Eighteen UK law firms are to measure and publish their carbon footprints as part of an initiative to create a commonly used benchmark for measuring emissions across the sector.
The Legal Sector Alliance (LSA) has developed the LSA Carbon Footprint Protocol in consultation with the Carbon Trust and is now trialling that standard with a number of its members.
"You can't manage what you haven't measured, so calculation of your carbon footprint is absolutely crucial before you can take action to reduce it," said Des Hudson, Law Society chief executive, announcing the protocol.
The spreadsheet tool is tailored to record emissions arising directly from law firms' activities, although it is based on the Greenhouse Gas Protocol and calculates emissions according to commonly accepted practices.
The firms agreeing to disclose their results include Allen & Overy, Bond Pearce, Burges Salmon, Herbert Smith, Linklaters and SJ Berwin.
In the US, the American Bar Association and Meritas Leadership Institute have created similar programs and guides to educate firms and help them reduce impact.
Legal firms offer to work for free to help shape new carbon legislation 15 Sep 2009
Report shows emissions from cement production at 18 global firms are falling despite increased demand for their products 03 Jul 2009
International Maritime Organisation considers mandatory measures to help enhance fuel efficiency 18 Mar 2009
But businesses argue more clarity is still needed 01 Oct 2009
New best practice guide to provide template on how to accurately report carbon data 25 May 2009
Lord Hunt releases Marine Action Plan ahead of anticipated announcement of around 700MW of new wave and tidal energy projects 15 Mar 2010
Manufacturer of sensors used in solar panels, low emission vehicles and green offices raises $569m 15 Mar 2010
Production from tar sands will rise to 4m barrels a day by 2025 15 Mar 2010
More news
From hydropower hot spots to record-breaking Texan winds, we run down the top stories from the past week 12 Mar 2010
Few debates cast the UK's business and political community in such an unedifying light as the never-ending row over skills.... 12 Mar 2010
Christian Kjaer, chief executive of the European Wind Energy Association, argues that a supergrid is essential to EU efforts to cut carbon emissions 11 Mar 2010 More in-depth
Post your comment
Send an email to the Business Green editor at feedback@businessgreen.com
