HSBC opens new North American Headquarters in ’green’ building

The company implements extensive environmental measures to reduce carbon footprint

HSBC, one of the world’s largest banking and financial services organizations, has opened its North American headquarters in a new 560,000 square-foot building in the Chicago suburb of Mettawa. The new headquarters, combining five HSBC facilities in Chicagoland, will be home to aproximately 3,100 employees.

New US headquarters

“We are very pleased with our new headquarters, which enables HSBC to continue serving the Chicagoland communities and contributing to the economic well-being of Illinois,” says Brendan McDonagh, CEO, HSBC-North America. “The new facility helps HSBC improve operational efficiency while offering a great location for bringing together several facilities into one centralized location.”

With approximately 50,000 employees in the United States and Canada, HSBC-North America ranks among the top 10 financial services companies in the United States. In Illinois, the company has about 5,800 employees.

In support of the company’s long-standing commitment to the environment, the HSBC building was constructed to minimize resource consumption and environmental impact. Employees are taking extensive recycling and energy saving measures to reduce the company’s carbon foot print. The US Green Building Council’s LEED Green Building Rating System was used as a framework for measuring sustainability.

HSBC has also implemented an expanded flexible work strategy called HSBC@Work which enables employees to work from home on a regular basis, thus balancing their professional and personal demands and reducing carbon emissions from commuting. The company has also set aside preferred parking spots for fuel-efficient/hybrid vehicles in support of employees’ environmental efforts.