Newsroom NN Group

NN Group helps shape new industry impact handbook

Mon, 02 Feb 2026 13:30:00 +0100

NN Group has contributed to a new industry handbook on the effective integration of environmental and social impact in investment processes. The publication, released last week, was created in collaboration with major pension funds, insurers, asset managers and academics in the Netherlands. Integrating Impact: Practical Insights for Institutional Investors is the result of an initiative of the Sustainable Finance Platform of the Dutch Central Bank (De Nederlandsche Bank, DNB).

Collaborative process, collective progress

Participants emphasised the value of seeing how other institutions approach impact integration and how these perspectives can strengthen the sector’s collective progress. The working group included representatives from PGGM, Achmea and ASR as well as NN.

According to Leon van Riet, NN Group CEO Netherlands Life & Pensions, who was in the board of the working group: ‘This handbook shows the impact we can make when organisations come together with a shared purpose. By combining our experience with that of our peers, we help strengthen the financial sector’s ability to support real-world change. Collaborative initiatives like this reinforce our belief that long-term value is built not only through what we invest in, but through how we work together.’

NN Group’s role

NN Group Responsible Investment Strategist Bruno Besek says the handbook is expected to be a living document, regularly updated and expanded upon. ‘We now have a source of practical examples for any investor that wants to integrate impact into investment process. By sharing our methods openly, we aim to support greater transparency and accelerate progress for all,’ he says. For NN Group, involvement in this initiative builds on our commitment to responsible investing and contributing to a more sustainable economy. ‘This handbook shows that integrating impact can start at any step in the investment process, connecting what we invest in with the health of the systems our portfolios depend on,’ says Bruno.

The handbook is now available via the DNB website: New handbook helps investors integrate impact into their decisions | De Nederlandsche Bank.

More details on NN Group’s investment principles and approach to responsible investment can be found here: NN Group - Responsible investment

A living wage is a fundamental human right

Fri, 11 Jul 2025 09:37:25 +0200

At NN Group, our purpose is to help people care for what matters most to them. In order to do this effectively we are committed to respecting human rights. As a large financial services company, we believe we have a role to play in addressing societal challenges in our various roles (employer, investor, financial services provider, business partner and corporate citizen). We also believe issues such as inequality, discrimination, and labour rights violations not only impact the well-being of individuals and communities but also the potential for creating sustainable long-term value for all our stakeholders.

As investors who take an active role in influencing and engaging with the companies we invest in, we aim to encourage them to improve their performance when it comes to environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues. Human rights is a key engagement area for us, and by asking investee companies to align their practices with human rights standards, we hope we can help make a positive impact. We also work together with other investors to address specific human rights issues. One focus area where we collaborate with others is living wage.

Catalyst for broader improvements
A living wage is a level of pay that allows workers and their families to provide for their basic needs – food, shelter and healthcare, for example. According to the UN Global Compact Business & Human Rights Navigator, over a billion working people worldwide – one third of all workers – are estimated to earn less than they need to afford a decent standard of living. The issue of living wage is more prevalent in certain industries, for example, the food and agricultural sector and the clothing industry. Successfully addressing the issue of a living wage can act as a catalyst for improvement in other areas where human rights are at risk. For instance, there is less likelihood of child labour and children are more likely to be able to attend school and receive a proper education if parents earn enough to support their families.

Enabling living wages in global supply chains
The Platform Living Wage Financials (PLWF) is a group of 23 financial institutions managing over EUR 7 trillion of assets under management and advice. It focuses on encouraging and monitoring companies to provide living wages and incomes in their global supply chains. The coalition uses its influence and leverage to engage with more than 50 companies in the garment and footwear, and food sectors. It is difficult for individual companies to tackle a systemic issue such as living wage and income on their own, which is why the PLWF takes a sector-wide approach.

NN Group’s role
In 2023, NN Group became a direct member, having been represented by our asset manager prior to that. By early 2024, as a member of the Food Agri and Food Retail Working Group, we had taken on engagements with more food retail companies. The PLWF evaluates companies using an assessment methodology aligned with the UN Global Compact reporting framework. This scores companies in five categories (embryonic, developing, maturing, advanced and leading). The leaders give valuable insights into best practice that can be shared with other companies. The results and findings of the platform’s work are published in its annual report. In early 2025, NN Group hosted the annual PLWF conference.

Leveraging climate engagements to further social aspects
In 2024, we conducted a review of our climate-related active ownership activities with a view to increasing our focus on the social angle of the transition. Since then, we have been encouraging companies to integrate social aspects into their transition plans where relevant. Most were willing to engage in a dialogue and open about the challenges they face, ranging from finding alignment among stakeholders to the absence of a global framework on how to communicate their just transition efforts. We are also trying to identify ways to better embed the just transition in our responsible investment activities and this topic aligns with our work within the PLWF and our collaborative climate engagements.

You can read more about our engagement work in our Active Ownership Report and our climate activities and ambitions for all areas of our business in our Climate Action Plan. For more information, visit the sustainability section on our website.

NN publishes updated Active Ownership Report

Tue, 01 Apr 2025 17:09:40 +0200

NN Group today also publishes its Active Ownership Report. This third update on our active ownership work explores our engagement activities in listed equities and corporate fixed income and introduces our approach to engaging with sovereign entities. It provides an update on engagement outcomes and voting activities in 2024 and highlights industry collaborations, while giving an indication of the next steps in our stewardship journey. Active ownership is a key element of our responsible investing framework, and we recognise that it is an effective way of encouraging corporate change and driving decarbonisation in the real economy.

In 2024, we introduced an enhanced active ownership framework that supports alignment with industry standards and best practices, establishes thematic engagement goals, tracks engagement progress through five milestones, and evaluates outcomes against external benchmarks. Besides our voting activities at annual general meetings, we built on our relationships with our external partners to ensure we are represented through effective stewardship activities.

We also continued our participation in industry initiatives and collaborative engagements, for example, by joining Nature Action 100 and expanding our role within the Platform Living Wage Financials. In 2024, we focused on climate and nature in our policy work, advocating for regulatory conditions that support sustainable investment.

For more information on Sustainability at NN Group, please visit the website

Five questions with Nathalie van Toren on responsible investment

Tue, 10 Oct 2023 10:27:00 +0200

Nathalie van Toren, Manager Responsible Investment, was recently included in the ‘Top 50 Women in Sustainable Finance’ by Women in Financial Services (WIFS). We sat down with her to discuss her career in responsible investing, what drives her and what’s next.

1. What kind of work do you do, and what does a typical day look like?
"As Manager of Responsible Investment, I co-lead the Responsible Investment (RI) team at NN Group, which drives the integration of sustainability and RI principles across the company's investment activities. Our objective is to align our investments with NN Group’s values and RI criteria, by taking into account environmental (E), social (S) and governance (G) factors in the investment process and engaging with companies to promote sustainable practices.

On a typical day, you will find me working on policy and strategy development, reporting on progress, and collaborating with internal departments such as the Investment Office, Finance, and Risk. I also spend time engaging with external stakeholders like asset managers and participating in industry initiatives."

2. Why did you pursue a career in RI, and what makes this work so interesting?
"I pursued a career in RI after working as an equity analyst and investor relations professional. Through these experiences, I became acquainted with Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) portfolio managers who raised long-term, strategic questions about topics such as environmental issues, human rights, and health. This led me to the field of RI, which I have been involved in for the past decade.

What makes RI so interesting to me, is its focus on connecting finance with the real economy to drive positive change. This includes addressing global issues such as climate change and growing inequality. I’m particularly driven by implementing and monitoring a net-zero strategy for our investment portfolios across different asset classes."

3. Where do you see opportunities to grow?
"One of the initiatives we have been working on is expanding the capacity of our RI team and active ownership function. We are building a team of 10 dedicated professionals, and I am excited about becoming a leading and innovative RI team in the industry.

However, growth is not just about adding more people. It is about constantly learning, evolving, and finding new ways to make a positive impact. We recognise that we have to address complex environmental and social issues, but with the right team and approach, we are confident that we can make a difference."

4. What issues are you facing?
"As responsible investors, we need reliable and comprehensive ESG data to make informed decisions. While new regulations such as CSRD have been introduced to ensure corporations provide this data, the compliance factor can be complex and time-consuming, and it is important to constantly evaluate whether these efforts truly contribute to promoting RI.

Another challenge is how to bring about actions with real-world impact. For instance, in setting net-zero goals, there is a risk that investors may achieve decarbonisation through divestment rather than supporting real-world emission reduction. This is particularly challenging for carbon-intensive sectors like cement and steel, which are essential to the low-carbon world but hard to decarbonise. Emerging markets are another example, since they may have different priorities or less progress in meeting climate targets. Divesting may not be the best solution as it does not support these sectors and markets to transition to more sustainable practices and we may miss an opportunity to engage with them to stimulate change."

5. What’s next for you?
"Looking towards the future of RI at NN Group, I am excited about several initiatives, such as integrating biodiversity considerations into our investment processes and strategies. We are also putting more emphasis on human rights due diligence and living wages, as we believe that these topics are important to promoting sustainability and RI.

Another focus area is the use of technology to drive efficiency and innovation. Our company is exploring the use of ChatGPT AI, which I find particularly interesting. Through this technology, we could make tasks related to ratings, benchmarks and reporting more efficient, freeing up time for more impactful activities like strategy and policy development and active ownership.

Finally, my recent nomination as one of the top 50 women in finance by WIFS is an honour. I see this as an opportunity to be an ambassador and inspire more people to work in sustainable finance."

NN ranks among top performers in benchmark for responsible investment

Tue, 12 Sep 2023 15:32:00 +0200

NN ranks as one of the top performing insurers in a key benchmark for responsible investment in the Netherlands. The Association of Investors for Sustainable Development (VBDO) awarded NN an absolute score of 4.1 out of 5 points, a slight improvement from the previous benchmark.

The VBDO’s Benchmark on Responsible Investment by Insurance Companies in the Netherlands is published every two years. It assesses how 20 Dutch insurers formulate, govern, implement and report on their responsible investment policy. This year, the bi-annual report focused on climate change. Compared to VBDO’s 2021 benchmark study, NN's efforts resulted in an improved absolute score of 4.1, resulting in a fourth overall place. We were among the top performers of the benchmark, with the four top-scoring companies all receiving a four-star ranking.

As a financial services provider, we are aware of our impact on society. We use our resources and knowledge to contribute to a sustainable future. We integrate environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors into our policy and climate change is an important focus area.

Our recently updated Climate Action Plan sets out a clear roadmap to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to net-zero in our own operations by 2040, as well as in our proprietary investments and insurance underwriting by 2050. As an investor, we enter into a dialogue with companies to encourage them to reduce their emissions. In addition, we make a positive contribution to the energy transition by investing in climate solutions. We also make customers aware of climate risks through our insurance and banking products, for example, helping them to choose sustainable damage repair, and stimulating them to live more sustainably.

We will continue to work on improving our responsible investment policy and addressing climate risks throughout our activities.

You can read the full VBDO report on their website.

NN supports the net-zero investment framework

Wed, 10 Mar 2021 07:00:00 +0100

Today, the Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change (IIGCC) launched the ‘Net-zero investment framework’. The framework was developed with input from global investors, including NN, and provides practical guidance on how to both decarbonise investment portfolios and increase investments in climate solutions. The framework is a clear roadmap for investors towards a net-zero carbon economy. It addresses governance, portfolio targets, asset class alignment, engagement, and strategic asset allocation. Sovereign bonds, listed equities and corporate fixed income and real estate are the asset classes covered by the framework. Currently 33 investors, managing $9.8 trillion in assets – including both asset owners and asset managers – are putting the framework to practical use.

In the video, Jelle van der Giessen, Chief Investment Officer of NN Group, explains our initiative to transition our own investment portfolio to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Alongside the 2020 Annual Report, we will also publish the Carbon Footprint report tomorrow, reporting on the current carbon footprint of NN’s own investments.