hsbc-climate-partnership-2011

The HSBC Climate Partnership
Notes from a five year journey
Low-carbon bus running on hydrogen fuel-cell technology, Shanghai, China, 2010
© Jiri Rezac for The Climate Group

After five years, US$100 million and the hard work of
over one hundred thousand people, the HSBC Climate
Partnership is drawing to a close. This book is a celebration of
the outstanding achievements of the Partnership, told through 46
individual stories. It is striking how varied the projects have been –
and their cumulative impact is both humbling and inspiring.
Back in 2007 there was little doubt that the world faced severe risk
from our changing climate. HSBC is big in scale – we operate in 87
countries and territories, work in 7,500 offices and provide 95 million
customers with financial services. We wanted to help our customers
– and their communities – to adapt to the changing world. So HSBC
turned to the experts to help turn our goodwill into good actions.
We entered into a groundbreaking five-year environmental
programme with The Climate Group, Earthwatch Institute,
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and WWF. Four partners
who rank amongst the world’s most respected environmental
organisations, and whose collective knowledge of the impacts of
climate change is unrivalled.
Today 32 million more people have access to cleaner water than
before the project started; three million hectares of forestland has
been protected – the equivalent to the landmass of Wales; and low
carbon technology is helping ten of the world’s biggest cities to
cut carbon emissions more quickly, paving the way for others.
Western Ghats, India
© Philip Ross

The Partnership delivered the largest ever forest research project.
Working side by side, HSBC volunteers and scientists measured the
effect of climate change on 150,000 of the world’s trees. This study
will continue to benefit academics and policy makers for years to
come, as they establish what role these forests can play in helping
to reduce the impact of climate change.
Within HSBC itself, the programme created a global community
of 2,233 employees, called Climate Champions. Each Champion
spent time out of the office learning about the actions needed to
make a positive impact on our environment, knowledge which was
shared with colleagues, friends and family. The Partnership has also
benefited from 63,000 days of volunteering from HSBC colleagues.
It is a remarkable legacy which has only been achieved with
enormous commitment from our Partners and colleagues. I hope this
wonderful collection of ‘notes’ from the five year journey of HSBC’s
Climate Partnership informs – and inspires – every reader as to the
possibilities still open to tackle climate change and illustrates that
each and every individual contribution – no matter how small – can
make a difference.
Douglas Flint
Group Chairman, HSBC Holdings plc
December 2011

The Partners
Earthwatch
Earthwatch is an international environmental organisation, engaging
people worldwide in scientific field research and education to promote the
understanding and action necessary for a sustainable environment. Earthwatch
creates ‘citizen scientists’ who conduct field research and, through education
and engagement, are able to make a practical contribution to sustainability in
their workplace and community.
HSBC Group
HSBC Holdings plc, the parent company of the HSBC Group, is headquartered
in London. The Group serves customers worldwide from around 7,500 offices in
over 80 countries and territories in Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, North and
Latin America, the Middle East and Africa. With assets of US$2,716bn at
30 September 2011, HSBC is one of the world’s largest banking and financial
services organisations.
Smithsonian
The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute is dedicated to increasing
understanding of the past, present and future of tropical biodiversity and its
relevance to human welfare. Its global network of forest research plots, known
as Global Earth Observatories, provides a unique opportunity for long-term
studies of the ecosystem services, such as water, carbon and biodiversity that
are provided by forests around the world.
The Climate Group
The Climate Group is an international not-for-profit organisation working in
coalition with governments, cities and business leaders to cut global emissions
and accelerate a clean industrial revolution. The Climate Group was founded in
2004 and has operations in Australia, China, Europe, India and North America.
Yangtze river, China
© Edward Parker WWF-Canon

WWF
WWF is the world’s leading independent conservation organisation. It’s
creating solutions to the most important environmental challenges facing the
planet so people and nature can thrive. This involves working with businesses,
communities and governments in over 100 countries. Together, they’re
safeguarding the natural world, tackling climate change and enabling people to
use natural resources sustainably.
Hong Kong

Yangtze river, China
© Zhang Yifei WWF-China

WWF’s work to promote eco-fishing has
helped 120,000 Yangtze fish farmers breed
better quality fish and improve water quality
while allowing aquatic vegetation to thrive.
The fish farmers have learned about organic
fish feed and have been encouraged to
use practices that are more sensitive to the
delicate ecology of the lakes. This resulted in
increased fish stocks and local fishermen’s
incomes have risen by 30 per cent. The project
has also helped to improve water quality and
‘underwater forests’ – the lush foliage which
provides a habitat for the river eco-system –
has returned to the lakes.
120,000 fish farmers learnt
sustainable practices in
China’s Yangtze basin
© Brent Stirton_Getty Images_WWF-UK © Brent Stirton_Getty Images_WWF-UK

Spending up to two weeks in one of five Regional
Climate Centres, HSBC employees worked alongside
Earthwatch scientists to understand first-hand how
climate change is impacting our natural resources
and livelihoods. On returning to work, they
implemented projects based on sustainable business
practices, helping to reduce HSBC’s environmental
footprint and increasing awareness of climate change
in their local community.
In early 2010, an independent survey of Climate
Champions showed that 95 per cent felt they
benefited personally and professionally as a result of
becoming a Climate Champion. 98 per cent said they
would recommend the programme to a colleague,
and their line managers also identified positive
changes, such as increased self-confidence and
improved leadership and influencing skills.
© Yifei Zhang
2,233 employees trained as
Climate Champions, becoming
ambassadors for climate
action
© David Hawxhurst

Changbaishan National Nature Reserve, China
© Stuart Davies
Changbaishan National Nature Reserve, China
© Stuart Davies

The Smithsonian database monitors birth, death and
growth rates of tree species in the world’s forests.
Collectively, these forest plots are known as the
Smithsonian’s ‘Global Earth Observatories’. This unique
database can be accessed globally by scientists working
on forest ecology.
This research platform links the scientific community
through a common software programme, providing
uniform methodologies for monitoring and describing
changes in the world’s forests.
Working as a global network, scientists are able to use the
database to increase understanding of how forests could
reduce the impact of climate change by capturing carbon.
They also use the information to study how water quality
and quantity can be regulated through smart
land-management practices.
4.5 million trees across 42 forest
areas in 21 countries tracked on
1 Smithsonian database
© Pamela Belding

In 2007, The Climate Group launched a three year campaign to
provide people with the practical steps they can take to reduce
their emissions. The ‘Together’ campaign brought together
sixty of the largest retail brands from the UK, US and Australia,
including M&S, Sky, Tesco, Dell, Nestlé Waters, Timberland,
TimeWarner and General Electric.
Each partner announced a new product or initiative which
would make it easier for their customers to fight climate change.
In January 2008, the ‘Together’ campaign ran London’s first
‘light bulb amnesty’, where inefficient bulbs were swapped for
energy efficient ones. At the same time, The Sun, a national
newspaper gave away 4.5 million bulbs in one day. Tesco ran a
buy-one-get-one-free offer across their entire range of energy
saving bulbs. That month alone, six million light bulbs went
into Britain’s homes – bringing the number in circulation to its
highest ever at the time.
The campaign has also used quirky ideas to capture people’s
imagination. Taken together, partner initiatives could save
consumers UK£1,431 a year. The campaign asked ten of the
hottest new UK comedy acts to produce a film on ‘what’s
funny about 1,431?’. Fifteen thousand visitors flocked to the
campaign’s YouTube channel to find out.
By the end of the three years, the ‘Together’ campaign had
helped to incentivise climate actions which avoided five million
tonnes of carbon emissions and saved nearly US$1 billion off
household bills.
© The Climate group
5 million tonnes of carbon
saved thanks to UK, US,
and Australian retailers
London Eye, London, UK
© The Climate group

Elsy Alvarado de Villatoro and Gerardo Ascencio trained
as Climate Champions at the Latin America Regional
Climate Change Centre. As a result of the training they
received they wanted to find a project which would help
their local environment and involve their colleagues.
They worked with the American agency USAID and
FUNZEL, a conservation organisation based in
El Salvador to highlight the plight of local sea turtles
which are facing possible extinction. With the support of
senior managers and their CEO, Elsy and Gerardo ran an
internal and external campaign to educate people about
protecting the sea turtle, receiving positive local media
attention.
The campaign culminated in over 300 local and HSBC
volunteers taking part in three turtle ‘releases’. In total
106,000 baby sea turtles born in captivity were released
into the Eastern Pacific.
The project received an HSBC award which has enabled
the work to continue. Since the initial campaign, there has
been a further release of baby sea turtles, improvements
have been made to the nursery and equipment has been
purchased to help the local charity continue their work.
106,000 threatened
baby sea turtles released
into the sea of El Salvador
© Roberto Berdugo from CH Fotographia

Ensuring good water management has become a
critical issue in Acre, Brazil, due to its population
growing at a rate of two and half times the national
average. The region was struck by extreme droughts
in 2005 and 2010 – events which may become more
common as a result of climate change.
The Acre State Water Plan is the first water
management plan to be developed for an Amazonian
state. What makes it even more unusual is the
inclusion of Acre’s local community in putting
the plan together.
Acre State spans over 160 thousand square
kilometres, an area four times the size of The
Netherlands. Its communities are spread throughout
the rainforest. Despite this, people travelled an
amazing average of 162 hours each, usually by boat,
in order to attend community meetings, training
sessions and to contribute to the plan. WWF played
an integral role in the plan’s development, inputting
content and helping to train and mobilise citizen
participation.
© Mica Ruiz/WWF-UK
1,548 forest dwellers helped
create first water plan for an
Amazonian State
© Edward Parker/WWF-Canon

Teams from branches and offices across the world have
supported local volunteer days, on a wide range of
projects, in their local communities. In the UK, volunteers
were involved in maintaining wetland habitats; in the
United Arab Emirates HSBC colleagues read books on
ecological issues to school children; and in the US people
helped remove rubbish from wildlife habitats.
HSBC employees have been helping to preserve and
protect Parque Nacional de Tijuca in Rio de Janeiro, the
world’s largest urban green space. Volunteers removed
invasive species; maintained a nursery that cultivates
native species; and planted seedlings as part of a park
reclamation programme.
In the East Kolkata Wetlands in India, employees surveyed
flora and fauna, assessed current population and threats
to the native Marsh Mongoose, and monitored water,
air and soil quality. The information gathered will be
included in a comprehensive scientific report, which
will be used to develop an effective management and
conservation plan.
In 2011, an internal survey for HSBC found that employees
who have participated in sustainability activities in the
past twelve months are more likely to say they feel more
engaged with the company than those who haven’t. This
correlation has occurred for the past three years.
63,250 employees
volunteered through
the Partnership
© Earthwatch
© Ingrid Darshan © Atree

Illegal deforestation, Manaus, Brazil
© Staffan Widstrand/WWF

1 satellite collating data
on illegal deforestation
in Brazil
The National Institute of Space Research is
working with WWF to trial a methodology to
track illegal deforestation, which is destroying
forest habitat in the Brazilian Amazon.
Carbon emissions from the destruction
and degradation of forests are estimated
to contribute about 20 per cent of all global
greenhouse gas emissions.
Satellite imagery shows how much
deforestation has taken place in one plot.
By comparing information from the satellite
images to information on legal timber
extraction collected on the ground, WWF is
developing an illegal logging index. This will
help state and federal government to take
preventative action.
© Edward Parker WWF-Canon

Climate Week NYC, a five-day programme of events held
throughout New York City, addresses the urgent need for
action on climate change. Organised by The Climate Group,
the summit facilitates high-level meetings between the
world’s leading businesses and governments. Over the last
three years it has also hosted over 150 individual events,
helping 40,000 people debate climate opportunity. During
this time the event has created more than 407 million
‘media impressions’ – the number of people who may have
seen an article, heard something on the radio, watched
something on TV, or read something on the web.
In 2011, Climate Week focused on driving a ‘Clean
Revolution’ by providing examples which will inspire the
world’s most influential business, government and thought-
leaders to take transformational action on climate change. If
enough leaders take action, this will create the tipping point
needed for a low carbon economy.
40,000 people debated
climate opportunity at
150 events in New York
© The Climate Group
Brooklyn Bridge, New York

WWF protected fifty-two threatened species found in or
near the the Ganga and Yangtze rivers. These included
the gharial crocodile, river dolphin, turtles, finless
porpoise, Pere David’s deer and the Chinese sturgeon.
In 2007 there were just 200 breeding adult gharials – a
species of freshwater crocodile – left in India. Since
then, WWF has worked with the Uttar Pradesh Forest
Department to introduce gharials born in captivity into
a wildlife sanctuary. As a result, 344 gharials have been
reintroduced into the Ganga. At the same time, the
project has also worked with local people to protect the
gharials’ natural habitat.
In 2006, it was estimated that the number of finless
porpoise in China’s Yangtze basin was as low as 1,200.
WWF has been working with the Tian-e-Zhou Oxbow
Nature Reserve, an area of wetland in the river’s basin
and a sanctuary for the finless porpoise, to help protect
these special creatures. By 2010, the population in the
nature reserve exceeded forty, with up to four more
calves being born every year.
© Michel Gunther WWF-Canon
52 threatened species have
been protected in India
and China
© Sanjeev Yadav/WWF-India

Climate Champion Linda Bartos, a Director for HSBC
Technology and Services in Buffalo USA instigated an
ambitious programme to extend the time computers in
HSBC North America were switched off when not in use.
Working with Climate Champion colleagues across the
business, Linda ran an extensive campaign to encourage
employees to manually shut down their computers each
night before leaving. Called ‘Turn It Off’, the campaign
featured posters entitled ‘Don’t Make Your Computer Work
Any Longer Than You Are’, which were displayed in all
major US HSBC buildings.
As a result of this campaign, in 2009 the business decided
to automatically turn off computers at 8pm instead of
11pm. In 2010 the system was made even more efficient
by automatically turning off computers, if a warning is
ignored.
Not only were employees more informed, but the
campaign had a marked impact on reducing power
consumption and carbon emissions for HSBC North
America. In 2008, seventy per cent of PCs were switched
off at night. By 2010 this had risen to ninety per cent. This
has saved 13.1 million kilowatt hours of electricity and
2,630 tonnes of carbon dioxide – the equivalent of heating
almost 11, 000 homes each year. The initiative is now
being rolled out across the whole of HSBC Group.
13.1 million kilowatt hours
of electricity saved in
HSBC North America

Wytham Woods, Oxfordshire, UK
© Crispin Zeeman

The Europe Regional Climate Centre is located in Wytham Woods,
in Oxfordshire, UK. The estate covers 775 hectares of ancient
woodland, conifer plantations, grassland, rivers and farmland.
HSBC Climate Champions and Earthwatch worked alongside three
local research partners: Oxford University’s Centre for Ecology and
Hydrology; Wildlife Conservation Research Unit and Environmental
Change Institute.
The research took into account many aspects of forest ecology,
from measuring carbon in trees to monitoring small mammal
populations that depend on the forest habitat. The key tree
species of interest include oak, ash, sycamore, field maple, and
hawthorn, whilst voles, mice, bats, moths and butterflies are also
being studied.
The results will help scientists understand how temperate forests
will respond to climate change. This knowledge will be used
to develop guidelines for woodland managers across northern
Europe, so they can maximise the resilience of their forests to
changing weather patterns.
592 Climate Champions
trained at Europe Regional
Climate Centre
© Earthwatch

Panama Canal, Panama
© Aaron O’Dea

100 hectares in
Panama planted
with 150,000 seedlings
Over one hundred hectares of land on the banks of the
Panama Canal have been planted with more than 150,000
native seedlings. This is just one part of the Panama Canal
Watershed Experiment looking at the ecological, social,
and economic services provided by tropical forests.
This large-scale experiment is testing which combination
of tree species are best for storing carbon, regulating
water and protecting the biodiversity of a landscape. For
example, policy makers and land managers have debated
whether forests really do help regulate water quality and
quantity. However until now, the benefits of forest cover
have never been demonstrated or quantified for tropical
landscapes. Smithsonian scientists are measuring water
flow, soil erosion and carbon storage along the canal. The
results will be a model for improved land management
practices in Panama – and around the world.
This work is not only hugely important to the future of the
people of Panama, but also to the world’s economy. The
canal provides drinking water to 1.5 million people. It also
provides employment for nine thousand people, handling
fourteen thousand ships and operating twenty-four hours
a day, 365 days a year. Annually, five per cent of total
world trade passes through the Panama Canal.
© Christian Ziegler

6 reports on the low-carbon
economies of India and
China received 70,000 ‘hits’
The Climate Group has published six in-depth reports
on the investment opportunities in the low carbon
economy of two emerging market powerhouses,
India and China. Each report focused on a specific
area of the economy such as finance or cities. The
research details the accelerating low carbon policy
development in these countries, helping to present
the evidence the business community needs to ride a
new wave of green investment. So far the six report
pages on The Climate Group’s website have received
more than 70,000 hits.
Pudong District, Shanghai

When Anuradha Ananth trained as a Climate Champion
at the India Regional Climate Centre, she was determined
to put her knowledge into action.
Conscious of the need to conserve water in a region
where water is scarce, Anuradha conducted a physical
inspection of each tap in HSBC’s main branch in Dubai.
She also organised a water pressure survey of 110 taps,
which showed that fitting water aerators to 81 per cent
of the taps would result in significant water savings.
Water aerators reduce the flow by adding bubbles, which
means less water is used when washing hands, but the
reduced flow is not noticed by the user. As a result of
this initiative, water consumption was cut by 18 per cent,
which delivered a 10 per cent cost saving.
“I find it amazing that simple inventions like this can go a
long way to reduce the pressure we are putting on limited
resources” Anuradha explained.
She used the project to spread awareness amongst her
200 colleagues and even keeps a sample of a tap aerator
on her desk to demonstrate how they work. Anuradha
has also had the aerators fitted at home and encourages
colleagues to follow suit.
18 per cent reduction in
Dubai branch water use

Students in Kanpur, India have taken part in WWF’s Green Chemistry
Training Series – a training programme designed to reduce pollution
from the tannery sector.
Kanpur is the eleventh biggest city in India, a major leather-processing
centre and one of the most polluted cities in the world. Conventional
leather tanning processes discharge highly polluted effluent which
damages the surrounding soil, rivers and lakes.
The WWF programme is creating a group of highly trained
environmental managers who understand how to reduce pollution
from their trade, through better management practices. These
students will then be able to educate others in their industry about
how to meet environmental standards.
WWF is also working with two other polluting, water-intensive
industries near the city of Meerut in the Ganga Basin – sugar,
distilleries, paper and pulp – improving industrial processes which
are helping to save water and cut pollution.
40 students clean up India’s
tannery industry
© Arundhati Das/WWF-India

Tree bands (which measure growth by tracking
circumference) have been fitted to nearly thirty
thousand trees in forests in Latin America, Asia,
North America and Europe. Data provided by the bands
is used to calculate changes in carbon stocks.
The United Nations runs a global initiative to reduce
carbon emissions from deforestation and forest
degradation in developing countries (REDD). Ultimately,
the programme aims to involve forest-dependent
communities and other stakeholders in its work
(REDD+). Smithsonian research directly informs these
programmes, as well as similar work with US agencies
concerned with sustainable development.
Establishing well-functioning carbon markets will
depend heavily on the accurate assessment of forest
carbon stocks. Recently, Smithsonian scientists have
developed a new equation based on data from an
airborne radar, greatly increasing the accuracy of
carbon estimates. These airborne measurements,
coupled with data collected from the ground, could lead
to reliable carbon stock assessments in different forest
types around the world.
29,700 trees measured to
calculate forest carbon stocks,
helping price the world’s carbon
© Pamela Belding

In 2010, HSBC’s Technology and Services division
established an ambitious ‘Sustainability Leadership’
Programme for its senior managers. This division is
responsible for the bank’s buildings, IT and suppliers – all
critical to a sustainable business.
Based on the HSBC Climate Champions Programme,
managers on the course undertook field research and
learnt about climate change and its impacts. Business-led
sessions looked at how they could use this knowledge
to manage risk, generate savings and increase staff
engagement.
Commenting on the course, Scott Kania, Global Banking
and Markets Head of Quality explained “the programme
did an amazing job of educating us … it also inspired us
to take action to make HSBC a more efficient business. It
was the best session I’ve attended in 30 years.”
At the end of the programme the managers return to
work and develop plans to deliver both business benefit
and embed sustainability in day-to-day operations. So
far 163 managers have attended the course, including
HSBC’s Chief Operating Officer Sean O’Sullivan.
163 senior managers completed
a ‘Sustainable Leadership’
Programme

Electric Train, Hong Kong

The Annual Business Summit for Climate Leadership,
launched by the Climate Group in 2008, has rapidly
established itself as the low carbon business conference in
the Asia-Pacific region.
Addressed by leading academics such as Prof. Shi Dinghuan,
China’s Counsellor to the State and the UK’s Lord Stern,
the conference has attracted over 700 delegates in the last
four years. Attendees represent the highest echelons of the
region’s banks, corporations, entrepreneurs and government.
The conference focuses on the region’s emerging low
carbon economy. It provides a forum to discuss the latest
policy developments; explore how to raise private finance;
and showcase what can be achieved. The Climate Group
is targeting the region’s top decision makers in this pivotal
region, to ensure that the low carbon economy is firmly on
the business agenda.
4 climate conferences attended
by 700 business and policy
leaders in Asia-Pacific
Hong Kong

436 Climate Champions trained
at Latin America Regional
Climate Centre
© Jake Bryant Envirofoto.com
Guaraqueçaba Environmental Protection Area,
Paranà State, Brazil
© Jake Bryant Envirofoto.com
The Latin America Regional Climate Centre
is based in Curitiba, in the Guaraqueçaba
Environmental Protection Area of Paraná State,
harbouring some of the last remaining patches
of Brazil’s Atlantic Forest. More than 90 per cent
of the original vegetation has been destroyed,
yet this biodiversity ‘hotspot’ still harbours 810
identified species of plants, 407 species of
birds and 61 species of fish. Several species
of mammals found in the forest, such as otters,
ocelots and jaguar are threatened by extinction,
as are some of the key indigenous plant species
such as the palm Euterpe edulis.
Research undertaken with the Society for Wildlife
Research and Environmental Education, a local
partner, focused on understanding the ways trees
and animals respond to climate change. This
work will help create forest management plans
that will minimise the negative impacts of climate
change on tropical forest biodiversity.

Climate Champions Ashley Walker and Christopher
Trafford trained at the Europe Regional Climate Centre.
Alongside volunteers from UK bank first direct they
used their knowledge to set up the ‘Digital Solutions
Green Team’ in 2009, with the aim of raising awareness
amongst colleagues and helping them work more
efficiently.
With backing from the first direct management team,
each team member reviewed a department’s processes
to reduce paper and promote green business initiatives.
The ‘Green Team’ then ran activities based on paper
saving techniques and produced an on-line Green
Magazine, posted on the bank’s intranet. The result was
a twelve per cent reduction on direct paper cost in the
Digital Solutions Department.
As Ashley explained “the main challenge was to keep the
activities fresh and motivate people to continue thinking
about and acting on reducing paper usage.” He used
the HSBC Climate Champion network for advice and
encouragement. The ‘Green Team’ continues to support
paper saving initiatives and has also introduced ‘magical
thinking’, ideas put forward by individual colleagues
relating to green business issues. Their magazine is now
regularly published on the intranet and Ashley is working
to trial Green Team ideas in the wider business.
12 per cent paper cost savings
in Digital Solutions,
first direct, UK

Smithsonian researchers have contributed
30 peer-reviewed articles to a number of
prestigious international scientific journals,
including Nature and Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences. Each article
reported a major new discovery.
Three articles have even been front page
lead stories in two of the world’s leading
scientific publications, Science and Ecology.
Through these publications, Smithsonian
scientists have made major contributions to
world knowledge and influenced research
trends, impacting the field of global climate
change science.
© Pamela Belding
30 peer-reviewed articles
published by Smithsonian
© Pamela Belding

185 homes fuelled for free
by pig slurry from 1 farm
In total, fifteen pig farms in Hubei in China are reducing
water pollution and carbon emissions by turning pig
slurry into methane gas. The gas produced by the
project is used to provide free fuel to local villagers.
Just one farm in the project is supplying free fuel to
185 local homes.
The slurry would normally be released into the Yangtze,
but using new technology that converts waste into
energy, the organic pollution levels entering the river
have been reduced by 85 per cent.
The project has also benefited the local fishing industry,
which has received a boost thanks to the cleaner water.
© Brent Stirton/WWF-UK

LED street lighting in Central Park, New York

1,700 LED lamps to light
Central Park, New York
The Climate Group is working to transform how we light our
world. Lighting accounts for nearly six per cent of global carbon
emissions. Yet installing light emitting diode – or LED – lamps
could cut energy use by more than fifty per cent compared with
standard bulbs. The main barriers to city administrators changing
their street lighting are scepticism, outdated government policies
and cost.
The Climate Group is addressing these barriers head on with
their ‘Lightsavers’ programme, which is trialling LED outdoor
lighting in ten major cities, spanning the globe from London to
Sydney and New York to Kolkata. HSBC Climate Champions have
helped to monitor the outcome of some of these trials, and their
research data will be shared with city administrators worldwide.
The New York Department of Transportation has committed to
1,700 LED lamps for Central Park, which was one of the Climate
Group’s first ‘LightSavers’ trials. Whilst it’s a modest project, it is
an iconic one — Central Park is the largest urban park in the US
and is one of the city’s most instantly recognisable images.
Docklands, London, UK

WWF trialled a new low-cost sewage process
in Kanpur and Allahabad, India, treating 1,200
million litres of water in 160 days. The results
were astonishing, with a 75 per cent reduction in
organic pollution and a 95 per cent reduction
in bacteria indicating faecal contamination of the
water. Following the success of this WWF trial,
the Indian Government is planning to implement
this process in seven cities along the Ganga river.
The sewage treatment process, called
bioremediation, releases ‘sewage eating’ bacteria
to open sewers draining into the river. By the time
the water reaches the river it is odourless and
clear. Bioremediation is 60 per cent cheaper than
traditional sewage treatments.
Twelve billion litres of sewage is generated in the
Ganga basin every day. The current capacity of
treatment facilities in the area is only four billion
litres a day. Bioremediation has the potential to
significantly reduce pollution, increase water
quality and in doing so improve the lives of
millions of people and wildlife in India.
1,200 million litres of
water treated by ‘sewage
eating’ bacteria in the
Ganga river
© Mica Ruiz/WWF-UK

In 2009 Michelle Tung, who works as a trainer in project
management for HSBC in Hong Kong trained at the China
Regional Climate Centre. During the training she learnt about the
actions she could take in her personal and professional life to
combat climate change.
On returning to work, she realised that training material was a
major consumer of paper in the department. As she explained
“one training booklet requires 200 pieces of paper! Imagine for
20 trainees in a class how much paper is consumed. Was using a
paper handout the best way to learn?”
With the support of her line manager, Michelle initiated a project
called ‘eTraining Material’ to look at how much training material
could be delivered by electronic means. An initial discussion
with her colleagues raised concerns about moving to paperless
training. Michelle used the Climate Champion network,
established throughout HSBC, to find out how other people had
achieved paper reduction. Her project ran a successful pilot and
aimed to have at least 60 per cent of training courses delivered
electronically, saving 41 trees each year. Since then, Michelle has
exceeded that initial target and now all internal training material
is online.
41 trees a year saved
by Climate Champion
in Hong Kong

Surprisingly little is known about how forests are
affected by changing temperatures and rising levels
of carbon in the atmosphere. To find out more, over
two thousand HSBC Climate Champions have taken
part in the world’s largest forest research project.
Using methods developed by Smithsonian, and
based in the five Earthwatch Regional Climate
Centres, Climate Champions have measured over
150,000 trees, collected soil and leaf litter samples
and conducted analysis of the data. They have also
gathered data on species – from bats in the UK, bees
in Latin America to deer in the US – all of which have
a role to play in forest biodiversity. This information
will help devise the best management practices to
maintain forests under climate change.
The HSBC Climate Champions have produced data
to an exceptionally high standard and the success
of the ‘citizen science’ approach has inspired other
multinational companies, such as Ernst & Young,
UPS and Tata to develop their own programmes
with Earthwatch.
© Simon Rawles
150,000 trees measured by
2,233 Climate Champions
in 5 years
© Jake Bryant

As well as conducting their own research, scientists from the
Smithsonian Institution Global Earth Observatories provide
professional mentoring to undergraduate and post-graduate
students from around the world.
The Partnership funded Smithsonian research on 42 forest
plots and the Panama Canal Watershed Experiment. This
has provided a platform for students to conduct further
investigations, extending this research and further increasing
the value of scientific knowledge.
One student measured the amount of carbon in the leaves,
branches and stems of a wide variety of native rainforest
tree species. Different species store vastly different
quantities of carbon. Studying individual species adds to
our understanding of the amount of carbon in a forest and
the biology of carbon storage. In turn, this data helps us
understand what role forests – and the individual species in
them – might play in tackling climate change.
Another student is studying secondary forests in the tropics.
A secondary forest is one which has re-grown after timber
harvest, fire or another major disturbance. It is critical we
understand the growth and dynamics of these forests, as
humans will increasingly rely on secondary forests for goods
and services, as mature forests decline.
47 international students
based their theses on
Partnership research
© Pamela Belding

70 per cent of the raw sewage that
previously entered into Lake Araruama,
Brazil, is now being captured, thanks
to four new sewage treatment plants
which have been built in the state of
Rio de Janeiro. Working with the Sao
Joao Lakes Inter-municipal Consortium,
WWF helped renegotiate the water
management contracts to develop these
new sewage plants. This has resulted
in an increased number of tourists to
Lake Araruama, known as ‘the jewel’ of
Brazil’s Lake District – and in 2010 the lake
played proud host to a World Windsurfing
Championship.
© Damian Fleming/WWF-UK
© Damian Fleming/WWF-UK
70 per cent less pollution
entering Lake Araruama,
Brazil

trained at North America
Regional Climate Centre
The North America Regional Climate Centre, is located within
1,133 hectares of the Eastern Deciduous Forest, based in
Edgewater, Maryland. More than 40 per cent of Maryland is
covered by forest, which serves many functions, from providing
drinking water and jobs, to recreation, timber and hunting. The
trees vary greatly in age, with research indicating that the forest
has been cut down at least once and maybe even twice.
Earthwatch collaborated with the Smithsonian Environmental
Research Center to research which tree species are becoming
more common in changing conditions; which trees are being
lost; how much carbon is stored; and how neighbouring
trees interact with each other. The key species being tracked
are hickory, beech, birch and maple, while the Sika deer are
also being studied. This information will be used to make
recommendations to forest managers in North America.
© Earthwatch

Angela Wang, Cora Chao, Lily Shih, Shalen Hsu and
Janice Wang work for HSBC Taiwan and trained as Climate
Champions at the China Regional Climate Centre. Together they
decided to implement an ambitious programme of change
they called ‘Project Green Angel’. The project had four key
initiatives: to cut the environmental footprint of branches and
departments in Taiwan; initiate cost savings; raise awareness;
and promote e-statements to staff.
With the support of the CEO and senior management team
the ‘Project Green Angel’ team ran an impressive employee
awareness campaign. This resulted in 65 per cent of staff
volunteering to learn about sustainability issues online and
23 per cent switched to e-statements. In total thirty-four
branches and departments in Taiwan achieved their footprint
reduction targets. ‘Project Green Angel’ also led to HSBC’s
adoption of Forest Stewardship Council paper for bank
statements – the first bank to do so in Taiwan.
Extending the project, seventy-four local people and
representatives from NGOs set up twelve projects on climate
change issues. These projects have since directly influenced
15,000 people in Taiwan communities.
34 branches and departments
in Taiwan reduced their
carbon footprint

27 Smithsonian scientists
discovered vines are
reducing forest growth
and carbon storage
© Pamela Belding
© Christian Ziegler
A group of scientists has been studying lianas
– vines that use trees to climb to the canopy to
find sunlight.
At the Smithsonian’s research station on Barro
Colorado Island in Panama, the number of vines
in the treetops has more than doubled during
the past 40 years. Scientists have also found a
significant increase in the presence of lianas at
eight other tropical sites.
Tropical forests account for almost half of
the world’s ‘above-ground’ carbon stored in
vegetation. Increased carbon in the atmosphere
leads to climate change. Unfortunately, lianas
are linked to reduced tree growth, impacting
carbon storage in tropical rainforests.
Identifying the impact lianas could have on
tropical rainforests is critical when making
predictions about forest composition under
changing climates.

This ‘global alliance’ of organisations is
taking action to accelerate the shift to clean
technologies, such as low emission lighting,
electric vehicles and efficient information and
communications technologies – applications
which help distribute, store and use energy
more efficiently.
The Climate Group is helping the alliance of
50 global companies and 24 city and regional
governments to increase awareness of what is
possible, meet financing needs, and influence
policy. These government and business
partners meet at least twice a year across all
of The Climate Group’s seven regional centres.
This global link is crucial. For example, the
alliance has helped bring together high-level
Chinese officials, city mayors and regional
leaders with international clean-tech, finance
and engineering companies to find practical
solutions for China’s energy efficiency targets.
© Jiri Rezac
74 businesses and cities
joined forces to adopt clean
technologies

Brazil’s Pantanal region, the world’s largest wetland
area, is being eroded as a result of human settlement,
deforestation and poor agricultural practices.
WWF is working in partnership with residents and
local institutions to tackle this erosion through a pilot
scheme in one of the Pantanal’s most important
tributaries – the Cabacal. Local community members
have planted over six thousand saplings, which will
help secure the soil and increase resilience against
further erosion. As part of the scheme, unemployed
local women have been hired to make nets to protect
the river banks, helping to both reduce soil erosion
and bring extra income to local families.
WWF is also teaching sustainable farming and
forestry skills in the Cabacal area, helping local
communities to improve their income and protect
their environment. The project has been such a
success that the local mayor has agreed to extend the
project to two nearby communities.© Mica Ruiz/WWF-UK
6,000 saplings planted to
help tackle wetland erosion
in Brazil
© Mica Ruiz/WWF-UK

The China Regional Climate Centre is located in Gutianshan
National Nature Reserve in the extreme west of Zhejiang
Province, East China. Over 1,400 species of seed plants alone
have so far been recorded in the Reserve by scientists and
Climate Champions.
Subtropical forests cover a quarter of the country. However,
over 95 per cent of these are plantations or secondary forest
(forest which has re-grown after a major disturbance, such as
timber harvest or fire). How these forests respond to climate
change – and their ability to absorb carbon – is likely to differ
from that of primary forests.
Research at this Climate Centre, conducted with the Chinese
Academy of Sciences will enable more effective conservation
policies to be adopted in China – and potentially in other
countries too. Initial findings indicate that disturbed forests
can still harbour high levels of tree diversity. This is significant
because disturbed forests are often thought to be ‘poor
relations’ of pristine forests, but they should still be valued and
afforded protection.
© Rubin Chua© Rubin Chua
Gutianshan National Nature Reserve, China
© Rubin Chua
trained at China
Regional Climate Centre

Geraldene Khojane from HSBC South Africa trained as a Climate
Champion at the China Regional Climate Centre in 2009. When
she returned home, Geraldene wanted to find a project which
would educate children and their families.
As she explained “people here are not so familiar with climate
change, especially in disadvantaged communities where there is
a greater need for survival.”
Removing waste from school kitchens is not only costly for the
school, but often ends up in landfill, contributing to the emission
of greenhouse gases. Working with the Wildlife and Environment
Society of South Africa (WESSA) Geraldene decided that an
earthworm farm would be a great way to turn food waste into
nutrient rich fertiliser. Worms double their number in six weeks,
so just one farm can benefit many schools.
On 20 May 2010, Geraldene, 21 volunteers from HSBC and
15 students and teachers from MC Weiler Primary School in
Alexandra, SA set about building an earthworm farm. The school
has over 1,200 students and 35 teachers, so they needed an
industrial sized 5,000 worm composter.
The scheme was such a success that it has been rolled out to
many more schools locally. As Geraldene says “people see
earthworms in a whole different light – we are saving our planet
one earthworm at a time!”
5,000 earthworms transformed
waste management for a
South African school
© HSBC South Africa Marketing Team
© HSBC South Africa Marketing Team

The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
brings together experts from a huge range
of fields, from ornithology to hydrology, soil
science to forest ecology. This varied work helps
scientists understand how global change affects
the world’s forests and the ecosystem services
they provide.
For example, research has found that a single
hectare of teak can store as much carbon as a
20 year old native tropical forest, but shelters
far less biodiversity. In the Panama Canal
Experiment, researchers grow mixtures of
native tree species. Their results predict that
certain combinations of native trees surpass
even the carbon storage capacity of teak forests,
while supporting far more biodiversity.
151 Smithsonian scientists
added to knowledge about the
world’s forests and ecosystems
© M Guerra

Gansu Province, in North-West China, is an area prone to
climate change related drought, resulting in soil erosion
and lower agricultural yields. The rural population
depends on farming for their income and to feed their
families. Sea-Buckthorn trees are hardy in arid conditions,
and their roots help to stabilise and improve eroded,
sandy soil for other crops. They also produce edible
berries which can be harvested. In 2010, The Climate
Group and its corporate and city partners planted one
million trees, benefiting 2,500 local families.
The project links action to cut carbon emissions in
China’s great cities, with action to help rural communities
to adapt and become more resilient to the effects of a
changing climate on their land and agriculture.
1 million Sea-Buckthorn trees
planted to protect soil in
rural Gansu, China

Southern Water’s metering scheme, supported by
WWF, is fitting half a million water meters in homes
across Hampshire, Sussex and Kent by 2015. By
the end of the partnership in 2011, the first 100,000
meters had been installed. The scheme also gives
water efficiency advice to households. Research
shows that people with water meters use between
10 per cent and 15 per cent less water, helping to
reduce the cost of water bills and ease stress on
water resources. It is hoped that these half a million
homes will save 17.6 million litres of water every
day – enough to fill London’s Wembley Stadium
16 times over.
Twenty-five per cent of rivers in the UK suffer from
‘over abstraction’ – where the volume of water taken
risks damaging the ecosystem. Low water flows not
only impact local wildlife such as fish, water voles
and otters, they also increase the concentration of
pollutants and the build up of silt.
River Kennet, UK
100,000 UK households
fitted with water meters
© Southern Water

trained at India Regional
Climate Centre
The India Regional Climate Centre is located in the
Sirsi Forest Division of Uttara Kannada district,
Karnataka State. Some of the forest is protected, some
is community forest land where local people have
full access to forest resources, and some areas are
privately managed as plantations. Only about a fifth of
the original forest cover is intact.
However, the forest remains one of the most species-
rich environments in the world – many of the plants
and animals that live there are found nowhere else.
Amongst the mammals being studied are fruit bats,
shrews, macaques, martens, civets and squirrels.
Indian forests are vital for the provision of timber for
building materials, food and medicines. Research
here is carried out with the Indian Institute of Science.
It will result in guidelines for government and
community forest managers to maximise the resilience
of their forests to changing weather patterns, and in
turn, their ability to support the livelihoods of millions
of people who depend on forest areas.
Sirsi Forest, Karnataka State, India
© H Rooley
© H Rooley

The Climate Group has opened new offices in Beijing,
Hong Kong and New Delhi, transforming its on-the-ground
operations in some of the most pivotal economies in the world.
In Greater China, the team is working closely with business
and government leaders to build a low carbon China and
counts some of the country’s biggest companies, including
Suntech, Broad Air Conditioning, and China Mobile amongst its
members. The office has helped cities like Guiyang and Tianjin
pilot LED lighting. And in the Pearl River Delta – China’s most
developed region – The Climate Group is working with business
and government to guide the policies and investments that are
needed to speed up the transition to a low carbon economy.
In India, The Climate Group is currently facilitating a
groundbreaking LED Street Lighting pilot project in some of
the arterial roads in Kolkata, with the help of HSBC Climate
Champions. The potential savings in energy across the country
by replacing less efficient street lights with LEDs is enormous.
In February 2010, a high level UK-India Business Leaders
Climate Group was launched, to map the practical ways that
India and the UK can work together to boost productivity, jobs
and innovation, while cutting carbon emissions.
3 new country offices to
support low carbon economies
in Asia
© Jiri Rezac for The Climate Group© Jiri Rezac for The Climate Group

Six hundred and fifty farmers were given information on
adapting to their changing climate. Led by WWF, working
with local communities and partner organisations, the
farmers learnt about sustainable agriculture, water-use
management, efficient irrigation and wetland restoration.
This will help the farmers – and their local communities –
build vital resilience to the effects of climate change.
150 of these local farmers have increased their incomes
through converting to more water efficient crops and
techniques to grow wheat, black gram, groundnut and
maize. The largest net profit increase was through the
black gram, which rose by over 400 per cent thanks to the
reduced cost of seeds, organic pesticides, fertilisers and
better soil treatment.
© Anshuman Atroley WWF-India
150 farmers in Uttar
Pradesh, India increased
their incomes by adapting to
climate change
© Anil Cherukupalli/WWF-India

Bruno Barros Vio from Brazil trained as an HSBC Climate
Champion at the Latin America Regional Climate Centre.
Equipped with in-depth knowledge about climate change,
Bruno decided to organise an event for rural soy farmers.
Bruno explained “stronger rains, longer dry spells:
climate already causes strong impacts on the agriculture
of Brazil. HSBC can play a key role on this scenario by
helping our clients identify opportunities and risks.”
On 28 September 2010, three hundred local soy farmers
attended an event where they heard from experts
about the impact of climate change on the Brazilian
landscape. The day was organised by Bruno, in
association with the Southeast Goias Rural Producers
Cooperative and HSBC’s Commercial Bank and gave
farmers information about best practices on sustainable
soy production. The event demonstrated to staff that
sustainability can be used as a business tool. Employee
engagement was taken a step further by featuring the
event on the CEO’s blog, which started an animated
conversation on the subject.
300 rural soy farmers
in Brazil briefed on
climate change

A special collection of five booklets about native trees from Panama and the Neotropics
were inserted into Panama’s leading newspaper, La Prensa, which has a daily circulation
of 45,000. Each one featured information from the Smithsonian’s Panama Canal
Watershed Experiment.
Together, the collectable booklets showcased 12 species of native trees and their roles
in mitigating climate change. They also provided an educational tool for children and
teachers to use in classrooms and at home. Sales of the Sunday edition of La Prensa
went up by nine per cent during the five weeks the tree inserts were published. In
addition, the booklets became the source of a scientific literacy project for 10,000
Panamanian science and literacy teachers, to promote critical thinking in students.
225,000 educational
booklets on the native
trees of Panama and the
Neotropics published
© Smithsonian

WWF worked with local government
departments to complete a project to connect
the lakes of the Yangtze basin during the
summer fishing season. This has helped
to increase the capacity of the river basin to
contain flooding; improve water quality; and
replenish fish stocks. This means local fish
farmers and over twenty million people living
near the lakes are now benefiting from cleaner
water and greater fish yields.
WWF has also supported the development of
an 18.5 hectare network of protected wetlands
along the Yangtze. These wetlands act as a
natural defence system, safeguarding against
the growing impacts of climate change –
including rising sea levels which are causing
increased salt-water erosion in the Yangtze
estuary. The coastal wetland of Nanhui
District, in the South East of Shanghai, acts
as a natural buffer to protect the city against
extreme weather events. The wetlands also
offer a refuge for many threatened species,
and lie on a major bird migration route
between Siberia and Asia.
To develop understanding of the wetland
ecosystem, WWF has provided education
materials to 258 middle and primary schools
and over 100,000 students in Hubei province,
on the banks of the Yangtze.
© Zhang Yifei/WWF-China
50 lakes now connect to the
Yangtze River in China,
benefiting 20 million people

In 2009 HSBC Climate Champion Mirza Shamim Ahasan Habib decided to use the
knowledge he had gained from his training to highlight the plight of local plant
species in Bangladesh.
“Over the last few decades, climate change effects have left the unique flora of our
country in dire straits … a good number of species are already extinct while others
are fighting for survival” he explained.
Mirza is building up a database of the threatened plant species in Bangladesh, using
his own research, botanical organisations and newspaper articles. He is also building
a physical inventory at botanical conservation centres. He has been supported in this
work by HSBC and the country’s Department of Environment.
In order to create awareness of the problem – and help people identify the species
under threat – Mirza organised a three day photography exhibition featuring the
endangered plants of Bangladesh, which showcased a total of 45 plants. It was
a great success. Two thousand people participated and the exhibition was well
publicised in national newspapers and electronic media.
Mirza continues his quest to conserve these species by publishing articles in national
newspapers and sells photos of flowers, donating the money to local charities.
45 endangered
Bangladeshi plants
showcased in 3 day
exhibition

For more information please contact:
Group Corporate Sustainability
HSBC Holdings plc
E-mail: sustainability @hsbc.com
More information on the outcomes of the HSBC Climate Partnership will be published in HSBC’s Sustainability Report 2011, published May 2012.
©Copyright HSBC Holdings plc 2011
All rights reserved
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior written
permission of HSBC Holdings plc
All figures were correct at time of print - December 2011
Designed and produced by HSBC Global Publishing Services. 112511_45094
Issued by HSBC Holdings plc
Group Corporate Sustainability
8 Canada Square, London E14 5HQ
Printed by Precision Printing Co Ltd and printed on Satimat Silk paper using vegetable oil-based inks. The paper Satimat Silk is made in Northern France it comprises of 15% recycled materials the rest is
virgin fibre FSC accredited and chlorine free.
The FSC logo identifies products which contain wood from well-managed forests certified in accordance with the rules of the Forest Stewardship Council

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