Sydney, 15 December 2015: Nationwide paper reduction programs and an environmental management system are helping Clayton Utz make substantial strides towards reducing our impact on the environment.
The 2015 Australian Legal Sector Alliance (AusLSA) [1] Legal Sector Sustainability Insight report shows that the firm achieved a 57% reduction in paper consumption last financial year as a direct result of our Paperless Office Program launched in 2014, and a 13% reduction in electricity consumption by consolidating floor space in a number of locations.
In June 2015, the firm also implemented the certified AusLSA Environmental Management System (AEMS), a rigorous management framework for identifying and managing environmental risks within the legal sector.
Clayton Utz partner and AusLSA co-chair Brendan Bateman said that these actions reflected our ongoing commitment to reducing our impact on the environment.
"Clayton Utz is taking a strategic long-term approach towards building a more environmentally sustainable practice," said Brendan. "Our Sydney and Canberra offices are in buildings with 6 green star ratings, and we have implemented a range of smaller initiatives such as reducing international travel. Our Paperless Office Program and carbon offsetting are more recent steps that we hope will embed sustainability in our culture."
In a first for the firm in 2015, the AusLSA Legal Sector Sustainability Insight report shows that the firm has fully offset our FY15 reported emissions, in advance of the firm seeking to achieve carbon neutral certification under the National Carbon Offset Standard in FY16.
The 2015 Legal Sector Sustainability Insight report also highlighted the firm's social responsibility and people initiatives. We are a global leader in pro bono, reaching the milestone of 500,000 hours of pro bono legal services in July 2015. The report also notes our in-kind and financial support to a range of charities through the Clayton Utz Foundation and Community Connect program.
"The expanded scope of reporting to the AusLSA this year is in line with the broader global approach to sustainability methodologies," said Brendan. "As a founding Executive Member of AusLSA, Clayton Utz is committed to transparency around all our sustainability practices. We're delighted to see the growing membership of AusLSA as more firms see the benefit of sharing knowledge and ideas to improve the legal sector's overall sustainability footprint."
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[1] Clayton Utz is a founding Executive Member of AusLSA, which was established in 2010 to promote collaborative sustainability practices across the legal sector. AusLSA has 40 members and continues to expand its reporting on sustainability practices beyond environmental elements, to include social and governance issues. Back to article