Wells Fargo Named Greenest Financial Company

SAN FRANCISCO — The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) recognized Wells Fargo & Company, headquartered in San Francisco, as the green building leader among financial institutions.

A report from the USGBC recognized Wells Fargo based on its adoption of LEED standards for certified square feet of projects. Wells Fargo has more than 17 million square feet of LEED certified projects across 193 locations, putting it at the top of the list that includes other prominent financial institutions, such as Bank of America, based in Charlotte, N.C., and Morgan Stanley, based in New York. All told, financial services companies have achieved LEED certification for more than 1,464 facilities, with 117 certified in 2014 alone, according to the USGBC.

“Environmental leadership is part of our values at Wells Fargo because it directly benefits the well-being of our customers, team members and communities,” Richard Henderson, head of Wells Fargo’s corporate properties group, said in a statement. “Transparency and independent verification of our sustainability efforts by organizations like the USGBC are essential to measuring progress towards achieving our goals.”

In supporting the transition to a greener global economy, Wells Fargo renewed its environmental commitment in 2012. That commitment includes several company-wide goals to be achieved by 2020, among them obtaining LEED certification for 35 percent of properties; reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 35 percent; increasing energy efficiency by 40; increasing water efficiency by 45 percent; and increasing waste diversion by 65 percent.

In 2014, Wells Fargo obtained LEED Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance (EBOM) certification in 91 banking stores, the single largest simultaneous certification in USGBC history.

“By holding ourselves accountable to LEED standards, we are promoting a cleaner, more sustainable environment for the people who work and do business with us,” Curt Radkin, sustainability strategist with Wells Fargo’s corporate properties group, said in a statement. “LEED design elements like the use of natural light and construction materials that improve air quality aren’t just good environmental stewardship- they’re good for our business as well.”

Top 10 Industry Leaders in Green Building Among Financial Institutions:

1. Wells Fargo (San Francisco)
2. Bank of America (Charlotte, N.C.)
3. Citi (New York)
4. Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated (New York)
5. Goldman Sachs (New York)
6. HSBC Group (London)
7. Deutsche Bank AG (Frankfurt, Germany)
8. Fidelity Investments (Boston)
9. PNC Financial Services Group (Pittsburgh)
10. BNY Mellon (New York)