How to achieve a just transition to a climate-neutral economy

How to achieve a just transition to a climate-neutral economy

On the 9th of April experts and entrepreneurs discussed how to achieve a just transition to a climate-neutral economy at the Ringturm in Vienna. VIG's long-standing cooperation with the non-profit IT company AfB was presented as an best practice example.

The sustainable transformation of the economy and society goes hand in hand with new requirements on the labor market and the demand for so-called "green skills" is increasing. This thesis from the WIFO study "Eco-jobs against unemployment" was the starting point for an exciting exchange on the topic of "Just transition to a climate-neutral economy" in Vienna's Ringturm on April 9, 2024.

Klaus Mühleder opened the event as host on behalf of Vienna Insurance Group (VIG) and provided insights into the long-standing cooperation with the non-profit IT company AfB (Employment for people with disabilities). This cooperation is an example of the integration of people with disabilities into the labor market and the link to green skills, namely the refurbishment and recycling of IT equipment.

Julia Bock-Schappelwein from WIFO, AfB Managing Director Gernot Hochfellner and Wolfgang Haas from VIG joined the panel to discuss qualifications and measures for socio-ecological jobs as well as the benefits of the long-standing cooperation between VIG and AfB. The event was moderated and accompanied by the Austrian UN Global Compact Network.

A second life for used IT equipment

VIG has been an AfB partner since 2011. Together, the companies save on the consumption of valuable resources and raw materials such as water, electricity and metals and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, jobs are created for people with disabilities.

AfB specializes in extending the life of used IT and mobile devices by taking hardware that is no longer needed from companies, refurbishing it and selling it to end consumers. Products that can no longer be sold are recycled. In this way, AfB makes an important contribution to the circular economy. In addition, around 40% of AfB's employees are people with disabilities. This makes AfB a socio-ecological employer.

In the last 13 years, VIG Holding, Wiener Städtische Versicherung, Donau Versicherung and the IT subsidiary twinformatics have been able to create 2 jobs for people with disabilities, save 1.5 million tons of CO2 equivalents, 11 million liters of water, 5.4 million kilowatt hours of electricity and 480,000 kilograms of raw materials such as metals and minerals (compared to the production of new devices) by working with AfB.

Positive effects of the VIG partnership with AfB 2011-2023 (all Austrian VIG companies):

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