HSBC Holdings plc scores 32/100 (Below expectations) on SINK's independent climate assessment — scored from public data only, no company payment can change a number. Last verified October 2026.
That places HSBC Holdings plc joint 533rd of 809 companies scored, and joint 32nd of 46 in Financial Services / Banking.
HSBC's operational emissions have genuinely declined 76% since 2019, but financed emissions — the bank's true environmental footprint — have worsened. Targets were systematically weakened in February 2025: net-zero operations pushed to 2050, oil & gas reduction halved to 14–30%, power utilities switched to intensity metrics. The bank exited SBTi validation and the Net-Zero Banking Alliance, and faces an upheld ASA ruling for greenwashing. Leadership position on climate regulation is actively obstructive.
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Same ten questions for every company. No private weighting.
SINK = (0.3 × Base + 0.7 × Performance) × ScaleStrongest on Carbon Footprint — Operations and Energy Source (7/10, 6/10). Weakest on Targets & Commitments and Carbon Footprint — Supply Chain (2/10, 2/10).
10 sources used in this assessment. All publicly available. Each row shows which rubric questions it informed.
“In 2024 we achieved a reduction in absolute operational greenhouse gas emissions (energy and business travel) of 66.1% from our 2019 baseline”
“75.4% of HSBC's Energy consumption in KWh before uplift and scale up [from renewable sources]”
“Total water consumption 1,712 [2025] 1,654 [2024] 1,568 [2023] thousand m³”
“76% reduction in our scope 1 and scope 2 emissions in 2024 from our 2019 baseline”
“Spain's Santander, France's BNP Paribas, Germany's Deutsche Bank, and the UK's HSBC each contributed between $14 and $17.3 billion to the industry in 2024”
“we continue to focus on the reduction and recycling of all waste”
“the ASA found the ads to be misleading as per rules 3.1, 3.3 and 11.1 of the CAP code”
“Barclays and HSBC actively advocated to weaken the UK's climate-related policy ambition”
“HSBC could now finance transactions that were prohibited under the previous version of its policy”
“HSBC, on its website, has not disclosed its trade association memberships since 2020, despite retaining membership to industry associations engaged on climate-related policy”
If you believe a source has been misread or a newer version exists, submit a challenge.
Where HSBC Holdings plc sits among financial services / banking peers.
Among the 46 major financial services / banking brands we've scored, HSBC Holdings plc is tied =32nd of 46, with 2 others.
HSBC Holdings plc's score has moved from 35 to 32 across 2 recorded reviews — down 3 points.
Aggregator-citation sweep: broker citations replaced with the primary disclosures they mirror, re-scored through the guarded pipeline under pinned code 9196601.
Initial score at platform launch
This score is not currently being contested.
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HSBC Holdings is a multinational banking and financial services corporation headquartered in London. With 219,697 employees and $62.4bn revenue (FY2024), it operates as a universal bank across retail, commercial, investment banking and wealth management globally. Founded in 1865, it ranks among the world's largest banks by assets.
Peer universal bank; UK-listed; comparable fossil fuel financing scale and climate governance.
View breakdown →Peer universal bank; APAC and emerging markets focus; comparable financed emissions exposure.
View breakdown →Peer global universal bank; largest fossil fuel financer; comparable regulatory and reputational pressures.
View breakdown →Sector contrast: extractive industry; also faced ASA greenwashing sanctions and target weakening.
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