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Howden's 2023 sustainability report
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Using insurance to drive positive change
At Howden, sustainability is at the heart of what we do. We cannot deliver long-term value for our people and our clients without rising to the challenge to create a cleaner, fairer, safer, more resilient world.
Our ability to effect positive change spans most industries and geographies. We believe insurance is more than just a financial product: it can be a force for good by enabling people to invest in better futures, the environment, the economy and the world at large.
As well as being there to pick up the pieces when things go wrong, insurance has the power to give people the confidence to invest in the future.
- David Howden, CEO of Howden
On the climate frontline
We believe in making insurance and risk modelling expertise available to those who need it most. Experience shows that building resilience is one of the surest ways to limit the devastating impacts of climate-induced disasters and to support recovery. This is one of the ways we're changing the insurance narrative.
In 2023, we created Howden Climate Parametrics, a global practice focussed on harnessing key partnerships, data, analytics and modelling resource to create parametric products. This will support decarbonisation and help communities build resilience to multiple hazards.
We're committed to helping communities disproportionately affected by climate change to be better financially prepared for disasters. This is why, over the past two years, we have also donated over US$600,000 to innovative pilot projects.
In Fiji, we partnered with the UNCDF to protect those most vulnerable to damage from tropical cyclones and floods. Around 10 days after a heavy rainfall, 536 beneficiaries received payouts into their mobile wallets.
Driving the net-zero transition
In 2023, we launched the first-of-its-kind carbon capture and storage insurance facility, covering CO2 leakage from commercial-scale CCS facilities.
Carbon capture and storage (CSS) technology allows for removing CO2 from the atmosphere and storing it. Insurance solutions like this can help protect the financial viability and stability of CCS projects - and help meet net zero targets.
Giving back is part of who we are
At Howden, we are deeply invested in supporting the communities where we live and work. Volunteering, fundraising and raising awareness are ways in which we actively engage with our communities. Our network of Community Impact champions engage all our employees to come together and create something meaningful, no matter where they are in the world.
Supported by matched funding from the Howden Foundation, in 2023, our colleagues and businesses around the world donated over £1.1m to causes and communities close to their heart, and clocked over 9,000 hours of volunteering.
Colleagues at Howden India worked with local charities to address unemployment challenges, empowering over 1,000 young people with crucial employability skills. We also collaborated with Round Table India to build essential infrastructure for schools, including constructing toilets.
DUAL Australia and New Zealand, through a partnership with mental health charity Black Dog Institute, conducted 19 mental health presentations, reaching 3,800 individuals and raising A$88,000.
In the UK, 80% of participants from our Get Into Insurance programme were placed in full-time roles at Howden and the wider London Insurance market.
These are just a few examples of our people's unwavering commitment to supporting charities, communities and those who are in need.
Every year, I’m proud to see the collective power of our people in giving back. Supported by matched funding from the Howden Foundation, in 2023, our colleagues and businesses around the world donated over £1.1m to causes and communities close to their heart.
Being a responsible business
We recognise the responsibility we have in tackling some of the world's biggest environmental challenges.
Through our partnership with Seven Clean Seas, 287,000kg – and counting – of plastic waste have been removed from beaches and mangroves. Through beach clean-ups, river monitoring projects and educational initiatives, we've made strides in combating plastic pollution and raising awareness about the importance of ocean conservation.
In the UK, we have partnered with Restore plc to reuse or recycle all our old IT equipment. This has saved over 8,316,168 KWh that would have been generated by manufacturing new products. That's enough to supply energy to 1,512 homes for a year.
Sustainability requires all parts of our business to work together, so in 2023 we expanded our specialist central sustainability team. As the focus on creating a more resilient world increases and regulations evolve, we are working to minimise our environmental footprint.
We're committed to continually improving our environmental performance management and advising our businesses to meet their objectives.
After all, a thriving business must prioritise the wellbeing of people, communities and the global environment – both now and for future generations.
