| | Corporate CitizenshipUNIQA exercises social responsibilityIn awareness of its extensive social responsibilities as an important
employer and key player in all its markets, UNIQA always strives to
contribute to causes and initiatives of public interest within the scope
of its capabilities. With these actions, UNIQA embodies its corporate
culture of showing farsightedness and broad perspectives. During the
reporting period, the Group once again undertook numerous measures
in the areas of environmental protection and sponsoring. Environmental protection initiativesUNIQA views its participation as a founding member of the
Raiffeisen
Climate Protection Initiative (RKI) begun in 2007 as a
proactive answer to the environmental challenges of the future.
The RKI champions a sustainable economic and social model
that strives for a reasonable balance between an innovative,
competitive market economy and responsibility toward people
and the environment. Under the presidency of the former EU
Commissioner of Agriculture, Franz Fischler, the initiative intends
to contribute to emerging synergies in the area of energy
efficiency and to sensitising large sections of the public with
regard to climate protection. This goal is pursued through measures
such as internal and external energy conservation days or
student competitions as well as active climate protection by the
participating companies themselves. Recent activities included
participation in the third Raiffeisen Energy Conservation Day in
February 2009 and support for the Car Fasting campaign,
which calls for a reduction of automobile travel and rethinking
of personal mobility behaviour during lent.
UNIQA published the UNIQA Climate Protection Manual in 2008
in order to increase the awareness of its employees regarding
the goals of the Raiffeisen Climate Protection Initiative as well
as to provide specific motivations to reduce environmental
impact
in their professional and private lives. In addition to
general
information about the environmental aspects of the
construction and use of buildings, daily office operations and
driving automobiles, this advice manual focuses on descriptions
of UNIQAs climate-related activities as well as a list of climatefriendly
insurance products. These topics are supplemented by
extensive tips for reducing energy and resource consumption
in the office and at home.
Since February 2008, the UNIQA Tower in Vienna can officially
display the EU GreenBuilding certificate. The Austrian Energy Agency recognised the striking building in Vienna as an energyconscious
new building. This makes the UNIQA Groups new
headquarters opened in 2004 the first new office building in
Austria and one of the first buildings in Europe to receive this
certificate. Key factors for this recognition included the environmentally-
friendly heating and cooling system, which avoids
significant CO2 emissions by using geothermal heating and cooling
measures as well as district heating. The significantly higher
energy efficiency compared with typical glass buildings also
contributes to the environmentally-friendly operation of the
building.
The favourable and therefore also environmentally-friendly cost/benefit ratio
of the UNIQA Tower was recently confirmed by receipt of the Facility
Award 2008 from the Academy for Technical Building Furnishings in June
2008.
UNIQA also evaluated the options for utilisation of energy-saving
measures according to the principles of the Raiffeisen Climate
Protection Initiative for the hotel project designed by Jean Nouvel
and currently under construction on Praterstrasse in Vienna.
After weighing of the costs and the financial and environmental
benefits, numerous projects are now being realised, including
energy pilings and heat pumps, systems for heat recovery from
cooling, ventilation and climate-control systems as well as in the
areas of wastewater,
solar collectors for water heating, the use
of well water for façade cooling and the installation of energysaving
lighting systems.
In recognition of its initiatives in the area of sustainability, UNIQA
remains a member of the Austrian Sustainability Index VÖNIX. This index was started in 2005 and includes publicly listed
companies that prove their commitment to sustainability as an
economic success factor through verifiable consideration of
environmental
and social goals.
Energy conservation days are a central element of the
Raiffeisen Climate Protection Initiative, in which
UNIQA has been an active member since its inception. |
![](../../../gb/bilder/img/img_028_02_de.jpg) The UNIQA Tower in Vienna received
the EU GreenBuilding certificate as
an energy-conscious new building. |
![](../../../gb/bilder/img/img_028_03_de.jpg) Numerous energy conservation measures are also
being implemented in UNIQAs hotel project on
Viennas Praterstrasse designed by Jean Nouvel. |
Cultural, sports and social sponsoringUNIQAs strategy of strengthening its corporate identity and its
standing as a European quality brand with Austrian roots through
sponsoring was continued in 2008 with a number of initiatives.
In the area of culture, UNIQA was once again one of the main
sponsors of the Salzburg Festival and the Grafenegg Music
Festival.
Considerable support was also given again to Austrias
most significant operetta festival on the floating stage in Mörbisch
as well as to the production of Tosca at the Volksoper Vienna.
Additional sponsoring contributions went to exhibitions at
Austrian
museums, including the Kunsthistorisches Museum,
the Albertina, the Austrian Gallery Belvedere and the MUMOK.
The 2008 highlight of the UNIQA ArtCercle, a special programme
for art-loving customers, was an exclusive evening in the Albertina
within the framework of the exhibition: Van Gogh. Heartfelt
Lines. In addition to an exclusive introduction, participants
were treated to a tour including a reading of letters from Van
Gogh to his brother. The UNIQA Group also sponsors various
regionally significant artists and art initiatives in its international
markets.
In sports, UNIQA continued with great success the proven partnership
with Olympic medallist and world champion skier
Benjamin
Raich. In parallel to this, the cooperation with Marlies
Schild, who has already appeared in three advertising campaigns
for UNIQA, was also expanded. Despite her accident-related
departure at the start of the 2008/2009 season, she and Benjamin
Raich represent the Power Couple of Austrian sports, making
them the ideal symbols of the new generation for UNIQA.
Together with Olympic medallist and world champion skier
Benjamin Raich, UNIQA also promotes the wearing of ski helmets.
UNIQA has already distributed more than 12,000 blue ski
helmets to children and adults in Austria.
Cooperation with renowned athletes in the Eastern and South
Eastern European markets, such as with the Slovakian slalom
specialist Veronika Zuzulowa, the trainer of the Croatian
national football team Slaven Bilić, the Montenegrin water polo
player Alaksandar Ivović and the Bulgarian world-class track
and field athlete Ivet Lalova, also contributed to improving
awareness of the successful UNIQA brand outside of Austria.
In the social sphere, UNIQA has continued its practice from
previous years of donating in conjunction with Raiffeisen
Zentralbank a considerable sum to the Mobile Caritas Hospice
as a contribution to the care and treatment of people suffering
from severe and incurable illnesses within their familiar environments.
As the largest health insurer in Austria, UNIQA once again
supported the Pink Ribbon campaign to raise awareness of
the dangers and prevention options of breast cancer. Like many
other buildings and sights throughout the world, the UNIQA
Tower was once again blanketed in pink light on 1 October,
World Breast Cancer Day. Another initiative was undertaken last
year in support of hospitals in preventive measures against
legionella. 40 hospitals that are insured with UNIQA were
investigated
at no charge for the presence of this bacteria, which
is the cause of Legionnaires disease, an illness that kills roughly
10,000 people every year according to estimates of the WHO.
The UNIQA Group also supports various charitable initiatives in
its international markets. The generous support for a special
institute for children in Komanski Most in cooperation with the
Montenegrin pop singer Sergej Ćetković is one example from
last year.
![](../../../gb/bilder/img/img_028_04_de.jpg) For years, a fixed element of UNIQAs sponsoring programme:
the internationally renowned Salzburg Festival. |
![](../../../gb/bilder/img/img_028_05_de.jpg) Sports sponsoring with broadly positive impact:
Together with UNIQA, Benjamin Raich promotes the
wearing of ski helmets. |
![](../../../gb/bilder/img/img_028_06_de.jpg) UNIQA supports athletic activities even beyond the
field of top-class sports and contributes in this way
to the fitness and health of the population. |
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