Greening Our Operations

In 2011, we became the first domestic bank in Hong Kong to achieve ISO 14001 certification for its entire network of offices and branches.

The Bank established an Environmental Policy in 2003 and, since then, the Environmental Management Committee has closely monitored our environmental management system (EMS) to ensure it continues to meet ISO 14001 standards. The Committee is also responsible for ensuring that our EMS and business strategies complement each other in support of the objective of continuous improvement.

The Bank has annual environmental targets that aim to minimise the negative impacts of our business, and engage in activities that have a positive effect on the environment.

Our e-Statement and e-InvestAdvice services offer e-Banking customers the option to receive account statements and other notices in electronic rather than paper format. At the end of 2014, the number of e-Statement subscribers was more than 1.56 million and over 123,000 customers were using e-InvestAdvice - collectively saving more than 45 million sheets of paper a year. By the end of 2014, 30% of our credit card customers receive electronic statements rather than physical copies, and e-channels accounted for 25% and 16% of applications for credit cards and personal loans respectively.

Designed specifically for full-time tertiary students at local universities and tertiary institutions, our Green Banking Integrated Account encourages greener banking practices by offering a range of environmentally friendly financial services.

As part of our commitment to protecting the world's precious natural resources and working to maintain the fragile balance of ecological systems, we stopped serving shark's fin at Bank functions in 2003 and have since removed endangered reef fish species from our menus. We also provide a WWF (Hong Kong) endorsed sustainable seafood menu at our banquet hall.

Through training programmes and our internal practices, we empower our staff to act as Green Ambassadors among their associates, families and friends by raising their awareness of environmental issues.

We closely monitor our greenhouse gas emissions (see table: Environmental Performance) and continue to take steps to stay abreast of environment-related regulatory developments that could directly or indirectly impact our business. We continue to participate in the Carbon Disclosure Project, which provides a forum for the world's largest institutional investors to collectively consider the business implications of climate change.