HSBC Water Programme

Earthwatch contributes by leading research projects that advance our understanding of climate change, urbanisation and the water cycle. Within this, HSBC employees are engaged to further their understanding of environmental issues and science, exploring how these link to sustainability.

From 2012-2016, more than 8,000 HSBC employees participated in FreshWater Watch, a global Earthwatch citizen science project monitoring water quality. The programme spanned 36 countries, six continents and 2,500 ecosystems; ultimately generating 17,000 data points that would have taken scientists alone 11 years to complete. The far reaching impacts of the programme have most notably influenced policy makers and water management solutions.

With the extension of the partnership in 2017, Earthwatch and HSBC launched the Sustainability Training Programme (STP), a global training programme bringing together Earthwatch’s expertise in learning, behaviour change and scientific research in support of the bank’s sustainability strategy.  This next stage in the evolution of the HSBC Water Programme focuses on seven regional research projects investigating the relationship between climate change and blue-green urban spaces.

The programme takes HSBC employees on an immersive learning journey that combines indoor sessions with outdoor activities, including hands-on science, to empower them to become sustainability champions in the workplace. In light of this, the programme is not just aiming to deliver widespread external impacts, but will also generate real change within HSBC.