Free guide to ethical travel insurance, from Ethical Consumer.

This is a product guide from Ethical Consumer, the UK's leading alternative consumer organisation. Since 1989 we've been researching and recording the social and environmental records of companies, and making the results available to you in a simple format.

The report covers the major providers of travel insurance and includes:

ethical and environmental ratings for 20 travel insurance providers
Best Buy recommendations
how insurance companies may be contributing to climate change
which insurance companies invest in arms companies
who are the ethical and green or eco insurance companies
which insurance companies are transparent about their investments

This product guide is part of a Sector Report on the Insurance Industry.

Brand

esure

Hiscox Insurance

Sheila's Wheels

Aria Assistance travel insurance

Ageas insurance

Bupa travel insurance

Great Lakes insurance

NFU Mutual

Swiftcover

Cornhill Direct travel insurance

Direct Line insurance

Chartis insurance

MORE TH>N

Churchill insurance

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Travel Insurance

Five cheapest quotes from brokers using underwriters on our score table:

OUL direct – £9.99 – Groupama
GNU Insurance – £15.40 – AXA
Insurance.co.uk – £16.37 – Groupama
GO – £19.40 – Ageas
insurancefortravel.co.uk – £20.47 – Groupama

We looked at moneysupermarket.com to see which brokers used which underwriters. Based on a two week trip to India for a 32 year old male with no medical problems.

Green travel insurance

Tim Hunt spoke to Yannick Read of ethical travel insurance broker, the Environmental Transport Association.

The ETA was formed in 1990 as an alternative motoring organisation. “At the time the RAC and AA were very pro road expansion and lobbied for more roads, so we set up for those drivers who were aware of the environmental impact of driving and didn’t think that more road building was desirable,” says Yannick. Things have come a long way since the ETA was set up. “Both the AA and RAC have now quite dramatically modified their stance to come to support views that we articulated back then. I guess we were slightly ahead of the curve” says Yannick.

The ETA also sells breakdown, travel and bicycle insurance. He is mindful of the fact that the insurance they sell is part of system that is contributing to climate change. ETA is one of the few insurance brokers that does systematically screen the underwriters that they use. This is done through EIRIS. Yannick explains. “We use negative screening for underwriters. We ensure that they do not invest in arms companies, drink or tobacco.”

After this process ETA are currently using Ageas (not that strong environmentally by our criteria) and Lloyds of London (better). “In the case of Lloyd’s, the company follows the principles of the insurance industry’s own ClimateWise initiative, which includes supporting climate awareness, incorporating climate change into its investment strategy and reducing its environmental impact.”

“Another thing we do is try to make people aware of how they travel and how they can reduce the impacts of travel.” This is done through a trust with a proportion of every sale going towards environmental awareness-raising projects such as the Car Free Day, where motorists are encouraged to leave their cars at home and take public transport or cycle.

Yannick also thinks the embedded ethics help throughout the customer experience: “It’s not just about picking the correct underwriter or offsetting carbon, it’s as much about a green philosophy that filters down through the organisation about the way we deal with customers. And that does set us apart from those who are simply chasing profit.”