HSBC strives to reduce waste every week of the year. As far back as 2011 the bank launched a global action plan titled, ‘REDUCE’. The Plan set out 10 goals, to be achieved by 2020, with the aim making HSBC the leading international bank in environmental efficiency.

Among these goals, which also focussed on energy and water consumption, were some very clear and ambitious waste reduction targets. Specifically, by 2020, HSBC is committed to reducing waste generation across the entire Group by 75 per cent, with 100 per cent of office and electronic waste being recycled. It is also committed to reduce paper use by 66 per cent, when compared to 2011. Today, HSBC is well on the way to achieving these goals. By the beginning of 2018, in fact, waste generation had already been reduced by 60 per cent while paper use had been reduced by 64 per cent.

In Malta, HSBC has, of course, played its part in helping the Group in its successful drive to significantly reduce waste generation, implementing a number of initiatives to meet these same targets locally. Among these, in 2019, the bank has rolled out waste separation bins to all its properties in Malta and Gozo, with bins located on every floor within the bank’s buildings. During the current year, HSBC has also achieved a significant reduction in the number of printer toners being used, a further key indicator that the amount of printing being carried out is declining. In fact, during the first eight months of 2019, the bank achieved a reduction of more than 25 per cent in the number of toners purchased with absolute numbers declining from 1,409 in 2018 to 1,046 this year.

In addition to its contribution to meeting HSBC’s global REDUCE strategy goals, the bank in Malta also works to raise awareness about the importance of waste reduction and supports initiatives across the spectrum of society which actively contribute towards waste reduction. One specific example, being launched in October 2019, to coincide with the European Week for Waste Reduction is the ‘Business Against Food Waste’ campaign. Led by the Malta Business Bureau, in partnership with HSBC, The Malta CSR Institute, and ITS, this campaign will deliver three half day courses to help businesses understand why food waste is a problem, the impact of food waste, how to reduce it, particularly in restaurant kitchens. The campaign, which is also supported by Wasteserv Malta, the Malta Tourism Authority and the Ministry for Tourism, also aims to raise awareness about how to transform food habits, how to use food waste to grow food and on food efficient recipes.

In keeping with this ongoing focus on sustainability and engagement with employees and the broader community, throughout the European Week for Waste Reduction, the bank will be sending out daily tips to all employees on how to reduce waste.