Protecting the Environment
HSBC has a long standing commitment to protecting the environment and believes it is fundamental to a thriving society and sound economy – upon which business depends.
The activities of the bank impact the environment in two main ways:
- directly, through the operations of our buildings, IT systems and business travel;
- indirectly, through the business of our customers.
In 2005, HSBC was the first bank and FTSE100 company to become carbon neutral. We manage our direct impact on the environment by operating as efficiently as possible and integrating environmental measures throughout our functions. We have four-year targets for energy use, water use, waste and carbon dioxide.
We manage our indirect impacts through working closely with corporate customers to manage the social and environmental risks of their business, against strict guidelines, and to maximise the opportunities to develop more sustainable solutions.
How HSBC helps to protect the environment
Climate Change
HSBC is mitigating and adapting to climate change to protect our people, our customers and our operations.
Carbon neutrality
HSBC became carbon neutral in 2005, which means our worldwide operations contribute zero net carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
Footprint management
We have programmes in place to reduce the direct environmental impact of our business operations. This includes the energy, water, waste and carbon emissions from our 10,000 buildings, IT infrastructure and business travel.
