Earthwatch engaged over 8,000 HSBC employees as Citizen Science Leaders with FreshWater Watch across 36 cities worldwide, collecting over 17,000 data points used in scientific data. These training days equipped HSBC staff with an awareness of the global water challenge and the skills to monitor water quality - inspiring them to become stewards of water conservation and environmental sustainability. On a global scale, the publication of 20 new scientific papers, using data collected by HSBC employees, has provided important evidence to inform freshwater management and policy, along with supporting the study of over 2,500 ecosystems. In 2017 the Sustainability Training Programme was launched as the next stage in the evolution of the partnership, focusing on regional scientific research projects understanding the role nature can play in mitigating the impacts of climate change in urban areas. Launched in nine countries, this programme supports HSBC employees in building understanding of these issues. The research will contribute to scientific publications on nature-based solutions for climate change resilience in urban areas.

WaterAid and HSBC have worked together since 2012 to tackle the world’s water and sanitation crisis, focusing on six countries; Bangladesh, Ghana, India, Nepal, Nigeria and Pakistan. In 2017 WaterAid and HSBC launched a 3 year project to deliver essential water and sanitation services in apparel factories and nearby communities in Bangladesh and India.

WWF and HSBC have been working together for 18 years to improve the health of freshwater sources, supporting the nature and communities that depend on them. WWF’s work as part of the HSBC Water Programme has focused on five key river basins, home to more than one billion people: the Ganges, Mara, Mekong, Pantanal and Yangtze. In 2017, WWF and HSBC launched three textile projects in China, India and Vietnam, working to scale up sustainability in the sector and promote good water governance.