Danica Pension Commits to Enhancing Urban Nature and Promoting Wellbeing

Insurope is pleased to highlight a significant sustainability initiative from Danica Pension, its network partner in Denmark, which leads the market in pension and life insurance. Danica Pension is taking meaningful steps to helping improve urban nature, reflecting a growing trend among leading insurers to actively contribute to improved sustainability.

As THE Premier Multinational Pooling Network, Insurope prides itself on working with companies that support the environment, enabling employers to feel confident that when they work with Insurope, they are connecting with Network Members that prioritize care for the planet.

Danica Pension’s initiative focuses on enhancing the greenspaces around its Danish real estate investments. By improving living conditions for local wildlife and plant species, the company aims to boost the quality of life in urban areas and wellbeing for both tenants and nearby communities. This initiative also aligns with Danica Pension’s objective of creating attractive, high-performing properties that yield strong returns for its pension customers.

Danica Pension’s ambition is that the areas around its existing and new Danish properties, overall, will be nature positive by 2030. This nature-positive approach entails a focus on moving away from barren grass lawns to creating diverse, natural greenspace with more shrubs, wildflowers, plants, trees, and varied topography that provides better conditions for animals to flourish. Simultaneously, these green spaces aim to support people’s wellbeing, with studies showing that proximity to nature reduces stress and improves mental health.

The process involves a team of biologists assessing the current state of each area and setting specific goals for future improvements, which may also include tailoring the maintenance of these areas as a means to support improved urban nature over time. The process is based on a scientific method developed by leading subject matter experts.   

Michael Nielsen, CEO of Danica Ejendomme, explains: "Creating more natural urban environments simply makes good sense. Because we’re convinced that this will improve urban living and result in more attractive properties – and this is ultimately also positive for our pension customers’ investment returns.” 

Nielsen further emphasizes that the global biodiversity crisis will not be solved by improving the green spaces in urban areas, however, urban spaces can still play a role. By increasing the biological variety in urban nature and creating so-called green corridors, urban areas can contribute to better living conditions for animals and vegetation. 

In addition, high quality green spaces are also a key driver in promoting a better quality of life for people living nearby. "Living near green spaces is shown to reduce the risk of stress and depression," Nielsen says, "which aligns with our broader ambition to promote better health for our customers." 

He emphasizes that collaborating with tenants and the local community will be pivotal when planning nature projects, as the ambition is to design green spaces that support their needs and create value for their well-being and health. 

Each year, Danica Pension plans to roll out three to five larger nature-enhancing projects with additional properties, gradually transitioning to these new operational practices. 

To learn more about the employee benefits provided by Danica Pension, please visit: Network Members - Danica Pension.