Sustainability
Committed to making a positive impact
Howden's Sustainability Report
An essential read about our approach to sustainability: our current projects, progress and plans, and a range of case studies to bring it all to life.
Mission update: FSO Safer
One of the world’s largest environmental catastrophes has been averted. We were appointed to arrange insurance cover for a weeks-long, UN-led mission to de-risk a deteriorating floating oil storage, holding 1.14 million barrels of light crude oil, off the coast of Yemen. We spoke to over 100 underwriters and worked around the clock amid a range of environmental, geopolitical and humanitarian risks – another example of how we’re using insurance as a force for good. Read more about our work on the operation.
Selected case studies
Some recent initiatives and highlights
Case study: Ocean impact
Howden has a longstanding collaboration with Seven Clean Seas, an organisation dedicated to generating ocean impact and addressing the plastic pollution crisis in Southeast Asia. Our partnership began in 2020, initially rooted in educational beach clean-up initiatives. Over time, our shared commitment to addressing plastic pollution evolved into a comprehensive plastic waste management effort.
Howden's support enabled the development of a meaningful river plastic collection project in Bangkok, Thailand. This collaboration extends beyond philanthropic support, emphasising a holistic approach to corporate plastic governance encompassing measurement, reduction, offsetting, and community engagement.
Watch a video on what we've accomplished, and read more about our collaboration.
Case study: World-first voluntary carbon credit insurance product
In 2022, we worked with carbon finance business, Respira International, and Nephila Capital, a leading investment manager specialising in reinsurance risk, to develop a carbon credit invalidation insurance solution to increase confidence in the Voluntary Carbon Market.
The product protects buyers and sellers of carbon credits against invalidation due to fraud or negligence. David Howden, Group CEO: “This is a perfect example of the insurance market doing what it absolutely must do to drive climate resilience; bringing the client, insurer and broker all to the table to create brand new products that help to accelerate and de-risk the move to a more sustainable future.”
Global Group Giving Month
Every May, our teams around the world get together for a focused effort on giving back to charities, communities and causes close to their heart.
For this year's 'Global Group Giving Month', we donated blood, cleaned beaches, helped out at animal shelters, planted mangroves and distributed food. We ran, cycled, rowed, danced and walked and raised awareness of important causes.
Together, we raised over £144,000, volunteered over 4,250 hours and supported over 110 charities worldwide.
The Howden Foundation
The Howden Foundation is our corporate foundation, extending the charitable work of the business and its people across the world.
Founded in 2014, it is a registered charity with a mission to equip those most exposed to climate change, especially extreme heat and drought, with the tools to prepare, adapt and recover.
The foundation funds solutions that effectively manage climate risk, both now and in the future, strengthening long-term resilience.