Zurich Insurance Group’s Investment Management real estate division tests the Madaster Material passport as a tool for decarbonising real estate
Zurich, 17.02.2022 – Sustainability is a strategic priority for Zurich Insurance Group (Zurich). An effective decarbonisation plan for the Group’s own properties and those it manages plays a central role in achieving its goals. In a residential project in The Netherlands, Zurich is testing a Madaster material passport for the first time. The aim is to create transparency about the materials used and their CO2 equivalents. This should provide insights for future portfolio management.
A Madaster material passport provides transparency in resource-relevant information about the materials used in the building. If a building is planned and managed as a material bank, insights can be gained into how and how many materials can be used, thus reducing CO2 emissions. Indices for the financial and circular evaluation of the materials and products used, as well as the demountability and environmental index, can help users of the Madaster platform to plan and manage their buildings in a more resource-efficient way.
“Through the data transparency of a material passport, we want to learn more about the impact of a building on people and the environment. We hope to be able to identify new decision-making scope for a significant decarbonisation of our real estate portfolio,” says Roger Baumann, Chief Operating Officer and Head of Product Development Global Real Estate at Zurich.
A material passport can be used as the basis for defining building-specific renewal strategies and the resulting life cycle costs. The new Madaster Environmental Index can be used to forecast the decarbonisation potential and present a portfolio overview of CO2 in the building stock in the longer term.
“I am very pleased about the joint project with Zurich Insurance Group. We want to show that buildings are dynamic systems whose value preservation can be realised through data transparency,” adds Marloes Fischer, Managing Director of Madaster Services Switzerland.
About Zurich Insurance Company
Zurich Insurance Group (Zurich) is a leading multi-line insurer serving customers in global and local markets. With approximately 56,000 employees, Zurich offers a comprehensive range of property, accident and life insurance products and services in more than 210 countries and territories. Its customers include individuals, small, medium and large businesses, and multinational corporations. The Group is headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, where it was founded in 1872. The holding company, Zurich Insurance Group Ltd (ZURN), is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange and has a Level I American Depositary Receipt program (ZURVY) that trades over-the-counter on the OTCQX. Further information about Zurich is available at www.zurich.com.