‘Sustainability’ may have been one of the prominent buzzwords of 2020 but which law firms would David Attenborough be proud of?
The way in which businesses operate has come under major scrutiny in recent years as the threat of climate change has become ever-more pressing. With the government’s aim to reach net-zero by 2050, we looked to see which firms are on track to meeting this target (or even beating it!)
We put the question ‘How eco-friendly is your firm?’ to trainees and junior lawyers from nearly 100 of the nation’s leading corporate law firms, as part of our annual Trainee and Junior Lawyer Survey. Respondents then rated their places of work on a scale of one to ten — with one being ‘Not at all eco-friendly’ and ten being ‘Very eco-friendly’.
We have tallied up the results and below is the shortlist, listed alphabetically, of the top eco-warriors of the legal world 2020-21:
Burges Salmon
CMS
Clifford Chance
Hogan Lovells
Norton Rose Fulbright
Osborne Clarke
Pinsent Masons
PwC
Reed Smith
Taylor Wessing
Travers Smith
Weil Gotshal & Manges
As part of the survey, we gave the rookies themselves an opportunity to give a greater insight into the environmental efforts of their firms by submitting anonymous comments. Here are a select few from some of the firms listed above:
How eco-friendly is your firm?
“Hit our eco targets early. There’s a drive to be paperless, or at least paper-light and things such as lights are sensor related so turn off when no one is around to need them.”
“The firm has a great focus on net zero and renewable energy including in the design of our office space. Removing single use cups from the coffee counter has been a great success and we constantly look for ways to reduce our impact on the environment.”
“There are various eco-friendly initiatives, including no plastic cutlery/crockery, a beehive and recycling stations positioned all around the office. There is even a vegetable patch where old tea bags and coffee beans are composted.”
“Our firm is pro-actively trying to become more environmentally friendly ever year.”
“The firm makes a real effort when it comes to recycling. I think over 90% of waste is recycled.”
“The office canteen (pre-covid) had transitioned away from all single use plastics. There was a really big push from everyone to print less and be more eco-friendly.”
“There is a proactive shift towards being more sustainable and eco-friendly within the firm.”
The winning law firm in each category will be announced at The Legal Cheek Awards 2021, sponsored by BARBRI, on Thursday 25 March 2021.