By 2050 or sooner
Eversheds Sutherland has joined a growing list of City law firms upping their efforts to protect the planet.
The outfit has committed to reducing its emissions by 50% by 2030 as part of its strategy of being a net zero law firm by 2050 or sooner.
The firm — which chalked-up an A for ‘eco-friendliness’ in our Trainee and Junior Lawyer survey — says the targets have been approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), a partnership between several leading climate and science organisations, aiming to limit global warming to 1.5 celsius.
Commenting on the firm’s efforts to go green, CEO Lee Ranson said:
“As a participant in the UN Global Compact, a supporter of Business Ambition for 1.5°C through the Science Based Targets initiative, and a founder member of the Net Zero Lawyers Alliance, we are proud to publicly commit to protecting the environment and helping the communities in which we live and work to prosper for the benefit of current and future generations.”
The targets come just weeks after Eversheds became one of the founding signatories to the Net Zero Lawyers Alliance, a collaboration between businesses to accelerate the shift to net zero carbon emissions. The alliance features some 22 global firms.
A raft of outfits have set similar environmentally-friendly targets.
By 2023, Linklaters hopes to reduce its energy emissions by 70%, and its goods, services and travel emissions by 50%, while fellow MC player Allen & Overy has committed to a 50% reduction in carbon emissions by 2030. Elsewhere, Herbert Smith Freehills is aiming to reduce carbon emissions to net-zero by 2030 and CMS has committed to becoming carbon neutral by 2025.
Law schools are getting involved too. Last year Legal Cheek reported that the University of Nottingham Law Society was aiming to become the UK’s first carbon negative law soc, replacing law firm brochures, paper tickets and single-use plasticware with electronic booklets, e-tickets and recyclable cups and plates.