Our commitment to sustainability began decades ago, even before the term became widely familiar. All three of Assurity’s predecessor companies–Woodmen Accident and Life, Security Financial Life and Lincoln Direct Life–established early recycling programs, one of which began in 1984. Subsequent efforts included a focus on various ways to achieve energy conservation.

Sustainability has increasingly become a part of Assurity’s everyday operations. We are currently following many green practices to conduct business in a more efficient and environmentally friendly manner, including a move to a paperless environment, management of our energy resources, working with suppliers to purchase green products and supplies whenever possible, and an ongoing recycling program. A task force of home office associates meets on a regular basis to generate ideas on how Assurity can expand its sustainability efforts and to raise awareness about what each of us can do on a personal basis to live a “greener” life.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

We continually seek opportunities to reduce our use of energy and resources, reuse or donate what is possible, recycle waste and use sustainable supplies .

The 2010 annual report is a first for Assurity, as we are presenting our year-end financial results on this website. By moving away from producing full-size printed annual reports, we are saving paper as well as the costs of printing and mailing.

Since 1995 our company has been a member of WasteCap Nebraska, a nonprofit organization that provides waste reduction and recycling services to Nebraska businesses. WasteCap reported that during 2010, Assurity recycled more than 78 tons of materials, including more than 144,000 pounds of office paper, nearly 5,000 pounds of cardboard and 413 pounds of plastic. The total landfill savings amounted to $1,653. Another 5,500 pounds of used computer equipment was channeled through electronics recyclers.

All paper (except trash) leaving Assurity is recycled, as well as many other items including cardboard, batteries, computers and other electronic equipment, old office equipment and fixtures, used printer and copier toner cartridges, plastic and aluminum beverage containers, wooden delivery pallets and intra-office supplies. Computer equipment and office supplies are donated for use by schools and various nonprofit organizations.

Paperless Environment

As part of our efforts to “go paperless,” we are reducing our reliance on paper documents and moving to electronic files. We have been imaging all new insurance applications and policies for some time and plan to complete imaging of all our old files in 2011. The migration to electronic files and use of electronic applications and newsletters are other important initiatives to reduce our use of paper.

Green supplies and products

As many purchasing decisions as possible are now based on sustainability factors, including the following:

• Compact and ALTO T8 fluorescent lamps, which are also recycled.
• Copier and print shop paper that has earned distinguished certifications including Forest Stewardship Council, Sustainable Forestry Initiative and the Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification.
• Office supplies made from recycled materials. Company envelopes are made from recycled paper and printed with water-based ink. LEED-certified paper products are used in restrooms.
• Green products for cleaning and building maintenance.
• Water-based solutions to replace chemicals in our print shop’s operations.
• Use of videoconferencing and webinars for meetings to help eliminate travel and transportation costs.