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See Category:Legal Sector Alliance for a list of the Legal Sector Alliance members on EnviroWiki.org.uk .
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Legal Sector Alliance - Acting on Climate Change
The Legal Sector Alliance is 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
We believe that acting on climate change is in our collective interest and that a greater impact can be achieved through collaborative action and the sharing of knowledge and experience than could otherwise be achieved by the efforts of individual firms.
To act as a framework for individual and collective action, we have developed a set of principles, which cover members’ own operations, as well as their wider influence on employees, suppliers, clients and policy makers.
Please read our online end-of-year report, which features a number of case studies illustrating how firms are already acting on the principles.
Please think before you print and if absolutely necessary, use the text-only version.
LSA Principles
These principles have been developed in consultation with the profession and leading environmental NGOs. They are intended to provide both a framework to support individual action by each member and an outline of the LSA’s commitment to collective action.
They cover members’ own operations, but also their wider influence on clients, suppliers, employees and policy makers. The initial focus of the principles is on UK activities, recognising that firms with operations elsewhere are likely to apply these or similar principles to those operations in a phased manner.
We recognise that because of the different sizes and starting points of those within the sector, each member will need to apply the principles and take action in different ways. For this reason, we have provided some examples of how the principles might be applied, but these are in no way intended to be prescriptive.
The LSA will review the principles annually based on implementation experience, to reflect ongoing learning and emerging good practice, and to reflect the increased maturity of the sector and its collective contribution to climate change reductions.
As members of the Legal Sector Alliance, we commit to:
- Measure, manage and reduce the impact of our operations
- Work with external stakeholders to reduce our indirect impact
- Integrate awareness of climate change across our business
- Consider the implications of climate change in the advice we give
- Work collaboratively to engage in the public debate on climate change and to develop, apply and promote best practice across the sector
- Report on our progress and be accountable
Please note: implicit in these principles is the recognition that they will be applied as appropriate and where relevant. However, this is not to be taken as a “get-out clause”. The LSA recognises that the principles will apply to different members within the sector in different ways and that they will be at different stages of integrating climate change across their business. Therefore, it is natural that this would be reflected in their ability to implement the principles. Where it is impossible for a member to implement a particular principle they are invited to explain why they are unable to do so in their annual report back to the LSA and this will be taken into account. Those adopting these principles are doing so voluntarily and independently.
Impact areas
By taking positive action in a few key areas, firms can individually demonstrate their environmental responsibility, and collectively the legal sector can make a significant contribution to addressing climate change.
The identified priority areas are:
You can see what other firms have been doing in these areas by viewing their case studies.
Get involved
There are a number of things you can do which will support your commitment to the LSA principles:
- Use the LSA Carbon Protocol to calculate your carbon footprint
- Adopt the quick wins to take action and reduce costs immediately
- Contact us with any ideas on how the legal sector could help to address climate change
- Visit our website on www.legalsectoralliance.com for more information.
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