Against this backdrop, consultancy involving existing networks of experts and using new technologies is becoming ever more important. Among other things, this includes the deployment of drones for loss assessments, the use of sustainable materials in refurbishment projects and the replacement of old appliances with modern, energy-efficient models. Many insurers are promising to increasingly integrate sustainability criteria into their claims settlement schemes and, among other things, to use alternative repair concepts. It will be very interesting to see how far these promises go if, for example, it were much cheaper to destroy and remanufacture damaged goods than to restore them.

Outlook

It can be assumed that the extent to which sustainability measures are implemented will become a factor of considerably greater importance when choosing an insurer. To date, these criteria have been heavily geared towards corporate principles and insurers' general conditions, such as waste avoidance and decarbonisation. In the future, there will also be increasing focus on the selection of suitable insurance products. By the same token, loss-prevention consulting is becoming increasingly important in attempts to prevent the climate-damaging consequences of loss events from occurring in the first place.