Customers & Products
Sustainability in the Retail Segment
UNIQA is firmly committed to customer centricity and customer focus in its core business. At the same time, another key strategic pillar of the UNIQA strategy – sustainability – is being embedded as an integral component of this core business and emphasised more and more strongly.
As a result, customers of UNIQA are significantly involved in the product development process and sustainability aspects are integrated into all product lines and advisory services. We are pushing sustainable investment options and expanding the corresponding range of insurance products. In the product development process, we are implementing this sustainable focus for all lines of business. We are also making our contribution in underwriting and are continuing to implement our Statement on Decarbonisation , which aims to gradually phase out business with companies that use coal to generate electricity by 2025.
Holistic advisory approach with expertise in sustainability
Alongside the major Europe-wide political and regulatory fields of action, individual advice and information on topics such as mobility, private and commercial building use, renewable energy including infrastructure, nutrition and sustainable agriculture is a new key competence for promoting sustainability in society.
In line with the current UNIQA 3.0 strategy, sustainability is the focus of all product developments in Austria. The ESG team, which is based in the Retail AT division and reports to the Head of Retail Austria, ensures the end-to-end approach in our core market of Austria. It supports the product managers in the development of future-orientated insurance products. This includes product developments, product launches, accompanying sales measures as well as continuous market monitoring and the conceptualisation of further measures and business models around sustainability in order to prepare UNIQA and the Sales Team even better for the green transition. Sustainability aspects are already firmly anchored in our advisory approach and in the product development process across all insurance lines, so that the range of sustainable insurance products and the best possible advice meet the growing demand. This joint effort ensures that environmental, social and governance aspects are integral components of the development process to create sustainable and responsible products.
Through targeted automatization in the advisory process, we create a seamless connection between the digital and real world to document our customers' concerns transparently and efficiently, while at the same time ensuring sufficient time for individual consultations. The structured, digital recording of our customers' sustainability preferences allows us to focus on individual wishes and needs and offer customised advice. We also invest specifically in the sustainability training of our sales colleagues through various training formats (asynchronous e-learning modules and face-to-face events). We want to reduce our ecological footprint by expanding our customer portal myUNIQA.
Sustainability in Corporate Business
The strategic sustainability approach of UNIQA Corporate Business encompasses three main directions. To properly prioritise sustainability-related goals and activities, we align with the commitments of the GFA (Green Finance Alliance) and PSI (UNEP FI Principles for Sustainable Insurance).
Advising on and preventing natural catastrophes
The insurance industry is particularly affected by climate change-related damages, which impact both our company and our clients. The increasing frequency and severity of extreme weather events present significant risks. Through UNIQA Corporate Business, we advise companies on how to strengthen their resilience to climate risks and address the challenges they face as businesses. As part of our "first aid measures," we have expanded the scope of our recommendations for mitigating climate risks, and we are able to track to what extent clients adopt and implement our recommendations.
Decarbonisation in the underwriting portfolio
Pursuing the Paris 1.5 degrees Celsius climate target pathway in underwriting is one of our key objectives. The UNIQA Group is committed to achieving net-zero emissions in its underwriting portfolio by 2040 in Austria and by 2050 across the entire UNIQA Group. The first steps towards decarbonisation were taken in 2019 with the commitment not to engage in new business with clients involved in coal activities. Significant steps towards our portfolio decarbonisation also include phasing out of oil (by 2030) and gas (by 2035) business in our corporate business.
Development of new sustainability products
UNIQA Corporate Business is committed to supporting clients not only in their sustainable economic growth but also in the development of new sustainable technologies through innovative products and product components. Our ambition focuses on the circular economy, which encompasses the sustainable reconstruction and reuse of components in large industries. Environmental liability components and social components of corporate insurance solutions are key areas of potential development.
For detailed information on the UNIQA Sustainability Strategy for Corporate Business, please refer to