HSBC Commits to $100B in Sustainable Financing and Investment

by | Nov 7, 2017

This article is included in these additional categories:

HSBC, one of the world’s largest banking and financial services institutions, has committed to provide $100 billion in sustainable financing and investment by 2025. The bank will intensify its support for clean energy and lower-carbon technologies, as well as projects that support the implementation of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The financial organization pledges to be a “leading global partner to the public and private sectors” as they make the transition to a low-carbon future and to help companies manage transition risk, says Group Chief Executive Stuart Gulliver. He adds that in the last decade, the organization has financed some of the biggest climate-friendly infrastructure projects in the world.

The bank says sustainable financing includes providing credit and lending facilities, as well as advisory services or access to capital markets. Sustainable finance helps businesses transition from carbon intensive activities, as well as develop the new energy sources, technology and infrastructure needed for a cleaner future.

HSBC says it will give more details on its approach to climate-related risks and opportunities in its next two annual reports.

The bank says it has continued to improve its own environmental performance in key areas. Over the past year, HSBC has reduced water usage by 9%, carbon emissions by 9% and energy consumption by 13%. It has also signed agreements with clean energy producers to source 24% of its electricity from renewable sources.

 

Like HSBC, Other Investors Seek Environmentally Responsible Companies

Investors are increasingly looking for chances to invest in companies that are reporting on the risks they face from climate change and the opportunities that come from addressing them. A recent report from S&P Global found that nearly all (95%) of respondents plan to engage with companies they invest in about issues related to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Investors say their assessment of a company’s environmental, social and governance (ESG) profiles have evolved from a simple measure of corporate responsibility to a key driver of an investor’s decision-making.

Another report, this one from CDP, found that as investors increasingly encourage companies to provide information on environmental risk, the number of companies that are doing so is rising.

 

Additional articles you will be interested in.

Stay Informed

Get E+E Leader Articles delivered via Newsletter right to your inbox!

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Share This