In a unique synchronised move, 18 law firms and the Law Society of England and Wales are today unveiling their individual carbon footprints.
The firms and Law Society are publicly reporting their results simultaneously, in the same place and using the same methodology, having measured their carbon footprint using the Legal Sector Alliance [LSA] Protocol.
The 18 firms, which include local law firm Martineau, are Founding Members of the Legal Sector Alliance, an inclusive movement of law firms and organisations committed to working collaboratively to take action on climate change by reducing their carbon footprint and adopting environmentally sustainable practices.
The LSA protocol was developed by the sector, for the sector, to support firms in measuring their carbon footprint.
While emissions will vary significantly due to the size and business models of each firm, sharing the results will help the firms to better benchmark their own environmental performance, identify areas for possible improvement and share ideas for carbon reduction.
The LSA Protocol, which is freely available on the LSA's website, is the first carbon footprint protocol developed by a sector for a sector. It consists of a spreadsheet-based measurement tool and step-by-step practical guidance, uniquely produced for profession.
While other firms joining the Alliance, or using the LSA protocol to calculate their carbon footprints will not be required to publish the results, the LSA's founding members hope that by highlighting the benefits of doing so, other members will follow suit.
Nigel Knowles, LSA Chairman, said: "The significance of disclosing these figures is not at this stage the size of the individual footprints, but the process we have gone through to understand what they are and how we might minimise them. Commitment to reduce our footprints is the most significant thing that we are doing. We are all on a journey towards environmental sustainability - no one can claim to have reached the destination, but we are definitely heading in the right direction."
Andrew Whitehead, Head of Energy at Martineau, says: "By agreeing to report our own figures using this standard methodology, we and the other founding LSA firms have taken a significant step forward together. We encourage others across the profession to do the same.
"We're not naming and shaming, but simply being responsible and inclusive. Supporting firms in measuring carbon emissions is a vital first step towards reducing the profession's collective footprint, and crucially a standardised and transparent approach helps us to benchmark our performance.
"For us, and I suspect for most law firms, measuring our carbon footprint and adopting sustainable business practices is not solely an altruistic exercise. There are some key business drivers that are pushing us down this road.
"First and foremost, we're paying higher energy costs right now, like everyone else, and better energy efficiency improves the bottom line. In fact, the current difficult economic conditions we're experiencing mean control of energy costs is important even without the green benefits.
"Also, our clients are increasingly asking us to demonstrate our green credentials, as they exert their influence down their supply chains as part of their own corporate responsibility efforts. And, for us, like all other law firms actively advising clients on climate change law and policy, we risk losing a certain amount of credibility if we can't "walk the walk" and show some genuine engagement in our own business.
"Equally, being a responsible employer with credible environmental goals is important to our staff, and is increasingly an important factor when competing in the marketplace for the best talent.
"Lastly, it is perhaps inevitable that regulation in this area from Brussels and Westminster will increasingly affect all sizes of businesses, including law firms, and those who can adapt early on will reap rewards later."
As the LSA founding member representing the Midlands, Martineau is working to establish a regional network of lawyers keen to work collaboratively to contribute towards local carbon reduction targets.
Andrew Whitehead says: "I would encourage Midlands law firms, and also chambers and in-house legal teams - of all shapes and sizes - to engage with the LSA and play their part. No one organisation has a monopoly on good ideas and best practice, and we have the potential in this region to work together and make a real difference."
Desmond Hudson, Law Society Chief Executive, said: "This move is an embodiment of the LSA's mission - to share knowledge and experience and develop best practice to support the whole profession in the necessary shift to a low carbon economy."
Tim Roberts, British Land, Director and Head of Offices, said: "We are very impressed by the leadership shown by the members of the Legal Sector Alliance in publicly reporting their carbon footprints in this coordinated way. As a user of legal services with our own commitment to environmental sustainability, what is important to us is not the size of a firm's footprint, but the fact that they have measured it and are committed to reducing it."
Stephen Howard, Chief Executive, Business in the Community, said: "By reporting publicly in this way the LSA's founding members are setting the agenda for the rest of the sector to follow. As well as demonstrating the participating firms' commitment to reducing their carbon emissions, this level of transparency sends a positive message to clients and employees, and shows that even in the current economic climate, they are just as concerned about how they operate as with financial performance."
Further information is available at www.legalsectoralliance.com