The FCA welcomes Dutch insurer AnsvarIdéa to its membership.

Dutch insurer AnsvarIdéa has today announced its membership of the FCA.  AnsvarIdéa is the first company outside of the immediate cobalt supply chain to join us. Their decision to join the FCA represents a growing awareness of the issues faced by the ASM sector in the DRC and the need for collaboration across the value chain to take responsibility and invest for positive change.

AnsvarIdéa is the first company, not directly involved in the cobalt production supply chain, to join the FCA.

Dr Assheton Carter, Executive Director at the FCA comments,

“AnsvarIdéa can be proud to be the first company outside the immediate cobalt supply chain and the first insurer to join and support us. In doing so, it joins the pioneers who have taken a bold step in assuming responsibility and making investments, in line with our shared belief that responsible business starts with taking responsibility.

“Their commitment to the FCA is evidence that companies in the wider cobalt value chain acknowledge the challenges that the ASM sector faces and recognise the role of collaborative action and positive impact to drive a fairer cobalt supply”

Peter van Geijtenbeek, CEO of AnsvarIdéa adds: “As a sustainable insurer, we are constantly looking for opportunities to make a difference. Electric vehicles have a different energy source and technology and therefore also different risks. As one of the market leaders in electric vehicle insurance, we have developed a special EV insurance policy this year to address these risks.

“We realise that the electrification of the vehicle fleet is essential for the creation of a sustainable society and that cobalt mining will remain necessary for the foreseeable future. As the cobalt supply chain is not transparent, you do not know whether and, if so, how much of the cobalt in your battery comes from ASMs. In this sense, customers who buy electric cars seemingly undermine their own sustainability ambitions, and by insuring these cars, we would be undermining ours. As their insurer, we feel partly responsible for this, and we want to contribute to addressing and perhaps eventually even solving these complex issues.”

Peter van Geijtenbeek  continues: “We recognise the challenges of associating with this issue. But we believe it is a necessary and important step towards resolution and supporting positive impact for ASM.”

“Our partnership with and support of the FCA is compliant with the OECD guidelines and contributes to the following SDGs: 1 No poverty, 3 Good health and well-being, 4 Quality education, 6 Clean water and sanitation, 7 Affordable and clean energy, 8 Decent work and economic growth, 12 Responsible consumption and production, 13 Climate action and 17 Partnerships for the goals.”