News In Focus
10 March 2010
Law firm alliance publishes annual carbon emissions record
A UK group of solicitors' firms with a commitment to reporting on and reducing their carbon emissions have published their results for 2009.
The 32 strong group, which includes Scottish firm Harper Macleod, has developed a protocol with the aim of helping firms to calculate their carbon footprint, and improving transparency, consistency and comparability within the sector.
Where comparisons exist with the previous year, the group report an average 3.8% fall in their CO2 equivalent emissions, "despite significant adverse business impacts associated with the macro-level economic downturn". The reduction is said to result largely from capturing efficiency gains associated with an improved knowledge of firms' carbon and energy footprints. However with falls in the number of employees the figure translates into a modest 0.14% decline in the output per employee.
The figures are calculated from purchased electricity, business travel, onsite combustion, company vehicles and refrigerants. Travel from home to work is excluded, although the the firms are encouraged to promote green travel.
City of London firms tend to show the highest level of emissions, though in addition to figures for CO2 equivalent per employee, alternatives are provided of energy use (kWh/m2) and building emissions
per employee, to enable more detailed understanding of members’ carbon footprints.
Harper Macleod scored a relatively low 2.13 tonnes equivalent per employee (highest 8.68; lowest 0.83), but higher on the energy use measure at 523.82 (highest 899.04; lowest 102.54).
Click here to access the report.