Environmental, Social & Governance COMMITMENT

At EMC Insurance Companies, we stand for so much more than insurance—we stand for improving the lives of our agents, policyholders, each other and our communities. For many years, we have prioritized initiatives related to diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I), energy conservation and nonprofit giving. In spring 2021, we established our first Environmental, Social and Governance Committee to coordinate our current ESG-related practices, build new engagement opportunities and further our vision for the future. This group of EMC experts is responsible for providing insights and advice to leadership, reporting on accomplishments, and instilling ESG values throughout the company and beyond.

Environmental

EMC seeks out and strives to take advantage of opportunities to level up our environmental stewardship, including understanding the environmental impact of our company and actively working to reduce our carbon footprint. Additionally, EMC’s approach to climate-related risks in the industry is broad and multifaceted. The Catastrophe Management Committee, comprised of senior leaders from various disciplines within EMC, guides the strategy for managing weather-related catastrophe losses that may be influenced by the ongoing and evolving risk of climate change.

$14.1 Million

From 2016-2021, EMC has invested $14.1 million in tax credits for rehabilitation and housing projects to create stronger, more sustainable communities.

$48 Million

Since 2016, EMC has invested $48 million in solar renewable projects. That is the yearly equivalent* of:

Preventing 773,752 tons of carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere; or
Taking 152,657 passenger vehicles off the road; or
Powering the electricity use of 84,530 homes.

*These data points supplied by Kearsarge Energy LLC, the renewable energy project development company responsible for these solar energy projects.

Signing Up to Use Less Paper

Our business relies on the secure and efficient delivery of agreements, claims forms and signatures. To level up the customer experience between our team members, agents and policyholders, we’ve implemented the use of DocuSign. The environmental benefits of using less paper have been significant for our business. Using DocuSign from April 2020 through December 2021 saved:

867
Pounds of Wood

2,554
Gallons of Water

2,036
Pounds of Carbon

141
Pounds of Waste

EMC Corporate Gets Environmental Upgrades

We upgraded some of our most-used equipment around the corporate office to help reduce our carbon footprint and installed new equipment with sustainability in mind.

LED lighting and natural daylight usage in offices
Low-flow toilets
Eco-friendly furniture, carpet and paint
Bicycle storage

Partnering Against Climate Change

Since 1978, EMC has been a member of the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS), whose safety research leads to real-world solutions for home and business owners, helping to create more resilient communities. In 2021, EMC joined its newly formed Climate Change Adaptation Committee. Together with 17 industry peers, we developed a set of six principles which outline the government policies and funding needed to enact a national effort aimed at improving the resilience of American homes, businesses and communities being affected by changing climate conditions. Read more: adaptingtoclimate.com

Climate Change Workshop

Our EMC Innovation Lab ran a month-long workshop to increase awareness about the science and evidence behind climate change as well as identify ways EMC and the insurance industry can mitigate its effect to improve lives. In addition, the Lab identified ways where EMC and our team members can reduce energy consumption.

25

team members

EMC Inclusion Council

In 2021, we established the EMC Inclusion Council with 25 team members from branch offices, EMC National Life and the corporate office. They represent a cross-section of views and backgrounds, generations, ethnicities, various functions and different levels of tenure. This inspiring group of team members will serve as a catalyst to bringing our DE&I vision to life.

Day of Understanding

EMC joined organizations across the U.S. in CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion's third annual "Day of Understanding," the business community's largest movement to host candid conversations and help advance diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace. More than 600 EMC team members participated in this online event and helped facilitate change within our organization.

Living Our Hashtag

Our team members make EMC a great company. We are stronger because of the different experiences, talents and gifts we bring to our work every day. That is why we created the hashtag:

#DiversityMakesEMCStronger

Women Lead Change

EMC was proud to again be the presenting sponsor of the Women Lead Change (WLC) Central Iowa Conference to discuss top-of-mind issues facing women in business today to prepare for a successful tomorrow.

One Iowa Awards

EMC was named the 2021 Sharon Malheiro Outstanding Leadership Award winner. The award honors workplaces that are committed to improving the lives of LGBTQ+ team members and community members.

EMC Foundation Giving

Each year, EMC allocates the equivalent of one tenth of one percent of the prior year’s surplus to grantmaking through the EMC Insurance Foundation (the Foundation).

$28M+

The amount given by the Foundation since its inception in 1989

$1.56M

The total amount given by the Foundation in 2021

Strengthening Our Communities

The Foundation supports dozens of nonprofits each year. Learn more about some of the important projects we were proud to provide funding for in 2021:

Team Member Giving

In 2021, the EMC corporate office, EMCNL and all branch offices across the country held United Way workplace campaigns.

$409468

pledged by team members

+50% match

from the EMC Foundation

= $614202 donated

EMC DAM to DSM

As the title sponsor for Iowa’s favorite 20K running event, we were thrilled to welcome everyone back to an in-person race after moving to a virtual event in 2020. Here are a handful of photos from the 42nd Annual DAM to DSM.
Don’t forget to sign up for this year’s race!

“Like EMC, this race is a part of our city’s history and identity, and it’s a special thing for us to be a part of it.” – Scott Jean, EMC President and CEO

Music in the Garden

EMC proudly served as presenting sponsor of the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden’s summer concert series. Music in the Garden featured 16 outdoor concerts and brought together over 3,000 music-loving guests.

Habitat for Humanity Build

Despite the challenges of the pandemic, EMC was proud to safely host an onsite Habitat for Humanity build for 65 Des Moines-based team members. At the end of the day, team members learned about the local single mother and her two daughters who would be purchasing the future home.

Governance

EMC recognizes that strong governance, with accessible and transparent leadership, is one of the keys to our financial and operational success. With the establishment of our ESG Committee in 2021 and the dedicated page on our website, we are publicly affirming our commitment to creating an engaged workforce and an equitable workplace. Together, with leadership across the company, we will ensure that everyone at EMC operates in accordance with the highest ethical standards.

Governance Structure, Policy and Practices

Our 12-member board works with senior leaders to review and approve company goals and implement corporate strategy while assuring the financial solvency of the company. The EMCC Board of Directors meets quarterly, and smaller committees meet periodically to oversee specific company actions.

The Corporate Governance & Nominating Committee helps establish appropriate corporate governance policies and practices in areas such as selection of new directors, succession planning for executives and evaluation of proposed changes to key governing documents.

Compliance and Ethics

As a company, we annually take part in Compliance Week and Ethics Awareness Month to create awareness about the importance of compliance and ethics and to reinforce our culture of honesty and integrity.

Our team members take part in online compliance and ethics training courses. We encourage team members to report any suspected violations promptly and do not tolerate retaliation or retribution for filing such reports. We maintain multiple methods for our team members to share their concerns, including a confidential Alertline that is available 24/7/365.

Our suppliers are provided a Business Partner Code of Conduct, highlighting our expectation that business partners share our commitments to honesty, integrity and the highest ethical standards.

Data Privacy and Security

We have comprehensive privacy and security policies, standards and procedures, and regularly provide training to our team members about their responsibilities. We also use "real world" testing scenarios to help them recognize security threats. We undertake these privacy and security efforts via a dedicated team of privacy, information technology, information security and compliance professionals.