Social impact and sustainability
Committed to making a difference
Howden's sustainability report
Read about how we're putting insurance at the heart of a more sustainable future.
Selected case studies
Some recent initiatives and highlights
Humanity Insured
Every year, the gap between the cost of humanitarian crises and the funds available grows wider - 30 times bigger in just two decades. For people living on the climate crisis frontline, this means support often arrives too late, leaving people in survival mode. Incubated by Howden and launched in 2024 with support from seven major insurers, Humanity Insured is an independent charity with a clear mission: to stop climate disasters from driving poverty by making insurance protection accessible to the world’s most vulnerable communities.
Humanity Insured helps pay for a portion of insurance premiums, creating a safety net that gives communities financial security when disaster strikes – and the confidence to invest in their future. Its ambition is bold: by 2030, Humanity Insured aims to protect 30 million people with $2 billion of insurance coverage.
Already, the impact is clear. In its first year, Humanity Insured funded initiatives have provided millions in protection and paid out over £6.2 million in pay-outs, helping communities to recover quickly. Thanks to a pioneering drought insurance funded by Humanity Insured in partnership with the World Food Programme, a $7.9 million payout was triggered to respond to the worst drought in 50 years. This early funding is helping WFP deliver food assistance to nearly 120,000 people, supporting faster recovery and long-term resilience.
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.
Ocean impact with Seven Clean Seas
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.
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: our annual flagship giving campaign
We celebrated Howden’s 30th anniversary with our biggest Global Group Giving Month (GGGM) to date. The theme, Howden 30, encouraged creativity in giving back, with colleagues challenged to incorporate the number 30 into their activities. From volunteering 30 hours to running 30km, collecting 30 bags of litter, or raising £30 for a cause, our people found unique ways to amplify their giving.
We raised more money and engaged more colleagues than ever before: over £340,000* – more than double the previous year’s total – and over 5,700 volunteer hours (up 34% on the previous year), supporting over 420 charities across 30 countries.
GGGM continues to demonstrate the strength of Howden’s global community and our focus on supporting local and international causes.
The Howden Foundation
As a company we have a fundamental belief that a great business takes care of people, communities and the world around us, now and in the future. One of the ways we do this is through our independent corporate foundation, the Howden Foundation.
The Howden Foundation is a registered charity that was founded in 2014 to extend the charitable work of our business and its people. As well as championing causes and communities nominated by Howden employees through its People First Fund and annual Howden Foundation Charity Awards, the foundation also develops strategic grant partnerships which focus on ensuring that those most exposed to the impacts of climate change – especially extreme heat and drought – are equipped with the tools to prepare, adapt and recover.
The Howden Foundation is a charity registered in England & Wales (Charity Number 1156286). It is a corporate foundation funded by Howden and its employees. It is governed by an independent board of trustees.