New claims-management service launches certificate program for insurers

A new claims management program, which enables insurance companies to divert waste from landfills by recycling flooring and drywall during the claims and restoration process, has officially launched its certification program.  

The EcoClaim certificate program will enable insurers to guide and implement a sustainability standard that provides insurers, adjusters and restoration contractors with claims-management protocols when working on a client’s claim. 

This certification program builds on the EcoClaim pilot initiative, launched in the wake of British Columbia’s fall 2021 flooding. Drywall and flooring from each claim site is measured and sorted, and materials are recycled at an EcoClaim site. 

“[Many] insurance companies are aiming for a net zero carbon footprint by, at the latest, 2050. To achieve that, we need to start now,” said Manuel Martineau, vice president of operations at environmental lab services firm, MBC Group, during the 2022 Ontario Insurance Adjusters Association Conference. “EcoClaim certification is a certificate that provides the structure and process to reduce drastically the environmental impact of the claim.” 

Level one of the certificate details EcoClaim protocol for the site-assessment process, the drying in place of materials and waste management.  

“The drying in place process will efficiently remove the need to manage the waste if we can dry as much as we can,” Martineau said. “On the other end, we are well aware that we cannot dry everything, [For example,] I’m not going to dry laminated floor. So what I’m going to do with it [is] waste management, [or] sorting the material.” 

Level two includes protocol for rebuilding using sustainable materials and green methodologies. A sustainable material vendor list is also included, Manuel said at the OIAA Conference. 

“As we know coming from the insurance industry…we need to [rebuild and replace] exactly as it was prior to water damage or fire,” Martineau said. “So, how can we find the exact same replacement product and quality without impacting the insurance cost? 

“By establishing the vendor list, we achieve that for the exact same price and the exact same quality. Usually the price of the sustainable material is higher, [but] not within the program that we’re building.” 

Level three of the certificate program includes protocols for post-loss prevention to reduce the potential impact of recurring catastrophes. 

“With this program, we have been able to see the waste reduction from construction and restoration going into landfills by up to 69%,” said a press release by MBC Group. 

The EcoClaim program also aims to help carriers save on costs incurred from renting disposal bins at the claims site. “The only cost incurred for your restoration firm is the certification itself,” said Martineau.  

“The long goal here [is] to have those savings that we can actually monetize to further offset the cost of the extra labour,” said Matthew Magnus, MBC Group’s director of commercial services at the OIAA Conference. 

A property affected by November flooding of the Nicola River is seen on the Shackan Indian Band, northwest of Merritt, B.C., on Thursday, March 24, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck