Being a responsible sustainable company is essential to how we do business in Zurich South Africa. Across our core business practices, our propositions and services and in our engagement with our local communities we proactively consider and address social, environmental and governance issues that are of concern to our stakeholders. We are committed to the promotion of a transformed, vibrant and competitive financial sector that reflects the demographics of South Africa, and we believe that meaningful participation in the mainstream economy by previously disadvantaged people is essential for the success of the South African economy and democracy.
Our community investment
We continually review and seek to improve our BEE status and we make a substantial contribution to social welfare through engaging in activities reflecting the different cultures found in the areas in which we operate. Some examples of the initiatives we supported in 2009 are reflected below.
We continued to provide funding and hands-on support and participation in MaAfrika Tikkun’s community project which operates in Diepsloot, north of Johannesburg. MaAfrika Tikkun, a non-governmental organisation, was founded in 1994 soon after South Africa’s first democratic elections. This initiative was formed by the late Chief Rabbi Cyril Harris and current Chairman Dr Bertie Lubner, who felt compelled to uplift previously disadvantaged communities. The organisation has now evolved further to focus its services on supporting orphans, vulnerable children and their families.
Another key area we support is the Royal Bafokeng Nation’s youth development programme. Sport is a key element in the Royal Bafokeng’s master plan for socioeconomic development and, as a result, Royal Bafokeng Sports (RBS) started operating in January 2007 as a subsidiary of Royal Bafokeng Holdings.
The prime RBS mandate is to generate financial and social returns from the development of the Royal Bafokeng Nation’s sporting assets. The most important of these is the 40,000-seat Royal Bafokeng Stadium, one of the national venues for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Furthering soccer as a national sport is a key component of their investment in sport. They have invested in the Platinum Stars Football Club, sponsored a number of projects including the Nelson Mandela Challenge and provide funding for a development programme from which thousands of school children have already benefited.
Continuing our support of tertiary institutions, we once again provided financial assistance to three universities – University of Cape Town, University of KwaZulu-Natal and University of the Witwatersrand – operating in the major centres where we have a presence. These universities, who have been supported for many years, channel the funds to their bursary department in support of previously disadvantaged students.
Finally, our Zurich Cares Day, a voluntary programme aimed at raising funds for charitable organisations or providing hands-on support, provides us with the opportunity to encourage our employees to give a little of their time to help those in need. The underlying theme – ‘helping people to help themselves’ – receives overwhelming support from employees across the country and fund-raising initiatives ranging from cake sales to larger-scale events go a long way to helping those members of society who are most in need.
Our propositions and services
We are constantly seeking new ways to help our customers achieve the sustainability goals we collectively share. From climate change, through to reducing our carbon footprint, through to the development of relevant propositions, we are committed to leveraging our global network of experts to support our local business objectives.
Our environment
Internally, the Group performed an in-depth assessment of our own carbon footprint, using 2007 as a base year. The resulting Group-wide emissions from all sources considered were estimated to be 228,000 tons, or 3.9 tons per employee. Going forward, the Group has committed to a 10% reduction target of our Group-wide emissions by 2013. This reduction target will be pursued through a combination of cleaner energy sources, energy-efficiency measures and reduced air travel.
Locally, in South Africa, we have embraced the targets set by the Group and have, among other activities, initiated steps to ensure we are occupying premises which comply with energy-efficiency principles.
Our support of this initiative is further evidenced by our continued commitment to environmental and conservation activities through the sponsorship of the Endangered Wildlife Trust’s Birds of Prey Working Group and corporate membership of BirdLife South Africa.
In total, Zurich South Africa contributed over R2.5 million in 2009 towards community investment and environmental projects and initiatives, and going into 2010 we will seek to continue our role in supporting and investing in areas that support the development and protection of our local communities and surrounding areas.
