Zurich Financial Services Group (Zurich) is pleased to announce that the Group in 2009 again met one of its ongoing corporate responsibility objectives – the inclusion in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes (DJSI). The Group has continued to demonstrate year-on-year improvements across a wide range of sustainability indicators: its overall score rose in 2009 to 72%, up from 69% in 2008.
A detailed analysis of the just recently announced results of the 2009 annual review for the Dow Jones Sustainability World and Dow Jones STOXX Sustainability indexes shows that Zurich’s scores are above average not only in the social, environmental and economic dimensions of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index but also in nearly all of the subcategories of these dimensions.
Major improvement was achieved in the Group’s Customer Relationship Management score, which increased to 72% in 2009 from 61% in 2008. This result validates the success that Zurich has had in focusing on its customer relations and separates the Group from the field of analyzed companies, where the average subcategory score dropped in 2009 to 51%, down from 52% in 2008.
The Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes follow a best-in-class approach and include sustainability leaders from each industry on a global and regional level respectively. The annual review of the DJSI family is based on a thorough analysis of corporate economic, environmental and social performance, assessing issues such as corporate governance, risk management, climate change mitigation, supply chain standards and labor practices. The results of the annual review of the DJSI family are watched closely by market participants around the world. Total assets under management in DJSI-based investment vehicles now stand at approximately USD 8 billion.
It is Zurich’s belief that a responsible company is one which takes measures to create value for both the company and society by proactively addressing material social, environmental and governance issues. Therefore, the Group continuously strives for better integration of pertinent issues and related stakeholder expectations into its core business. Zurich’s ongoing inclusion in the DJSI and its year-on-year improvement can be valued as a direct result of these efforts.
