About Us

Sustainability

HSBC aims to meet its present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own. We publicly state our commitment to the principles of sustainable development, and aim to implement these across the following areas:

Sustainable finance

We aim to be at the forefront of the development of sustainable business, by actively looking for opportunities that have an environmental and social benefit as well as a viable economic return.

HSBC manages the potential social and environmental risks associated with its lending and investment by following international standards of good practice and was the first major bank to sign-up to the Equator Principles. We also develop and adhere to our own internal policies, based on international best practice and input from various stakeholders.

Direct Impacts

With 8500 offices and 300 000 employees the Group is very much aware of the direct impact its operations can have on the planet. We actively manage this by operating as efficiently as possible and integrating environmental measures throughout our businesses. Our focus and measured targets involve: energy, water, waste and carbon dioxide.

In 2005, HSBC was the first major bank and FTSE 100 Company to become carbon neutral.

Community Investment

We recognise that a thriving society is critical to our future success as bank. That is why we focus our community investment activity on education and the environment - the fundamental building blocks for the development of societies.

Our approach is not to give money and walk away. We partner with world class charities that are making a difference, and we remain involved in the decisions about how the money is spent. We actively encourage staff participation and in 2008 volunteered over 400,000 hours of company time to charity.

Click here to see what our staff members are doing around their community

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