Environment

Our Energy and Environmental policy provides a high-level overview of our commitments in relation to environmental matters. This includes commitments to:

• Fulfil and, where appropriate, exceed compliance obligations of environmental regulations
• Reduce our negative impact on the environment – for example, by preventing pollution
• Monitor our environmental performance and strive for continuous improvement, including through third-party standards and auditing metrics
• Measure and reduce our carbon emissions year-on-year
• Put energy efficiency at the heart of our decisions when sourcing new equipment and renovating our premises
• Use less polluting forms of transport for business travel where possible
• Reduce, reuse and recycle, and adopt the principles of a circular economy
• Separate food waste for conversion into renewable energy and nutrient-rich fertiliser
• Partner with other organisations to benefit the natural world – including working with non-profits to support biodiversity
• Catalyse broader change across the legal sector as part of the Legal Sustainability Alliance
• Raise awareness of environmental issues among our employees, clients, suppliers and the broader community
• Encourage our people to get involved in eco-friendly initiatives at home and at work

We take net zero very seriously. Setting a net-zero target involves accurately calculating carbon emissions across the entire business and its supply chain. We are progressing towards this by working with our suppliers to obtain precise primary data. However, this is very much dependent upon each supplier’s level of carbon maturity, and carbon accounting methodologies for some categories are still evolving.

Once we have established a robust, comprehensive baseline measurement for the carbon emissions across all our business activities, we plan to use it to set a long-term, science-based net-zero target that we are confident we can achieve.

As a stepping-stone, we are working towards setting a target of 50% reduction in carbon emissions in the
medium term. But the climate crisis is urgent, and action cannot wait. So, in parallel with measuring our baseline, we are working to continuously drive down carbon emissions within our own operations and our supply chain. We have already had significant success in shrinking the carbon footprint of our office premises (as discussed in the next section).

We have reduced energy consumption across our offices, which in turn has lowered emissions. Compared to our baseline year of 2019–20, we have already cut greenhouse gas emissions by 32% and energy consumption by 28%.

Festive energy initiative

We saved over 10 tonnes of carbon emissions by opening only a single floor of our London offices over the festive period. Although other parts of the office could still be accessed, we turned off the heating to save energy. This had minimal impact on employees, because many people take time off or work remotely during the festive period.

We monitor and audit our waste streams. Our overarching objective is to adopt the principles of a circular economy by:

1. Keeping products and materials in use as long as possible
2. When this is not viable, using eight different recycling streams to prevent waste going to landfill.

For example, our food waste is sent to a special facility to be converted into energy. Plus, we have started using Tork PaperCircle – the world’s first paper hand-towel recycling service – which has significantly cut our firm’s carbon footprint from these towels.

Some areas have been equipped with water-saving devices, which can reduce consumption by 60%. We continue to monitor water usage with the aim of achieving further reductions.

ISO 14001 and ISO 50001

ISO 14001 is the internationally recognised standard for managing environmental issues relating to company operations, such as waste management, resource use and efficiency. ISO 50001 relates to premises’ energy consumption.

We are one of a handful of law firms to hold both of these certifications. We achieved them both in 2024, less than a year after applying – far faster than the average time needed to achieve certification – due to our sustained energy reduction since 2019. Both accreditations are certified by the British Standards Institute (BSI) following a stringent audit regime that requires us to demonstrate continual improvements.

We are delighted to gain recognition for our hard work in reducing our environmental impact.

A recent highlight was winning two prestigious Clean City Awards in a scheme organised by the City of London Corporation:

• The Chairman’s Cup: Awarded for our outstanding commitment to using procurement to support carbon reduction, biodiversity and circular-economy initiatives, and reduce single-use plastics
• Circular economy: Awarded for achievements in reducing waste through reuse, minimising waste generated on-site, and keeping items in circulation.

Our restaurant Braithwaite’s provides free meals for staff using sustainably sourced ingredients, taking into account the health of our people and planet. We have worked with a nutritionist to ensure that our menus are balanced and in line with nutritional guidelines.

We are proud to be the first law firm to have been awarded three stars – the highest available rating – for an in-house kitchen team under the Sustainable Restaurant Association’s ‘Food Made Good’ standard.

Our seafood is Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) approved, and the lamb and beef we use is sourced from a net zero certified farm. Additionally, our fruit and veg comes from a sustainable supplier that is rescuing surplus and irregular produce.

Our business travel policy provides our people with guidance and support on how to travel sustainably. This includes avoiding unnecessary travel, and travelling in economy class where appropriate, as these seats have a much smaller carbon footprint compared to business- or first-class travel. In FY23/24, 69% of international flights were booked in economy class, with just 4% in first class.

We offer a range of sustainability-focused financial products as part of our benefits package, to help employees make environmentally-friendly choices.

Pensions

Our default pension fund, Aviva’s My Future Focus Investment Strategy, has ESG considerations at its core, with investment managers using their influence to encourage organisations to act more sustainably and respond to climate change. Employees can choose between the default pension fund or more than 200 individual alternative funds. Our Pensions Governance Committee monitors the plan’s performance and ensures that annual administration charges remain very low.

Electric vehicle leasing scheme

We offer an EV leasing scheme that lets employees try out fully electric vehicles. We didn’t expect a high uptake initially, but so far 20 people have signed up. We also expect that more will join as their existing car leases come to an end, given that more than 231 people have accessed the electric car portal so far, and around 20 people per month log in and explore their options.

Cycle to work scheme

We offer the Cyclescheme employee benefit, which enables employees to save up to 42% on a bike and accessories that they can use to cycle to work. Employees pay nothing upfront, and payments are taken tax-efficiently from their salaries.

Green interest-free loans

We provide interest-free loans for employees to help them make environmentally-friendly home improvements, such as installing EV charging points, insulation, solar panels and heat pumps.

Green mortgages

We have negotiated special reduced rates for employees to access third-party mortgage brokers. These brokers provide specialist advice on green mortgages, which are products that offer potentially lower interest rates for people buying environmentally-friendly homes. This includes people purchasing energy-efficient properties or undertaking green self-build projects.

We are also working to effect positive change beyond our industry. For example, we provide pro bono work for organisations including:

• The UK branch of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)
• The Chancery Lane Project, which helps organisations reduce emissions using the power of legal documents and processes
• Charity: Water, a leading global charity dedicated to bringing clean and safe water to communities in need
• The Kafue Foundation, an anti-poaching charity operating in Africa’s second-largest national park.

Our sustainability work focuses on supporting impact investing and innovation funds facilitating the energy transition, such as the Impact Investing Institute, the Global Alliance of Impact Lawyers (GAIL), and the Green Finance Institute. We are also a member of the Green Tech Legal Collaborative, which provides pro bono legal support to innovative ‘green tech’ start-ups that address climate change and promote sustainability.

The Sustainability Committee will notify and, where appropriate, consult with the Diversity & Inclusion Board, ESG and Impact Committee and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Committee on all projects that have the potential to impact these areas.