City law firm Speechly Bircham's drive to measure and reduce its carbon footprint has scored a notable success, recording a 41% reduction in carbon emissions for the period May 2008/09.
The move to our new sustainably designed offices in the New Street Square development in May 2008 has had a huge impact on our annual carbon footprint measure, reducing our premises-related emissions by 50%.
The 41% reduction equates to 722 tonnes of CO2, therefore reducing each employee’s footprint from 5.5 to 3.3 tCO2, which in comparison to other firms of a similar size, puts us well below average. From research conducted by the Carbon Neutral Company the average footprint per employee across all sectors is between five and six tCO2.
Using the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard we report our emissions to scope 3 each year which is the highest level. Scope 3, includes direct GHG emissions from sources that are owned or controlled by us, such as Natural gas combustion and also purchased electricity. It also accounts for indirect emissions such as waste disposal, business travel and staff commuting.
"One of the key objectives in moving to these premises was to provide a more sustainable and modern working environment for our partners and staff", said Robert Bond, partner responsible for Speechly Bircham's corporate social responsibility programme. "We now need to focus in successive years on reducing the environmental impact of our electrical and travel energy usage."
For more information, please contact:
Robert Bond, partner, on +44 (0)20 7427 6660 or robert.bond@speechlys.com
Charlotte Souter, press office, on +44 (0)20 7427 6466, charlotte.souter@speechlys.com