Environment matters
We take our environmental responsibilities as an international law firm very seriously. We are signatories to the UN Global Compact and take a precautionary approach to our environmental impact.
Our approach
Our business has an impact on the environment through the use of energy in our buildings, our business travel, the use of paper and other goods and services as well as the disposal of our waste.
We have a global environmental policy in place which outlines our approach to minimising our impact. To view our policy, click here.
Our Commitment to Net Zero
Clyde & Co is committed to achieving Net Zero emissions by 2040.
In the near term, Clyde & Co has committed, through the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), to reduce absolute scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions 80% by 2030 from a 2019 base year. Clyde & Co has also committed to reduce absolute scope 3 GHG emissions 50% within the same timeframe.
Legal Renewables Initiative
In 2019 we joined the Legal Sustainability Alliance, an inclusive movement of law firms and associated networks working together to improve their environmental sustainability.
We also signed up to the Legal Renewables Initiative, which commits us to using 100% renewable energy from certifiable sources, across all our UK premises by 2025.
2019 highlights
- Reduction of 17,000 plastic bottles across our Australian offices
- Over 100 environment champions across our UK offices
- 200,000 plastic cups removed from our London office
- 780kg of waste recycled by Dubai office during the World Without Waste campaign for the Dubai Chamber Sustainability Week
Australian Legal Sector Alliance
We are a proud member of the Australian Legal Sector Alliance (AusLSA). The AusLSA is an industry-led association working collaboratively to promote best practice sustainability commitments and performance across the legal sector. AusLSA's sustainability framework includes sustainable and inclusive workplaces, community support, environmental conservation and responsible governance.
As part of a commitment to the AusLSA Principles, members of AusLSA are encouraged to measure and monitor their sustainability. The 2023 theme of the annual reporting is New Paths, the theme acknowledges that humans are resilient and have the inspiring capacity to regather their hope and to refocus their vision to uncover new paths.
Tackling the effects of climate change
Clyde & Co’s Climate Risk team helps clients to understand how climate change affects their risk profile, to prepare for emerging and future risks, and to capitalise on the opportunities created by the transition to a low-carbon economy.
One example is advising NGOs on a pro bono basis to develop innovative climate risk insurance policies to protect up to 1.3 million people in West Africa from catastrophic drought.
We are a member of the Insurance Development Forum – a public/private partnership seeking to optimise and extend the use of insurance and risk management to protect those most vulnerable to disasters. We are also a founding member of the Coalition for Climate Resilient Investment, launched at the September 2019 UN Climate Action Summit in New York, which aims to transform infrastructure investment by integrating climate risks into decision-making.
Our climate change thought leadership includes reports exploring the role of innovative risk transfer in closing the global protection gap, as well as on climate change liability and duties of care.
Key areas where we assist include:
- providing legal privilege on climate risk mapping exercises
- assessment of liability exposures, regulatory regimes and changing laws across jurisdictions
- legal input into developing due diligence frameworks for assessing climate change risks to workforce, assets, operations and transactions.
We also prioritise using our legal expertise to help address the effects of climate change on communities around the world.
Community matters
We believe that charitable activity in our communities really matters and makes a difference.
Find out moreClimate Change Risk Practice
In-depth knowledge of climate change to understand, prepare and evolve your business from the risks
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