HSBC has been awarded Latin America's first-ever LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certificate for its headquarters building in Mexico.

The accreditation, from the Mexico Green Building Council, concluded that the HSBC ‘Torre' building has significantly outperformed in such areas as energy efficiency, potable water reduction, waste water technologies, waste management and use of environmentally friendly recycled furniture.

Key features of the building include: a green roof to enhance biodiversity (Latin America's largest), a water treatment plant, intelligent lighting systems and specially designed windows to keep the building cool.