For HSBC Group, being sustainable means managing our business across the world for the long term. That means achieving sustainable profits for our shareholders, building long-lasting relationships with customers, valuing our highly committed employees, respecting environmental limits and investing in communities.

Read more about Sustainability at HSBC Group

HSBC France has three areas of strategic focus, aligned with the Group’s Sustainable Development policy

1) Support our private and business customers to build a sustainable world

Climate change at the heart of our strategy

By developing an understanding of and an expertise in low carbon impact technologies, HSBC is making a major contribution to this new economy.

The "climate sector" covers all commercial markets associated with the fields of low carbon energy production, energy efficiency and adaptation to the impact of climate change. HSBC is a partner of PEXE, the association for the promotion of eco-businesses in France.

• HSBC collaborates with the renewable energy and "clean technologies" sectors by providing advice and finance for projects focussing on electric vehicles, fuel cells, photovoltaic & thermal solar products and wind turbines.
• HSBC was one of the first banks to implement sector policies in order to manage the environmental and social impacts its project finance activities. These guidelines cover forests and forestry, freshwater, energy, chemicals, mining and metals and defence.

Products and services with a positive environmental and social impact

Saving via socially responsible investment (SRI) funds enables our customers to harmonise their performance requirements with their personal ethics.

Microfinance initiatives

• A €3 million line of credit extended to ADIE

The ADIE association helps people who are excluded from the labour market and conventional banking system to set up their own business and to create self-employment through microfinance. This partnership enables those entrepreneurs who so wish to establish a relationship with HSBC Group agencies, which are able to provide them with banking services for their business requirements.

Since 2007, HSBC France has enabled ADIE to grant 1,000 microloans.

• Participation in three venture capital companies to support the growth of microbusinesses:
  • €1 million invested in "FinanCités" founded by Planet Finance: financing the growth of 35 very small enterprises located in areas experiencing economic difficulties: capital financing and development strategy support provided to each entrepreneur through a network of experienced volunteer coaches.
  • Partnership with "Business Angels des Cités": a venture capital company founded in 2009 to help entrepreneurs establish their finance plans (business creation or development).
  • €1 million invested in "Citizen Capital": an investment fund with the aim of developing economic activity and creating jobs in disadvantaged areas and encouraging their development

2) Our goal? To be the leading international bank in terms of energy efficiency by 2020.

The first global financial institution to have been carbon neutral since 2005, the HSBC Group now aims to be the leading international bank in terms of energy efficiency by 2020.

The aim is to reduce each employee’s carbon emissions at work by 20% between now and 2020 (compared to 2011) by making improvements in fundamental areas such as energy consumption, business travel, paper consumption, waste and data centres.

3) Education and the environment - the two priorities of our community investment.

The HSBC Foundation for Education is battling to break down social divides and supports access to education for children from disadvantaged backgrounds via the medium of culture. Over 22,000 children from 80 associations have benefited from support provided by the Foundation since it was founded in 2005.

The environmental community investment of the Group in France focuses on 3 main issues: climate change, freshwater and biodiversity.

HSBC France employs 3 different means of support:

• Educating young children by creating a partnership with the international Eco-Ecole network, the Maud Fontenoy Foundation and the Deyrolle Pour l’Avenir association.
• Supporting academic research by financing fundamental research projects at the Europlace Institute of Sustainable Finance & Responsible Investment and Climate Economics.
• Protecting the environment through a partnership fixed for 3 years with the ONF (national forestry office) in the form of a financial contribution and the personal support of employees in projects implemented to preserve biodiversity in areas of natural forestry.

For more information about HSBC’s Sustainable Development activities, go to hsbc.fr, "Développement Durable" (in French).