ESG Spotlight: Sustain Insurance Brokers
ESG Spotlight: Sustain Insurance Brokers
Sustain Insurance Brokers was awarded the ESGmark® Certification in 2024, recognising its commitment to using insurance as a tool for positive change. We spoke with Cristina Secara, Marketing and Operations Manager at Sustain, about how the company embeds Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles into its operations, advocates for better recognition of impact-led organisations, and helps shape a more responsible insurance industry.
ESGmark®: Tell us about Sustain Insurance Brokers and about your role.
Sustain Insurance Brokers is a purpose-driven, commercial insurance brokerage established in 2021. Our focus is on supporting organisations that are actively addressing environmental, social and governance (ESG) challenges. We offer product-agnostic insurance advice to businesses and not-for-profits that are innovating across sectors such as clean energy, education, tech, and beyond.
As Marketing and Operations Manager, I’m responsible for shaping how we communicate our value, both to clients and to the wider insurance market. I also ensure that our internal operations reflect the same ESG values we promote externally. My role involves everything from strategic communications and brand development, through to embedding systems that support ethical growth and high-impact client service.
ESGmark®: What sparked Sustain to engage more closely with the ESG agenda?
Sustain was founded with ESG at its core, it’s not a theme we adopted later, but rather something that shaped our business model from day one. Our Founder recognised early on that the insurance sector wasn’t fully supporting the needs of organisations that take sustainability seriously. Many of these clients were underserved or receiving standardised advice that didn’t reflect their values or risk profile.
Jonathan saw an opportunity to provide a different kind of service, one that not only offered expert insurance guidance, but also advocated for clients who are actively trying to do better business. Our ESG alignment enables us to speak the same language as our clients and help them be recognised for their positive behaviours.
ESGmark®: Tell us about ESG initiatives at Sustain that you are proud of.
We’re proud to hold both ESGmark® certification and B Corp certification — two leading benchmarks that reflect our commitment to responsible business practices. Having both demonstrates that our ESG performance is not just embedded into our internal culture, but also independently verified through robust external frameworks.
The ESGmark® in particular has been valuable in recognising our proactive approach to sustainability, governance and social impact. It complements our B Corp status by helping us communicate our credentials in a language that resonates with both clients and insurer partners.
Beyond accreditation, we’re especially proud of how we use our position in the insurance market to educate and influence. We regularly engage with underwriters, MGAs and insurers to explain how ESG-aligned businesses often represent stronger, more resilient risks. That includes translating complex technical detail, like the operational risks of carbon capture or ethical supply chains into terms the market can act on.
Internally, we’ve also worked hard to build a culture of purpose and accountability, one that values progress over perfection and always looks for ways to operate more responsibly.
ESGmark®: To date what has been the biggest challenge to improving Sustain’s ESG performance and how have you overcome it?
The biggest challenge has been operating in an environment where the market’s understanding of ESG is still evolving. While large brokers often have dedicated ESG teams, the wider insurance sector hasn’t yet embedded ESG metrics into underwriting in a consistent or meaningful way. This can make it difficult for insurers to properly assess or reward the efforts of ESG-forward businesses.
We’ve addressed this by proactively engaging with insurers, providing context, education and evidence to support a more nuanced view of risk. By helping them better understand how strong ESG performance often correlates with resilience and good governance, we’ve been able to advocate for more tailored solutions for our clients.
ESGmark®: What’s next for Sustain on your ESG journey?
Our next phase is all about deepening partnerships with insurers and MGAs that share our values. We're collaborating on product innovation, exploring underwriting models that reflect sustainability performance, and contributing thought leadership to support ESG advancement across the sector.
We’re also building out our client education offering, helping businesses communicate their ESG efforts effectively to both insurance markets and other stakeholders. Ultimately, we see ESG becoming a core part of how insurance risk is understood and priced, not just for large corporates, but across the full spectrum of UK businesses. Our mission is to help drive that shift.
About ESGmark®:
ESGmark® is the community for people and organisations who care about the planet and society. We support organisations to credibly demonstrate and improve their Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) credentials. The ESGmark® certification is a symbol of trust and distinction which allows consumers to identify organisations who believe in and act to deliver a fairer, more sustainable future.
Through our ESG Spotlight Q&A series, ESGmark® Certified organisations share their approach to responsible business practices and how they create positive impact for the environment, their clients, employees, and communities. Discover more Q&As here.