Sustainability initiative

Thinking about the environment

Law firms are not the worst offenders when it comes to environmental impact. All the same, with over 7,000 people in 29 countries around the world, we have an environmental footprint that we have to take seriously. We have to reach around the world and influence people. We believe that we have a responsibility to lead on sustainability issues. We’re fortunate to have a platform from which to address this global challenge and it’s up to us to show ourselves, our clients and even our competitors what can be achieved where there is real leadership, determination and vision.

We have tackled our own key impact areas head on, achieving important reductions and changes in energy, waste, travel and procurement. Through a combination of education, funding and support, we empower each other to take the initiative, driving the pace of change and setting ever higher standards. Our global sustainability policy can be viewed here

Our challenge is to make a difference – personally and in the places where we operate – as we endeavour to reduce our carbon emissions. For example, we have installed state-of-the-art meeting technology, which has been heralded by The National Law Journal as “the future of law firm communication”. Known as TelePresence, this technology allows us to meet our clients and one another virtually, thus eliminating the environmental consequences of travel. We have also installed motion-sensitive lighting in many of our buildings as a means of better managing our energy consumption.

Our “Everything Matters” approach means we look after the world’s businesses every day as we address all of our clients’ needs. For our clients this means working with our environmental legal teams as we demonstrate our international capabilities. We encourage our clients to also act responsibly in relation to their impact upon the environment and to build sustainability into their operating ethos and business decisions. This embeds good practice into our customer chain and reinforces our message across a diverse spectrum of organisations.