prevention of recurrence. Moreover, if it is found that we are involved in such impacts through the value chain, we will sincerely engage in dialogue.
2.3 Education and Training
We will engage in a broad range of activities to raise awareness of human rights through every opportunity to ensure our officers and employees have a deeper understanding of global, country-specific, or regional issues related to human rights and their involvement with our business activities and have respect for human rights.
3. Responsibilities as a Global Insurance and Financial Services Provider
In light of the importance of personal information, we will protect personal information to ensure that there is no adverse impact on human rights, including privacy.
3.2 Reflection in business processes
We will consider environmental, social, and governance (ESG) aspects to meet our responsibility to respect human rights in our insurance underwriting and investment decision-making processes.
1 International Bill of Human Rights consists of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the main instruments through which it has been codified: the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
2 Ten Principles on human rights, labor, environment, and anti-corruption. The principles of Human Rights and Labor include: (1) support and respect for the protection of human rights; (2) non-complicity in human rights abuses, (3) recognition of freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining; (4) elimination of forced labor; (5) effective abolition of child labor; and (6) elimination of discrimination in employment and occupation.
3 Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work in five categories: (1) freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining, (2) elimination of all forms of forced or compulsory labor, (3) the effective abolition of child labor, (4) elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation, and (5) safe and healthy working environment.
If you have any enquiries or concerns on MSIG’s Human Rights practices, please contact us.
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