Forging a robust sustainability strategy
Sustainability has long been part of Allianz Trade's agenda. In recent years, we have raised our ambitions. Recognizing the growing urgency to address sustainability – and the opportunities it presents – we asked ourselves: what role can a trade credit insurer play in supporting the energy transition?
In 2023, Allianz Trade set out to strengthen internal capabilities and deepen understanding of sustainability-related risks and opportunities. This ambition led to a comprehensive review of our sustainability strategy, ensuring alignment with Allianz Group's net zero targets for 2050.
The result is a roadmap built on four pillars:
- Reducing the environmental impact of our operations
- Driving decarbonization across our portfolio
- Creating value for customers through sustainable solutions
- Strengthening governance by embedding ESG considerations into credit assessments and business decisions
We received support from all directions in developing this strategy: employees from across business lines and around the world expressed a strong desire to contribute to meeting our sustainability goals, as well as strategic investment from our CEO and the entire Board of Management.
Clarity and commitment: inside our sustainability handbook
As we roll out our sustainability strategy, we recognize a responsibility to communicate clearly, transparently, and regularly with stakeholders and keep them abreast of our progress. This led to the publication of our Sustainability Handbook in April 2025.
The Handbook explains our sustainability approach: the reasoning behind it and the actions that follow. It features the voices of real employees, showcases product innovations, and highlights tangible outcomes. Developed in close collaboration with teams across Allianz Trade, it was designed to clearly explain our progress, focusing on concrete actions and next steps.
The impact has been significant. Employees are proud to see their contributions recognized. Stakeholders, including brokers and clients, have responded positively to its clarity, transparency, relevance, and authenticity.
From insight to action
As part of Allianz Group's commitment to sustainability, Allianz Trade is actively contributing to the goal of achieving net zero across our portfolio by 2050.
We support this ambition through:
- An EU Taxonomy-aligned framework for sustainable products
- Integration of ESG considerations into country risk and credit assessments
- Strong capabilities in evaluating low-carbon technologies, including solar energy, wind energy, and electric vehicle battery systems
Allianz Trade is committed to transparency and accountability, working collaboratively within Allianz Group and with external partners to drive meaningful change.
Our global presence sets us apart. Cross-market knowledge-sharing networks enable teams worldwide to stay informed on emerging low-carbon developments for improved decision-making.
To integrate sustainability throughout our operations and drive employee engagement, we have introduced several initiatives:
- Sustainability Days held in European cities to foster dialogue
- Select Learning Fridays supporting knowledge-sharing on sustainability, including with external speakers
- Internal communication channels to share progress updates
- Role-specific sustainability training through our learning and development program
- A climate decision-making simulation game, soon to be launched by Allianz Group Sustainability Office (GSO)
An enhanced outlook for a green path forward
As we continue rolling out our sustainability roadmap, we are focusing the remainder of 2025 on executing our commitments effectively.
Our goals include:
- Expanding Surety Green2Green and Specialty Green2Green offerings to power the future of low-carbon technologies and renewables
- Reducing our portfolio's carbon intensity
- Transitioning to a low-emission vehicle fleet
In the long term, our vision is to embed sustainability into every facet of our business. We are committed to collaborating across all teams to make this a reality. Achieving a truly sustainable business model is an organization-wide effort that requires a broadening of perspective from everyone.
Sustainability is like putting on 3D glasses: it reveals a new dimension of challenges and opportunities to guide our path forward.
