I guess we all hoped that the world would return to normal after the Covid pandemic. But the year 2022 has shown us that neither people nor companies will get much rest. The war in Ukraine is certainly not conducive to looking at the world around us with optimism. But I still see a lot of good in it. It is still true that in difficult moments we can react quickly to such events without hesitation, help those in need and not forget to think about the changing world around us or the beauty of art. After all, the exhibition Circles on Water has become the most visited exhibition since the opening of the Kooperativa Gallery.
Ukraine and the aid to its citizens has become the main topic of the past year. We held our most successful fundraiser to date, which enabled us to support non-profit organizations with a total of CZK 13 million. Whether they are helping directly in Ukraine or are involved in the integration of Ukrainian citizens in Czechia. We have accommodated more than a hundred people from VIG's sister insurance companies in Ukraine in our office buildings alone, helping them with their initial orientation in a foreign environment. Of course, we also facilitated communication with the authorities, provided free Czech language lessons or psychological services, household equipment or leisure activities for children. You can read more about all our activities in this Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability Report.
We have not forgotten the most important part of our social responsibility - prevention. This year, in addition to traffic safety, represented by the VISION 0 Platform, we focused on the issue of climate change and related flooding. We have successfully piloted the new Prevention Programme for a more resilient landscape, which we will continue to develop in the coming years.
But what I would like to highlight most is the activity of our employees. My colleagues do not need to be persuaded to engage with these issues. Hundreds of them are helping out in various public service organisations, which I personally appreciate immensely, and I would like to thank them all very much again.
Martin Diviš, Chairman of the Board
In 2021, we implemented a stakeholders' dialogue in accordance with the GRI 2021 standard. Knowing the needs and expectations of all Kooperativa stakeholders who are in a business, working or other professional relationship with us is key to the sustainable development of our business. We have identified the following groups as key stakeholders: employees, top corporate customers, customers, shareholders, the Board of Directors, company management, subsidiaries and sister companies, chambers and associations and the media (more than 1,800 completed questionnaires, individual stakeholder interviews).
In determining the level of stakeholder engagement, many organisations address the issue of how to work with the varying importance of their stakeholders. In order to distinguish the influence and interests of different stakeholders on specific topics and thus avoid a certain degree of subjective influence on the results, we used the so-called Mendel method of stakeholder prioritization. The Mendel matrix is a tool for prioritizing stakeholders with respect to their power to influence a given topic and the impact that the topic has on them. The matrix divides stakeholders into four quadrants to better enable an organization to prioritize and then formulate strategies towards each stakeholder. We supplemented this with the importance of each individual stakeholder involved, separately for each topic area. We then weighted the resulting score for each topic with the relevant weight for that stakeholder.
We defined relevant themes and divided them into four categories:
Topic |
Potential Impact |
Final score |
Reference to the Standard |
|---|---|---|---|
Product Marketing and Clarity |
Lack of transparency and lack of clarity in customer information can lead to more complaints, customer churn and sometimes fines or litigation. Unclear or complex insurance terms and conditions, ambiguous product terms and/or misleading business practices can have a negative impact on brand perception and possibly on the economic or social situation of customers. Customers expect insurers to provide clear marketing communications as well as a friendly approach to all customer groups, including specific groups (seniors, people with disabilities, etc.). |
8.3 |
GRI 417: Marketing and Labeling |
Customer data protection and cybersecurity |
The impact may be related to the degree of compliance with applicable legislation, the quality of technological security of customer data and private data, etc. |
8.2 |
GRI 418: Customer Privacy |
Preventing and promoting responsible customer behaviour |
This may include for example the introduction of products or associated benefits that encourage customers to take care of their health and behave safely and/or motivate them to behave in an environmentally responsible manner. |
8.0 |
SASB INSURANCE Sustainability Accounting Standard (2018): Policies Designed to Incentivize Responsible Behavior |
Product innovation, digitalisation and new business opportunities |
Pandemic and trends in digitalisation are fundamentally changing the way we work, do business and communicate, as well as the lifestyles and expectations of customers. Companies can thus influence their environments by the extent to which they take into account customer expectations, innovate to reflect market and societal trends, etc. |
7.9 |
Not a GRI/ SASB Standard |
Investing in line with responsible business principles |
Some insurers take into account criteria such as the social or environmental impact of an investment in their investment decisions in order to avoid potential reputational risk associated with insuring riskier clients, while incorporating forthcoming EU regulations. |
7.8 |
SASB INSURANCE Sustainability Accounting Standard (2018): Incorporation of Environmental, Social, and Governance Factors in Investment Management & Advisory |
Corporate governance, Transparency and Ethical Business |
Weaknesses in these principles can have negative financial, reputational or regulatory consequences. |
7.8 |
GRI 204: Procurement practices |
Partnerships |
Impact of partnerships to address key social challenges through sharing knowledge, technology and financial resources, promoting sustainable development, etc. |
7.5 |
Partly GRI 413: Local Communities a GRI 415: Public Policy |
Risk Management |
Insurance companies are continuously absorbing increasing regulatory demands, be it on risk capital liquidity, liability structure or risk management, while at the same time having to be transparent in how they incorporate these demands into their internal policies and arrangements. |
7.4 |
SASB INSURANCE Sustainability Accounting Standard (2018): Systemic Risk Management |
Flexibility, health and well-being of employees |
For example, through its occupational health and safety systems and policies, promoting the health and healthy lifestyles of employees and/or mitigating the health impacts of work performance. |
7.3 |
GRI 403: Occupational Health and Safety |
Fair working conditions |
Impact on the environment through its approach to employment, creating fair working conditions, adequate wages and benefit offers that meet the basic needs of employees or employees of suppliers. |
7.2 |
Not the GRI Standard |
Responsible operation (waste, water, energy management, CO2 reduction) |
Impact on the environment through adherence to environmentally responsible operating principles, e.g. electricity or fossil fuel consumption, use of renewable energy, sustainable water or waste management. |
7.1 |
GRI 305: Emissions/ Climate change |
Donations, supporting communities and promoting social entrepreneurship |
Impacts can be positive or negative depending on how a company approaches donating, supporting solutions to important social issues, supporting communities and community life, as well as social entrepreneurship. |
7.0 |
GRI 413: Local Communities |
Diversity and inclusion |
For example, how actively the company promotes diversity and equal opportunities for all, ensures fair remuneration for men and women, develops an open corporate culture, etc. |
7.0 |
GRI 405: Diversity and Equal Opportunity |
Training and Development |
Impacting environment and employees with your approach to training, upskilling and performance reviews, or offering career development opportunities. |
6.7 |
GRI 404: Training and Education |
Sustainability in supplier-customer relationships |
Impact through the supply chain (e.g. by requiring specific sustainability principles from its suppliers, preventing and controlling environmental compliance, etc.). |
6.0 |
GRI 308: Supplier Environmental Assesment |
The Rescue Circle Association is an organisation that develops and implements a range of preventive education projects in the areas of risks and dangers, such as educational videos, multimedia textbooks, working and didactic aids for schools, etc.
The Association runs the World of Rescuers - a place where everyone from the youngest to the oldest learns practically and through simulations. All the segments of the Integrated Rescue System also train here.
Kooperativa has been the general partner of the World of Rescuers since 2020. Our employees use the experiential programme for training, presentations or teambuilding. They learn the basics of first aid, correct behaviour in case of fire or traffic accidents. In 2022, we reinforced the branding of the campus through funny catchphrases in the "House of Risks".
We are a full-service universal insurance company offering all standard types of insurance for individuals, small businesses and large corporations. We are a Czech company with the stable background of Vienna Insurance Group, which includes a total of 50 companies in 25 countries in Central and Eastern Europe.
The Vienna Insurance Group is listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange and is the company with high rating in the main index of the Vienna Stock Exchange ATX; its shares are also listed on the Prague Stock Exchange.
Material collection
Direct aid in Ukraine
and integration of Ukrainians
into Czech society
A total of 13 million CZK donated
we accommodated
100 women and children
from Ukraine
From the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, we have been helping where it is needed. With the outbreak of aggression in Ukraine, we organised a fundraising campaign, from which we have been continuously distributing almost CZK 13 million. Our employees have also joined the fundraiser, sending more than CZK 2 million in the first few days.
After our Chairman of the Board, Martin Diviš, published an appeal to help our Ukrainian colleagues, we were immediately contacted by Ukrainians. The main goal was to prepare free accommodation for the refugees and get them safely to Czechia. In our accommodation capacities in several locations in the country, we welcomed more than a hundred people from VIG's sister insurance companies in Ukraine. We have newly equipped our housing facilities with the needs of families with children in mind. In the first phase, we also assisted with the move to Czechia, including commuting to the border. We hired two new part-time colleagues with Ukrainian language skills to help us overcome the language barrier.
We are also a financial partner of the Via Foundation grant "From Ukraine Among Us" aimed at integration into Czech society.
We have been supporting the families all along and we have also organised joint meetings at Kooperativa, thanks to which the newcomers could get used to the new environment, got to know each other and supported each other. In our premises, we offered regular psychological help, individual as well as group therapy with a psychologist from Ukraine who understood refugees well because she herself went through war trauma. Furthermore, they were also connected to psychologists from https://www.terapie.cz/. We assisted with visas, finding a doctor, and are still addressing other individual needs of adults and children. We supplied food from the cafeteria, groceries, drug supplies and other material support including prepaid card phones, clothes or toys, all from our staff's material collections or other sources.
We have arranged free individual Czech language courses for children and adults at Kooperativa. Those interested could take a retraining course for a social services worker for easier job placement. We also had a friendly mentoring programme in which a family of employees supports a particular family from Ukraine. These families then meet together and go on holiday trips.
TOP Responsible Company Helping the Neighbourhood – Special Award for the aid to Ukraine
TOP Responsible Large Company
Finalist for SDGs Awards
Prevention Programme for a more resilient landscape
National Award for Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainable Development
Socially Responsible Organization Level III award in the private sector category
Mastercard Insurance Company of the Year Award
First place in the category Insurance company without barriers
Second place in the Responsible Insurance Company of the Year category
„I am very pleased that we have been able to win the first place again among insurance companies, in an industry that is showing its strength and stability even in these difficult times, proving to clients that they can rely on their insurance company. Our thanks, and this award, go to all our colleagues who contribute to the quality care of our clients. And I can promise on their behalf that we will continue on this path,“ assured Martin Diviš, CEO of Kooperativa, when accepting the award.
In the main competition, Kooperativa won the Gold Crown in the General insurance category, dominated by NAMIR Auto Insurance, and also the Gold Crown in the Life Insurance category. The Silver Crown this year went to TREND in the Business Insurance category, while the Bronze Crown in the same category went to Liability Insurance in the Industrial Risks segment.
„The Golden Crown competition provides a great opportunity to compare products with competitors, not on the commercial field, but from the perspective of the experts who make up the financial academy. This is very valuable to us and we are happy that the award-winning products are also successful commercially. After all, this is also confirmed by the TREND and FLEXI products, the best products of the last 20 years. These are our flagship products, and they are also among the most popular products with our clients,“ says Filip Král, member of the Kooperativa Board of Directors.
Like the entire VIG concern, we are based on the Sustainable Development Goals of the SDGs, adopted at the United Nations Summit in September 2015, as well as on the principles of sustainable development in the insurance industry. Health and quality of life, equality between men and women, sustainable cities and municipalities and climate measures were selected as the most important goals for VIG.
https://osn.cz/osn/hlavni-temata/cile-udrzitelneho-rozvoje-sdgs/
road safety with
the VISION 0 Platform
flash flood prevention
in 7 municipalities
coffee in Mezi řádky café
Nearly 2 000 rides
on the Rekola
Over 600 phones selected
for the collection
100 % of old working
IT equipment donated
170 new waste
sorting bins
2 786 women
1 246 men
Women Managers Club
and SEN Club
5 Free days,
1 Care day,
1 Charity day
In 2022, after a covid break, we returned to live yoga classes for employees at the Kooperativa Headquarters in Karlín and the Prague Agency. Yoga is open to all employees who express an interest at these locations. Employees from other locations are offered online classes, which are available on the company intranet.
300,000 hours – that’s how much time our employees spent in 2022 acquiring new knowledge. We provide a range of training activities for all employees, which take place at internal and external events or through e-learning programmes, as well as internships in other departments. We support new colleagues through induction training and workshops to help them adapt easily. We also offer special training to managers. All employees can also use an in-house library, language training, mentoring and coaching.
Better Life Fund
19 charity projects with
a donation of CZK 771,630
With the Tree for a Better Life,
we raised CZK 560,940 for 18 non-profit
organisations.
We work together to ensure
that people with disabilities live according their needs.
The Kooperativa Foundation has long stood behind its partners so that they find the necessary confidence in us and focus on their mission. We support projects that promote society-wide systemic change. We place great emphasis on prevention, especially in the area of mental health, as well as on the elderly and people with disabilities. Our employees are an important part of this and actively participate in activities in all areas.
All activities would not be possible without the support of our partners from the non-profit sector. They help us to understand the problems of the less fortunate. They also give us the tools and opportunities to support individuals, their entire families and prevent further difficulties.
We want people with disabilities to be able to live free and fulfilled lives, which is why we support organizations like Asistence/Assistance, Silou hlasu/The Power of Voice and Pomocné tlapky/Helping Paws. Our prevention project in the field of supporting people with disabilities is BanalFatal!, a programme of the Czech Paraplegic Association. In the field of mental health, we cooperate with the Don’t Let Go of the Soul organisation, which also deals with prevention.
We are a partner of Pátý stupeň. The current four-tier care allowance system, which provides only 5 hours of assistance per day, is inadequate. It leaves people with the most severe disabilities to live in institutions.
Pomocné tlapky, an organization for training assistance dogs, has been supported by Kooperativa for a long time. During 2022, 5 assistance dogs were trained, a new feature was the training of dogs for hypoglycemia. Last year also saw 2 Canis therapeutic weekend meetings and 20 lectures for schools.
Seemingly trivial injuries can have fatal consequences. We are a partner of the BanalFatal! program to prevent spinal cord injuries. The program will give you more insight into the video by rapper Raeg, which shows the authentic story of wheelchair user Jarda, a BanalFatal! Instructor. The program of the Czech Paraplegic Association focuses on the prevention of risky behaviour.
The Foundation launches grant competitions every year, but due to the situation in Ukraine in 2022, we have supported the Via Foundation's grant "From Ukraine among us".
The grant call was designed for local initiatives that help integrate new neighbours into local communities. From May to October, a total of 139 projects received support in the amount of CZK 4,701,473. The most common focus of the projects was on education, leisure and neighbourhood events.
Kooperativa employees have played an important role in our efforts to help those in need. This year, they have been actively involved in helping others in Prague and the regions through volunteer days (Day for a Better Life) and material and financial collections. The Foundation rewards each such effort in the form of financial collections by doubling the amount raised.
In 2022, two exhibitions were held at the Kooperativa Gallery – ATELIERS: Artists and their work across generations and Circles on Water. Each exhibition was always accompanied by a free talk for the general public and several guided tours led by PhDr. Michael Zachař. The Ateliers exhibition was visited by a total of 4,361 visitors. The exhibition Circles on Water was visited by a total of 9,750 visitors,which was a record attendance for the Kooperativa Gallery.
In 2022, two outdoor exhibitions "The Best of the Kooperativa Insurance Company Collection" were also held. The first exhibition took place as part of the general partnership of the Český Krumlov Music Festival from 15 July to 6 August 2022. The large-format exhibition of ten reproductions of the best of the Kooperativa collection was on display in the beautiful premises of the Monastery Gardens and featured works by Josef Čapek and Josef Liesler, for example. Visitors had the opportunity to view another 50 paintings via virtual reality from the Deloitte Xperience Lab.
The outdoor exhibition took place further in the autumn in Karlín, Prague, where the headquarters of the Kooperativa insurance company is located.
Each year, we select one regional agency to feature in the Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability Report. In this year's report, we present the activities of the South Moravia Agency, whose enthusiasm for responsible issues inspires colleagues from other regions.
Joint blood donation The South Moravia Agency organised a joint blood donation. Volunteers from among our employees gathered at the Transfusion and Tissue Department of the University Hospital Brno. We appreciate all the volunteers who left not only with a good feeling, but also with the knowledge that they may have saved someone's life.
Křenka runs for life After a successful first year of our charity run, we ran for life again in 2022. We raised over 50 thousand CZK for seven-year-old Kubíček, who has been suffering from Shwachman-Diamond syndrome since birth. The amount which was doubled by the Kooperativa Foundation will enable Kubíček to receive therapy to improve his overall health, especially his brain function.
The Good Neighbour Collection As part of the Good Neighbour initiative, we announced a collection for the survivors of Kajka, who died suddenly. The proceeds of the collection will fulfill Kajka's dream – building an attic with rooms for her children, with sanitary facilities and a new staircase. The children will grow up in dignity with the opportunity to prepare for life and support their father. The proceeds of the collection, which amounted to CZK 141,300, were supported by the Kooperativa Foundation with a donation of CZK 50,000.
At the zoo with Koop In cooperation with the Brno Zoo, we again prepared a day with a programme for children. In addition to getting to know the animals, we prepared stations for children focused on safety, where we taught them how to move safely on the street and on a bicycle, the basics of first aid or the principles of a healthy lifestyle. In addition, we also educated them in a fun way about the importance of insurance.
Tree for a Better Life at the South Moravia Agency This year, as part of the Tree for a Better Life project, the South Moravia Agency supported the children's hospice House for Julia, which helps families with terminally ill children and adolescents. Overall, 79 colleagues from South Moravia participated in the project and they raised CZK 65,000 which was the highest amoutn of all regions. In total, CZK 560,940 was raised in the Tree for a Better Life, and the Kooperativa Foundation contributed another CZK 120,000.
The Report on Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability 2022 was prepared after a year-long collection of relevant data, consultations with all involved departments of the insurance company, and communication with relevant stakeholders. It contains information about the implementation of all parts of the CSR strategy - prevention and responsible business, ecology and sustainability, diversity and flexibility in relation to employees, and philanthropy.
The data reported is for the period from 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2022 and is not verified by an external auditor.
If you have any ideas, recommendations or feedback feedback in relation to the Kooperativa Responsibility and Sustainability Report 2022 or the corporate social responsibility in Kooperativa in general, please write to us at odpovednafirma@koop.cz.
Kooperativa is a fair, strong, and important company; however, we want to be more than that. We would like our imprint and everything that we do to be considerate of the surroundings, helpful to people, friendly, and empathetic. We want to help and we will get ourselves involved, because we believe it is worth it and that life can be better.
