December 16, 2021
In 2021, we continued our wide range of social commitment activities. We explain the reasons behind Baloise’s commitment to charitable causes and the areas in which we are active.
How we help
Here at Baloise, we create value for our stakeholder groups across all of our locations – and that extends beyond our business activity. Our charitable engagement throughout the group can be roughly divided into five categories: community and good causes, environmental and climate protection, health, education and research, innovation and safety. We take our responsibility as part of society seriously and are committed to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations.
Community and good causes
We provide financial support and volunteer work for organisations that aid the common good and help people in need.
- Baloise for Life: During this year’s charity week in Belgium, held for the eighth year in a row, we are collecting donations for Music for Life and Télévie through a range of activities.
- Wishes on the Christmas tree for the Basel women’s shelter: Working together with the employee commission, we have organised a Christmas tree at our Head Office, on which gift wishes of women from the women’s shelter have been hung. Employees can take one of these and fulfil the wish this Christmas.
- Projekt200Plus: This year, employees in Germany have collected a total of 68 small presents to support Projekt200Plus, which collects Christmas gifts for children in need for the Kinderzukunft foundation.
- Apprentices Christmas fundraiser: This December, our apprentices in Germany are organising another fundraising campaign to support cancer charity Ring gegen Krebs and the Kinderzukunft foundation.
- SoBa 1 per cent donation: Every year, the Baloise Bank SoBa donates around 1 per cent of its net profit. These one-off donations are made to around 30 different projects (such as holiday week courses for disadvantaged children, supporting an SAC hut, beehives for schools, etc.).
- Better Together Charter: Our brokers in Belgium have pledged to make a one-off contribution for charitable causes for every new contract.
- WBZ – residential and office centre for the physically handicapped: Partnership with our customer WBZ in Switzerland for marketing material and distribution.
- King Baudouin Foundation: Support for the foundation, which is involved in numerous social projects in Belgium, Europe and around the world.
- High water donation: Our employees and Executive Committee in Germany have donated to support the areas affected by high water this summer. We also worked to clean mud from grass pavers in the heavily affected Ahr valley on our Volunteer Day.
- Running challenge 2.0.: From June to August, a total of 90 employees in Germany performed various sporting activities (including jogging, cycling, swimming, etc.) and collected 77,018.61 kilometres by doing so. Together with the Executive Committee, they generated donations for a food donation scheme at the hospital in Bad Homburg and for the children’s charity Deutscher Kinderverein e.V.
- Post mit Herz and stem cell typification: As the Volunteer Day 2020 was cancelled due to the pandemic, we started a new project in March 2021 that allowed participants to get involved from home. We used this to draw attention to the Post mit Herz scheme and ways to donate stem cells.
- AfB – work for disabled people: In 2021, we have continued our cooperation in Germany with Europe’s largest charitable IT enterprise by donating used IT equipment such as laptops, PCs, monitors and company mobile phones to AfB for data erasure, refurbishing and resale.
- IT donation – association basmati: In Switzerland, Baloise held over 20 donation campaigns in 2019 and 2020. These saw us donate over 300 laptops and 130 monitors to various institutions such as schools or the association basmati.
- DigitalForYouth: Through a renewal of IT hardware, Baloise was able to donate over 1,300 pieces of equipment, including monitors and laptops, to 39 different schools and the organisation DigitalForYouth.be in Belgium. This organisation collects laptops for secondary schools to enable home schooling.
- Velafrica: We have been working with the organisation Velafrica since 2017. We donate to the organisation in all claims that end with us owning bicycles.
- Donation campaign Bîrtel & Art: We sell beer cartons painted by a graffiti artist from our customer Bîrtel and donate part of the proceeds for a good cause to RFV Basel and the project RFV macht Schule. In this way, we support Swiss musicians and artists who are specifically suffering from the lockdown in the pandemic.
- Donation of furniture: With the move to our new buildings in Baloise Park in 2020, around 800 tables, 700 chairs and various other items of furniture in good condition changed hands. We gave many of these away free of charge to the following organisations, among others: Gsünder Basel, Wydehöfli Arlesheim, Carton du Coeur, Feuerwehr Arlesheim, Sonnenhof Arlesheim AG.
Environmental and climate protection
We provide funding and volunteer work to organisations who strive to protect our environment and climate. Charity work does not just affect us as people, it also affects our environment. Only in an intact environment can we feel at ease; only in an intact environment can we really flourish. That is why we support environmental organisations and play an active role in protecting the environment too.
- Natuurpunt/Natagora: We support Belgium’s largest nature conservation organisation financially, while our employees volunteer during working hours, and offer around 21 walks in Flanders and Wallonia as part of our “Baloise Family Walks” initiative. The partnership is part of the Better Together Charter.
- Bergwald project – Green November with NIKIN: As part of NIKIN’s Green November scheme, we have made a one-off donation to the Bergwald project and raised awareness of the problems caused by the annual Black Friday sales.
- natur&ëmwelt: Since 2015, we have been collaborating with the organisation natur&ëmwelt in Luxembourg, providing support in the form of funding and volunteer work from our employees. The organisation manages 1,500 ha of nature reserve in the country.
- Waste collection: In Switzerland, we are supporting a project led by a former employee that focuses on collecting rubbish from riverbanks and bushes before disposing of it correctly. We are providing financial support by having “bought” 34m2 of waste.
- Swiss Climate Foundation: In 2021, we signed a ten-year contract with the Swiss Climate Foundation. By donating our rebate of the CO2 tax, we are supporting environmentally friendly technologies, products and services for small and medium-sized businesses in Switzerland and Lichtenstein.
- Nova Energie Basel AG – Klimapositives Bauen project: In 2021, the Baloise Anniversary Foundation supported the Klimapositives Bauen project (environmentally friendly construction), which showcases studies and methods of improving the environmental and climate efficiency of buildings in Switzerland.
- Climate protection in Basel: As a member of the Basel region’s climate platform, we support climate protection and sustainable development in the region around our Head Office in Basel.
Health
We provide research funding in various areas of health and support organisations dedicated to improving the well-being of sick people and supporting general health.
- Fondation Cancer: We have been supporting cancer screening and scientific research at Fondation Cancer in Luxembourg for more than ten years.
- ALAN: We support ALAN, a Luxembourg-based association for rare diseases. ALAN’s missions are particularly important to us, reflecting values that we share and aim to apply every day like altruism and mutual aid.
- CMCM: We have been supporting the Luxembourg health insurance provider CMCM since 2018, providing our business solutions expertise in its B2B operations.
- UZA Antwerp University Hospital: Thanks to our partnership with the Antwerp University Hospital, we are helping research into immunotherapy against cancer in Belgium. As part of the Telecovid project, we have also donated 50 digital monitoring devices for COVID-19 patients to use at home to the hospital via the UZA team.
- Picken Doheem Howald: We support and maintain a partnership with a next-generation biomedical analysis laboratory in Luxembourg.
- CliniClowns: Via the Better Together Charter, we are supporting the CliniClowns Belgium, who help put a smile on the faces of over 700 ill children.
- Pinocchio: As part of the Better Together Charter, we are supporting Pinocchio, a charity that helps children and youngsters across Belgium suffering from burns. The organisation provides financial support for medical costs, organises special camps and ensures a comfortable stay in hospital.
- Pink Ribbon: This May in Belgium, we took part in the Pink March to raise awareness of the fact that one in three cases of cancer can be prevented by a healthy and balanced lifestyle. With 108 employees walking over 20,000 steps per day, we achieved our goal.
- Rehab funding: In 2021, the Baloise Anniversary Foundation helped REHAB Basel to purchase new equipment (Neurowerk device, mobilisation wheelchair, music feedback system) that will help rehab patients recover faster.
- Movember: In Germany, several of our male employees took part in the Movember campaign, growing moustaches in the month of November to draw attention to male health issues and raise money for the Movember Foundation.
Education and research
We see education and research as key parts of sustainable development. That is why we provide financial support and volunteer work to various projects, including those covering political education for youngsters.
- ACEL: Support for the Association des Cercles d'Etudiants Luxembourgeois, the umbrella association of the students’ union in Luxembourg. This organisation represents over 10,000 students, making it the most important body of its kind in the country.
- ANESEC and ANELD: Partnership with networks of Economics and Law students from the University of Luxembourg.
- University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland: For the last nine years, we have acted as a partner and provided financial support to the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland, holding innovation and sustainability workshops with students to develop ideas.
- engage.ch: We have maintained a partnership with engage.ch since 2019, helping children and young adults in Switzerland to become politically active. In 2021, we continued to support the Change Switzerland campaign with financing and a series of workshops for our young apprentices and employees.
- Youth Parliament Conference Basel: We also provide financial support to the Youth Parliament Conference of the Association of Swiss Youth Parliaments, held this October in Basel.
- Chair to Financial Well-Being – University of Leuven: With the Baloise Insurance Chair to Financial Well-Being, we are supporting fundamental research into cognitive distortion and financial well-being. The chair’s results are not only academically relevant, but also provide valuable insights for political decision-makers.
- Baloise Digital Scouts: Since 2017, the Baloise Digital Scouts in Switzerland have been committed to raising awareness of digitalisation issues in Swiss society. We offer brochures, presentations, workshops and trade fair stands on cyber security, smart homes and media education for employees, parents, school children and senior citizens – free of charge, of course. Together with the organisation Surprise, the Baloise Digital Scouts have provided support with digital issues like modern job applications and cyber security. This is based on a survey by the social conference on support requirements resulting from the pandemic.
- Wirtschaftswoche: Since 2019, we have been supporting the Wirtschaftswochen business weeks organised by the Basel Chamber of Commerce. These events aim to educate senior school students on economic matters and provide a business-related learning experience via teamwork. Baloise generally organises two of these business weeks per year.
- Anny Klawa Morf foundation: Financial support for a study by the University of Basel into the climate strikes and political interests of young citizens.
- Future Skills Forum: We are supporting this event that focuses on discussing the skills that businesses will need, in order to make employees fit for the future.
Innovation and Safety
We support organisations and initiatives dedicated to developing innovative technologies, products and services. These can be related to a range of areas, such as road safety or digitalisation.
- InnoPrix of Baloise Bank SoBa: The Baloise Bank SoBa foundation has been awarding the InnoPrix for the sustainable promotion of the Solothurn economy every year since 1987. Its focus is on innovative projects that offer economic added value for the region and make a contribution to research and development or a technology transfer. In addition to the economic aspects, the social impact of the idea is also crucial. The winner in 2021 is QUMEA AG!
- Fonds Emilie Leus: Through the Better Together Charter, we support the Fonds Emilie Leus foundation, which raises awareness of the risks of driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol in Belgium.
- Vias Institute: Through our partnership with the Vias Institute in Belgium, we help support safety and safe behaviour on the road. A media campaign (TV and radio ad) with Olympic athlete and world champion gymnast Nina Derwael raises public awareness, in order to reduce driver distraction by the use of phones and smartphones.
- Smart Regio Basel: Through the partnership with Smart Regio, we are supporting digital connection in the Basel region of Switzerland, in order to make it a more attractive place to live and do business over the long term.
- Ziel Zukunft Bienniale: 2021 saw us continue our partnership with the Ziel Zukunft biennial for the second time. Across several Open X-Days on the future of work, we explained how we work at the new Baloise Park together with our experts, highlighting the potential of a learning organisation to external interested parties.