Squire Patton Boggs has committed to reducing its environmental impact by signing up to the UN Climate Neutral Now Initiative and the Science-Based Targets initiative, part of the development of its Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) strategy.
The UN Climate Neutral Now Initiative involves the firm pledging to measure, reduce and report its carbon emissions. The Science-Based Targets initiative ensures that the carbon reduction targets set by the firm are in line with limiting global warming with the 1.5 degrees target set by the Paris Agreement.
Tom Hancocks, the firm’s ESG manager, commented: “As a global law firm, we are working to develop and implement our ESG strategy to minimise our own environmental impact, as well as to support our clients on their journey towards sustainability. It is by working with specialist climate change organisations that we will make measurable progress, setting clear targets and holding ourselves to account to achieve them.
“The COP26 Summit will accelerate action to tackle climate change, and will have clear implications for businesses in a wide range of sectors. At Squire Patton Boggs, we have a dedicated, cross-practice ESG group of lawyers who are well placed to provide solutions to our clients on ESG matters, including risks, opportunities and compliance.”
Squire Patton Boggs is a member of the Legal Sustainability Alliance and has signed up to its Legal Renewables Initiative, which involves committing our UK offices to certified 100% renewable electricity.
As part of the firm’s long standing commitment to being a responsible business, it is involved in environmental pro bono initiatives. These include the Chancery Lane Project, in which the firm’s environmental lawyers have participated in the creation of a Net Zero Toolkit, a collection of clauses and tools which enable lawyers to align their work with a decarbonised economy.
The Squire Patton Boggs ESG Group provides services covering all stages of the business and investment cycle and includes supporting clients on issues around the Green Agenda and climate change, public policy advocacy, corporate and HR policies, mergers, acquisitions and business collaborations, pension plans and other institutional investors.