Environment

HSBC has had an active commitment to the environment for many years and believes climate change is the single largest environmental challenge this century. In fact, HSBC was the first major financial services institution to go completely carbon neutral, in 2005. We believe it is the responsibility of governments, businesses and individuals to recognise the challenge of climate change and to play their part in minimising the impacts now and in the future.

Within our own business practice, we measure energy, water use, waste and CO2 and have set targets for continuous reductions in these areas. We have moved beyond reactive engagement to proactively including sustainability as a core part of the business, incorporating environmental criteria into our lending policies to support our clients in building environmentally-sustainable businesses.

To learn more about how we manage our environmental footprint, click here.

Our flagship environmental project is the ‘HSBC Climate Partnership’, a groundbreaking US$ 100 million programme to reduce the impacts of climate change on people, forests, water and cities. Through the five-year programme, HSBC will work with The Climate Group, Earthwatch Institute, the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and WWF to inspire action by individuals – including staff, businesses and governments worldwide.

In Japan, as part of the Partnership, HSBC is supporting a climate change research project which is being undertaken to investigate the impact of global warming on coastal ecosystems. The project is being undertaken in collaboration with Earthwatch Japan and is being conducted under the leadership of Professor Nakaoka of Hokkaido University.

To learn more about how HSBC views climate change, click here. To learn more about the HSBC Climate Partnership and the relevant projects in Japan, click here.