Credit Suisse
This exciting partnership builds on Credit Suisse’s commitment to address the issue of climate change. Through its commitment to global carbon neutrality, participation in dialogues about climate change, and other actions, Credit Suisse has demonstrated a willingness to engage in finding solutions.
To deepen this commitment, Credit Suisse has enlisted teams of employees from different parts of their business and offices worldwide. The teams will work to increase overall employee knowledge and action and contribute to the company’s competitiveness in a business environment affected by a changing climate.
Through a collaboration with Earthwatch, Credit Suisse employees have worked alongside Earthwatch scientists on critical environmental research projects around the world.
Over the past two years, several teams of Credit Suisse employees have participated in study missions to learn about climate change and sustainability.
Credit Suisse employees from the Americas, Europe, Switzerland and Asia recently contributed to critical projects in San Marcos de Tarrazu in Costa Rica (sustainable coffee production) and Dinghushan Nature Reserve in China (forest ecosystems).
“I drink coffee every day, but I was not at all aware of the impact coffee production has on the environment,” said Christine Jordi, who works in Diversity and Inclusion at Credit Suisse in Zürich. “I saw one great example of how coffee can be manufactured in a carbon neutral way and with less water.”
Rory Meyers, who works in Investment Banking for Credit Suisse in New York, said, “For me, the trip to Costa Rica far exceeded expectations. It was an extremely rewarding experience on a personal level and also as an employee of Credit Suisse. It was great to see how sustainability manifests itself in business, and this experience gave me a whole new perspective on corporate responsibility.”
For one week, Credit Suisse Fellows worked alongside scientists as research assistants, collecting and analyzing data and discussing key concepts with a professional research team.
“I really enjoyed the opportunity to work first-hand in the field with climate change experts, to understand the vast scale of, and contribute to, the painstaking data collection behind climate research,” said Barney Moss, an IT developer from Credit Suisse in London. “The week opened my eyes to how international cooperation is happening now to tackle this global problem, and how we can all, as individuals, take effective steps right now to limit it.”
Upon return, each of the participants are working to share their knowledge and experiences from the field with their colleagues and contribute to the overall sustainability program at Credit Suisse. Through the collaboration with Earthwatch, employees gained a hands-on educational experience that offers personal, professional and leadership development. They also increased their understanding of key climate change and sustainability concepts in the context of scientific research support. The knowledge and skills acquired through the experience can be applied to advance Credit Suisse’s business and sustainability strategies.