Emergency environmental response service added to Zurich cover

Zurich Insurance is introducing a global 24/7 emergency response service to help with the rapid clean-up of spills and environmental incidents of all types, giving customers instant access to specialist support and helping limit damage.

Zurich Environmental Emergency Response (ZEER) is being added to existing environmental insurance cover for policies written by the UK team at no additional charge, having been offered on North American business for the past fifteen years. It will be rolled out across further commercial policies in the coming months.

The service is provided in association with Spill Center who coordinate the deployment of vetted contractors all over the world, depending on the nature of the incident.

Any incident that requires emergency environmental clean-up can be handled, helping to protect people, waterways, plants and animals, and potentially saving thousands of pounds in costs. Examples could include a fuel spill from a vehicle or a leak of cleaning chemicals from a food facility.

Once registered for the service, customers can report an incident via a dedicated app or on the phone, with handlers available 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year. ZEER will search its database of around 3,700 qualified contractors globally to generate a list for clients to choose from, wherever in the world the loss arises.

The ZEER programme monitors the clean-up in real time and, as well as dealing with the immediate aftermath, will help document the process and compile reports to meet regulatory requirements. Depending on the incident and location, this could involve notifying bodies such as local authorities, highways agencies or environmental regulators.

Clive Walker, Global Head of Environmental Impairment Liability at Zurich said: “We’re delighted to be introducing this important service at no additional upfront cost to our customers. Offering Zurich Environmental Emergency Response will make things easier for our commercial clients when something unexpected happens, and helps guard against both the environmental and reputational impact of incidents by ensuring they’re tackled quickly and expertly. Spill Center has been available to Zurich customers for policies bought in the US and Canada for many years so it’s great to be making their expertise available for business written out of the UK as well.”

ZEER in action – an example from the US

In June 2023, a fuel tanker was involved in a crash and major fire near the I-95 in Philadelphia, spilling 7,500 gallons of diesel into storm drains and posing a threat to a nearby freshwater wildlife reserve. The ZEER service deployed contractors and wildlife experts within hours, who rescued more than 30 waterfowl which were in immediate danger. The team instigated a strategy to protect the area and clean up the fuel, preventing further damage to an important natural resource.