30 June 2021
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2 min read
Credit: Pinsent Masons
Global law firm joins Science Based Targets Initiative with pledge to halve emissions and switch to 100 per cent renewable power
Pinsent Masons has become the latest law firm to announce ambitious new greenhouse gas emissions targets, pledging to halve its emissions by 2050.
The firm said the targets were the first in the industry to be verified by the independent Science Based Target initiative (SBTi), which assesses whether corporate emissions goals are in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement and would deliver emissions reductions that match the decarbonisation trajectory required to limit global temperature increases to 1.5C this century.
Pinsent Masons said its new targets commit to reducing its absolute global greenhouse gas emissions, against a 2019 base year. The SBTi has also approved an additional target for the firm to source 100 per cent renewable electricity across its global estate by 2030, which includes locations in Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Europe. Currently 100 per cent of the electricity purchased in the UK, Republic of Ireland and France is from renewable sources, but the company now plans to extend the approach to all the sites where it operates.
John Cleland, Managing Partner of Pinsent Masons said: "As a firm that advises on ground breaking low carbon projects and supports clients as they navigate sustainability and climate concerns, implementing our own science-based targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in line with the Paris Agreement was a natural next step for us."
The targets follow a number of initiatives from the firm to reduce its environmental impact in recent years, including measures to enhance energy efficiency at its offices, curb business travel, and minimise the use of resources and resulting waste levels.
Last year the firm also launched a dedicated Climate Change Mitigation and Sustainability platform to coordinate internal and market-facing climate change initiatives, as well as enhance support to clients that are working on their own climate change strategies.
"We recognise that operating a 26 office global network with a 3,600 workforce has significant environmental implications and want to implement real, tangible changes that have a positive impact," said Cleland. "We know we cannot become complacent and remain committed to playing our part in mitigating climate risk. This helps us focus us efforts in order to achieve this."
The announcement comes in the same week as the UN-backed Race to Zero campaign, which brings together companies around the world that have set ambitious net zero targets, launched a new coalition of top law firms called the Net Zero Lawyers Alliance (NZLA) which aims to build support for the net zero transition across the legal profession.
