Our lifestyles and economic activities are made possible thanks to the bounties of nature (ecosystem services) which rely on a stock of natural capital. MS&AD Insurance Group’s stated aim is to be a “corporate group that supports a resilient and sustainable society.” Such a society can only come about if its foundations are rooted in a sound global environment, and business models that take into consideration the sustainability of natural capital will support sustainability of society as a whole, including companies.
Launched in June 2021, the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) was established with the aim of developing an information disclosure framework and thereby supporting a shift in global financial flows to bring about nature-positive outcomes. Against a backdrop of increasing concern, primarily among businesses, about nature-related risks and opportunities, we are working on initiatives such as promotion of understanding and development of frameworks. Our Group will continue contributing to the development of sustainable relationships between natural capital and business activities as well as to our coexistence with Earth’s environment through provision of solutions and products that are useful in improving the sustainability of natural capital.
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Identify and inform on risks |
Prevent risks from occurring/minimize the impact |
Reduce the economic burden |
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Assessment of risks caused by damage to or degradation of natural capital |
Provision of proposals on risk management measures based on assessment and analysis results, and services for preventing accidents |
Provision of risk coverage |
Our Company has been making efforts to promote understanding of TNFD and develop frameworks, etc., subscribing to the purpose of TNFD (Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures).
Our Group has been offering various services for quantitative evaluation of impacts on natural capital in developing business units and projects within and outside of Japan for our customers’ business expansion, and products to cover economic loss caused by damage to nature.
Simplified Evaluations of Biodiversity-related Risks |
We provide analyses of such information as critical areas in terms of biodiversity and endangered species that inhabit areas around our customers’ business units, both in Japan and overseas. |
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Provision of Simplified Evaluations of Water-related Risks |
An increasing number of areas worldwide are experiencing depletion of their water resources due to climate change, population increases in developing countries, economic development and other factors. As, in some cases, this depletion has been serious enough to threaten companiesʼ operations, companies now need to identify and disclose their own water-related risks. We offer services for assessing the water risks (depletion, contamination, flooding/droughts, etc.) for their business units inside and outside of Japan. |
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Environmental Supply Chain Consulting |
Establishing a sustainable raw materials procurement network is a key business challenge in realizing sustainable business activities. We conduct environmental risk analyses of raw materials procurement tailored to specific industry sectors, and we support approach prioritization and formulation of supply chain management activities. |
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Biodiversity-conscious Land-use Consulting |
A growing number of companies which regard initiatives to conserve biodiversity as both risks and opportunities for their businesses have begun to take biodiversity into account in determining their businessesʼ land use. We offer comprehensive support ranging from surveys and analysis through formulation of development/action plans based on these surveys, and analyses, for the use of offices, apartment buildings, and other land with green spaces. |
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Provision of a discount on premiums to businesses working on recycling of plastic resources |
With the aim of supporting promotion of plastic resources recycling, we provide companies working on such recycling with discounts on premiums for certain types of liability insurance products.
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Supporting reduction of roadkill incidents |
Automobile accidents rank high as a cause of death for rare species of animals such as Iriomote cats (roadkill). In order to prevent the occurrence of such accidents, an alert function has been installed in dedicated dashcams for automobile insurance. Starting in FY2022, we will make donations based on sales of such dashcams to organizations, including those working on protection of rare animals and reduction of roadkill incidents.
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Providing coverage of additional expenses for dealing with marine contamination |
In cases where the natural environment suffers damage due to a marine vessel accident, we will cover expenses of conservation/restoration actions taken voluntarily by the vessel’s operator to address such damage. This type of risk has been outside the coverage of conventional insurance policies.
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Providing extensive coverage of expenses associated with contamination damage |
We will provide coverage on a wide range of risks, including liabilities for damages and expenses of contamination clean-up arising out of accidents such as an unexpected and sudden outflow of contaminants into public waters from a factory, etc.
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Providing coverage of reforestation expenses, etc. |
We cover expenses necessary for reforestation of forests damaged by fire, etc., which have been outside the coverage of conventional forest fire insurance.
Launched Forest Keeper, an insurance product for those engaged in forestry (MSI) (in Japanese only) |
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Product Recall Expenses Insurance for Food Service Businesses - Shoku-eco |
We are partnering with Kuradashi Co., Ltd., which operates a social contribution food sharing platform, to provide recall expenses insurance for food service businesses. When a food company recalls foodstuffs without any quality issues but with mislabeled expiry dates, etc., Kuradashi reduces food wastage by purchasing such foodstuffs. This also helps to minimize disposal costs, enabling insurance premiums to be offered at a 10% discount. The food loss/waste is one of the social issues attracting global attention. This insurance contributes to reduction of foodl loss/waste through more effective use of foodstuffs that would otherwise be disposed of. |
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Our Group has made biodiversity conservation one of key issues in the MS&AD Insurance Group Basic Policy on the Environment and is promoting measures such as participation in various initiatives.
Natural Capital Finance Alliance (Former Natural Capital Declaration) |
In July 2016, our Group signed the Natural Capital Declaration, which calls on financial institutions to incorporate the concept of Natural Capital into their financial products and services, thereby subscribing to the purpose of the Declaration. The Natural Capital Declaration has been expanded and reorganized as the Natural Capital Finance Alliance. 
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Call to Action of Business for Nature |
We subscribe to the purpose of Call to Action of Business for Nature, a global coalition which calls on governments to adopt ambitious nature and environmental policies. |
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30by30 Alliance |
In order to contribute to realization of 30by30, a global target of designating at least 30% of the world’s land and oceans as protected/conserved areas by 2030, the MS&AD Insurance Group has been taking part in the 30by30 Alliance for Biodiversity headed by the Ministry of the Environment. The Company aims to contribute to realization of the target by promoting conservation of its own green zones. |
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Participation in Association for Business Innovation in harmony with Nature and Community (ABINC) |
The association was established with the purpose of encouraging businesses to work toward development of a symbiotic society in harmony with communities’ local flora and fauna. MS&AD InterRisk serves as the association’s secretariat. |
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Japan Business Initiative for Biodiversity (JBIB) |
Japan Business Initiative for Biodiversity (JBIB) is a gathering of companies which carry out joint research projects on conservation of biodiversity and sustainable use of biological resources. It made a start mainly with companies which had participated in a symposium, “The Story of Biodiversity Told by Companies” held in 2007 as major members, aiming to study and take actions together for promoting initiatives for conservation of biodiversity. MS&AD Holdings has been serving as the chair company since JBIB’s founding in April 2008.
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Participation in Research on Ecosystem Disaster Prevention/Mitigation and Multifaceted Uses of Ecosystems |
MS&AD Holdings is participating in the Ecosystem-based Disaster Risk Reduction (Eco-DRR) project ”Research and Social Implementation of Ecosystem-based Disaster Risk Reduction (Eco-DRR) as Climate Change Adaptation in Shrinking Societies” conducted by the Research Institute for Humanity and Nature, an inter-university research institute corporation under the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology that is engaged in comprehensive research on the global environment. The project, with population decline being seen as an opportunity to revamp land use, is being carried out research to create local communities that can both enjoy the rich blessings of nature and prevent/mitigate disasters. |
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Regional Revitalization and Disaster Prevention |
We hasve been working on regional revitalization and disaster prevention projects by utilizing the region's nature,.
Creation of a resilient and inclusive society (regional revitalization) |
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Each year, the Company holds a “The Story of Biology Told by Companies” symposium.
The symposium program was launched in 2007 as an opportunity to provide information on corporate initiatives for biodiversity and, in February 2023, we hosted the 16th symposium This program has been highly rated with the symposiums featuring in the Guidelines for Private Sector Engagement in Biodiversity.
MS&AD is promoting biodiversity conservation activities in Southeast Asia in collaboration with the global non-governmental organization, Conservation International (Asia-Pacific). Our Group is working with local partners in six key Asian markets (Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam) and two Pacific countries (Fiji and New Caledonia), to assist with activities such as reforestation, mangrove planting, conservation of rare wildlife, and monitoring of protected areas.
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- Raising seedlings by agricultural cooperative
Over the past 17 years, starting in FY2005, we have been working with the Indonesian government to restore wildlife reserve forests and to recover tropical forests in the Special Region of Yogyakarta on Java Island. We have also been endeavoring to stimulate the local economy by, for instance, planting trees to revive degraded forests, and to form sustainable local communities, maintaining/managing protected forests and pursuing cooperative forestation initiatives with local residents by offering them technical guidance on planting and cultivating trees.
In August 2019, we launched a tree-planting activity called the Aioi Nissay Dowa Insurance Forest in Bihoro Town, Hokkaido, as a way of giving back for the paperless insurance / Web policies. We are supporting the creation of forests that take biodiversity into consideration by planting broad-leaved trees in place of conifers (mainly Sakhalin firs) which are about 50 years old and ripe for cutting down.
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- Employee volunteers engaging in planting activities
(initial stage of activities)
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- Current situation (September 2022)
We are actively engaged in environmental conservation activities and raising awareness among employees within our Group.
The green zones surrounding Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance’s Surugadai Building and the Surugadai New Annex (Surugadai Green Spaces) are highly regarded as corporate green spaces that reflect consideration for biodiversity. In the demonstration project in relation to Certification as a Symbiotic Site with Nature system, which the Ministry of the Environment plans to start, these green spaces were evaluated to be Equivalent to Certified as a model initiative for rooftop greening. On the grounds, there is ECOM Surugadai, a facility open to the community, where activities such as communication of environmental information and workshops take place.
As marine pollution becomes an ever-increasing concern, Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance has stopped using plastic cups and straws in its employee cafeterias since August 2018 in order to reduce the use of plastic and educate employees regarding the problem of plastic waste in our oceans. In July 2019, Aioi Nissay Dowa Insurance installed water stands with direct faucets to promote the use of personal water bottles. Furthermore, in, during work hours, we are focusing on group-wide initiatives to reduce the use of plastic. In July 2020, for example, we provided employees with original eco-bags as an alternative to plastic shopping bags and special stickers to put on bottles to encourage employees to bring in their own water bottles, focusing on group-wide initiatives to reduce the use of plastic during work hours.
Our Group has been making a switchover to FSC-Certified* paper for pamphlets and other printed material since fiscal 2010. Using paper made with lumber sourced from properly managed forests enables us to contribute to preserve biodiversity through forest protection. *Paper manufactured from lumber sourced from properly managed forests in the interest of sustainable forest use and environmental conservation.
We offer sustainable seafood* in the cafeterias of our buildings, the Surugadai Building from October 2019 and Chiba New Town Center from August 2020. Every month, a Sustainable Seafood Day is scheduled to provide menus using sustainably sourced seafood. Simply by allowing employees to eat sustainable seafood and transforming their own eating habits through such initiatives, we are contributing to the realization of a sustainable society. *Sustainable seafood refers to seafood that has been certified for sustainable production (fishing and aquaculture), as well as management and traceability in the processing, distribution, and sales processes.
