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2017 Corporate Responsibility Report

Focus: Ten years of the COyou2 Programme

In 2017, our successful COyou2 Programme had its ten-year anniversary. Between its launch in 2007 and the end of 2017, it chalked up the following impressive statistics:

  • Over 15 000 Swiss Re employees and their families took part in the programme, investing in advanced green technology and renewable energy products;
  • In this way, they helped avoid roughly 70 000 metric tonnes of CO2 emissions;
  • This amount is equivalent to an average passenger car driving over 265 000 000 kilometres, enough to circle the Earth 6 620 times;
  • It is also equivalent to the carbon sequestration effect of growing 1 800 000 trees for ten years.

Celebrating the programme’s ten-year anniversary, we held a competition for our employees. We asked them to create a personal message on how they have made use of the programme and to provide a photograph, video or other illustration.

Below you can read two of the winning entries:

Alvaro Leiva Rincon (photo)

Alvaro Leiva Rincon, Bratislava

In April, I injured my knee playing football for the Swiss Re team. 1st diagnostic: surgery. 2nd option: get the leg very strong and avoid surgery. Thanks to the COyou2 Programme I bought a new bike … The result: I avoided the surgery.

On average, I do three weekend trips per month, covering more than 200 km on each. Of course, I also go to the office by bike.

COyou2 Programme = Bikes > cars

Thomas Artho (photo)

Thomas Artho, Zurich

Since yesterday, we have been proud producers of clean energy. COyou2 has supported me and (indirectly) my small family in our aspiration to live without a car. Besides being more environmentally friendly, we were also able to save up some of our own money, which we have now invested in harvesting the power of the sun. A big THANK YOU from myself, my wife and my little daughter who will hopefully grow up in a more sustainable future.