Better Health for All

The company provides exceptional mental health programs for its over 12,000 employees, including access to experts, Employee Assistance Programmes, a Mental Health First Aider network, workshops, training, peer support groups, and a preventative focus.

It also partners with external charities, reaching over 3,300 children through 'I can & I am' workshops since May 2021, and supporting Andy’s Man Club with mock sessions that saw over 80 employees attend in 2024. The company's fleet decarbonisation efforts in 2024, which include doubling the use of HVO and trialling LNG lorries, reduce nitrogen oxide and particulate emissions, generating positive health externalities for communities. The company's principal goods and services, kitchens and joinery products, have no significant positive or negative health impact.

Fair Pay & Worker Respect

Employee engagement was 85% in 2023.

In 2024, the CEO-to-median employee pay ratio was 79 times. The gender pay gap was 7.9% in 2024, meaning women earned 92.1% of men's pay. The company respects collective bargaining and actively engages with trade unions and works councils quarterly. A confidential independent helpline is available to all staff for health and wellbeing issues.

Honest & Fair Business

Audit procedures covered 97% of the Group's revenue.

The company operates a confidential, 24-hour, multi-lingual whistleblowing facility, administered by an independent third party, which applies to employees, agency workers, contractors, and external third parties. It guarantees confidentiality and non-victimization, with investigations initiated within 7 days of notification. The Board receives biannual updates on whistleblowing reports, and the policy is compliant with the EU Whistleblowing Directive. Howdens maintains a zero-tolerance approach to bribery and corruption, requiring suppliers to comply with anti-bribery laws. It implements SAP Ariba SLP for supplier qualification and mandates CIPS Ethical qualification for over 40 core Commercial staff. The Audit Committee reviews controls to mitigate fraud risk and ensures compliance with the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act.

Planet-Friendly Business

Howden Joinery Group Plc reported total Scope 1, 2, and 3 greenhouse gas emissions of 814,403 tCO2e in 2024, representing a 12.85% decrease compared to 2023.

The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) approved the company's near-term emissions reduction targets in January 2024, which include a 42% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions and a 25% reduction in Scope 3 emissions by 2030, against a 2021 baseline. The company also has an overall net-zero target of a 90% reduction in emissions by 2050. Operationally, 96% of depots and all manufacturing sites are powered by renewable energy. The company achieved and maintained zero waste to landfill across all UK operations in 2023 and 2024. Howdens is fully compliant with all 11 recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD). The company has identified no material climate-related stranded asset risks in the medium term. Regarding its supply chain, 8 of its top 30 suppliers have approved SBTi plans. Howdens supports a just transition by transferring up to 20% of its apprentice levy to small construction-related businesses, resulting in over 140 apprenticeships to date. The company has constructed draft climate impact scenarios, including one aligned with below 2°C, and updated its physical climate risk assessment over various timeframes and pathways in 2024.