Zurich’s green champions – meet the enforcers

Think of him as a bouncer. Antonio Atorino, however, is not concerned with dress codes and A-list celebrities. His objective is to instill the right mindset at Zurich’s newly reopened global headquarters in Zurich. Together with his colleagues, individuals like Atorino make sure a suitable, sustainable mindset is enforced.

At Quai Zurich Campus, Zurich’s global headquarters which just reopened after a multi-year renovation, its low-impact, high-tech, carbon-neutral approach is achieved through clever design and sophisticated technology. But in the end, it all comes down to dedicated people like Atorino to keep things climate-neutral.

“I believe in leading by example,” says Atorino. And by offering none-too-subtle hints when it comes to instilling sustainable behavior. When employees at Quai Zurich Campus arrived after the property reopened in July 2021, they found they had no waste baskets. “We don’t have personal bins under people’s desks anymore. We have recyclable collecting points,” says Atorino, who would like to increase recycling of all materials at Zurich’s flagship global headquarters by 20 percent. But, as someone with deep insights into human psyche, he cautions: “We don’t have targets – let’s just say, we have positive expectations.”

A former IT specialist, Atorino only took his current job as Zurich’s Sustainability Manager for Corporate Real Estate & Logistic Services Switzerland after Zurich convinced him it was serious in its commitment to the environment. Zurich had to match Atorino’s willingness to go mano-a-mano with climate change. That requires a dedication verging on obsession. Atorino is one of those rare individuals who can sound equally passionate about his family and waste disposal. Sometimes these two things intersect. For example, his daughter recently moved from home to start college. He says with parental pride that “she has asked for separate waste bins in her new place, so she can efficiently recycle.”

His dedication is appreciated by colleagues. “He truly loves what he does, and that is certainly one of his biggest success factors,” according to Anja-Lea Fischer, Group Head Environmental Performance at Zurich. “Antonio is truly exceptional in his approach to sustainability management in Switzerland. He has a consistent, long-term track record of turning ideas into reality. He deeply understands sustainability.”

Rainwater and no plastic

Atorino’s remit includes 38 properties in Switzerland, among them Quai Zurich Campus, which after six years of construction has been made over into a gleaming sustainability showcase. The Campus vibe might be described as eco-cool. On a recent morning, a visitor would have seen neatly dressed men and women carrying around personalized water bottles, supplied by Zurich, to cut down on one-time-use plastic waste. Drinking water is provided by special taps that offer cold, fizzy or non-fizzy. There are no vending machines. Outside, environmentally friendly filters capture any harmful chemicals that might leach from the copper figures adorning the roof. Inside, in line with Zurich’s aim to reduce paper waste, there are very few printers. Toilets flush with rainwater. A high-tech cleaning crew uses deionized water instead of harsh chemicals to keep down the dirt. Even the coffee is roasted according to a sustainable process.

Food choices are designed to be healthy for humans and the environment. Menus include many options without meat. A few employees grumbled about that at first, according to Christian Maulaz, head of workplace services in the Zurich region. But alongside the pasta bowls, vegan options, microgreens, and eggplant casseroles, carnivores can indulge in a barbecue that serves burgers. The staff restaurant sells leftovers to employees to eliminate food waste. Needless to say, there are no plastic dishes anywhere in sight.

Sustainable transportation

When Quai Zurich Campus first opened as Zurich’s headquarters in 1900, CO2 emissions were generated by wood-burning stoves and coal-fired furnaces. ‘Horseless carriages’ were rarities. Jump to 2021: Employees who arrived for work at the newly reopened Quai Zurich Campus quickly learned that they’d better leave personal cars at home. Quai Zurich Campus offers only 43 parking spaces, all for electric vehicles. Jack Howell, CEO Zurich Global Ventures, a member of Zurich’s Executive Committee, recently purchased an electric car, with sustainability in mind. “I fully support Zurich’s aim to be a climate-neutral company. And while buying an electric vehicle is not the complete answer to our problems, it is a start. More than anything else, it is a constant reminder of the impact I am having on our environment and how I can change my habits to reduce my footprint.”

Employees are encouraged to take public transport, cycle to work, with showers and lockers provided – or walk. All activities are subsidized by Zurich, including a small stipend for sport shoes for the walkers.

Aiming for net-zero

Antonio Atorino is one of many people featured in a book published to mark the reopening of Quai Zurich Campus. The choice to include him in the publication, alongside VIPs and top managers, underscores the importance that Zurich attaches to setting the bar high when it comes to sustainability.

Zurich has pledged to cut absolute CO2 emissions from operations by 50 percent by 2025, and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. At the newly redeveloped Quai Zurich Campus, energy use has been cut by half or even more. All the power comes from renewable sources including from solar panels on the roofs. Lights are equipped with motion sensors and master switches turn off appliances and screens when not in use.

The site includes a gleaming new seven-story office tower with impeccable sustainability credentials. Its distinctive glass façade is designed to deflect heat from the sun, so as to reduce the need for energy-intensive cooling. Instead of air conditioning, climate-friendly pumps send water from nearby Lake Zurich through about 100 kilometers of pipes to maintain a pleasant interior temperature year-round. If there’s any doubt about the efficiency of the system, consider that in August, when temperatures and humidity in Zurich tend to climb, a few employees even complained about being too cold.

And, in part thanks to Antonio Atorino, Quai Zurich Campus is believed to be the first property of its kind in Europe, and only the third worldwide, to aspire not only to top certifications for sustainability, but also for wellbeing. Along with obtaining the highest, platinum LEED green building certification, Quai Zurich Campus has set its sights set on garnering the coveted platinum ranking for so-called WELL standards that measure and monitor buildings’ impact on human health.

The decision to pursue the WELL ranking is attributed largely to Atorino, according to Zurich’s Fischer. “It was Antonio’s idea to bring WELL certification to the Campus project, ensuring not only the top environmental performance of our new headquarters, but also the full integration of wellbeing concepts into our physical environment and service offerings,” she says. Wellbeing is augmented by copious plants inside and outside the buildings, including window boxes filled with cacti that please the eye. And absorb CO2 emissions. Natural daylight in all offices is a must. For physical and mental health, a state-of-the-art gym, and even a waterbed, are available to mitigate daily stress.

What does the future hold? That’s something Atorino thinks about a lot. “I’m 54. What we’re doing to minimize our environmental impact will benefit our children, and their children. But we have to act now.” As of January 2022, when everyone at Quai Zurich Campus finally gets settled in, and the last tweaks are done, Antonio Atorino’s work supervising the property will be finished. He will focus on bringing other Swiss offices up to even higher standards. And he has new projects: For example, Zurich is exploring ways to participate in projects that produce renewable energy. That includes collaborating with Zurich’s energy provider to invest in photovoltaic plants to directly supply renewable power.

Atorino may be changing roles, but his legacy at Quai Zurich Campus will live on. If nothing else, he’s succeeded in creating a new generation of sustainability zealots. “There’s one person on site who challenges us to do more. He thinks we’re still not doing enough to reduce our impact,” says Atorino. He’s not really complaining, though. It’s a nice legacy – a passion that challenges Zurich’s operations to do even more to be as sustainable as possible.