A leading Midlands legal services practice has been presented with a prestigious sustainability certification after reducing its carbon footprint by more than 50 per cent in just two years.
Wright Hassall, based in Leamington, has been awarded the Planet Mark certification in recognition of its exceptional efforts to reduce carbon emissions.
Planet Mark is an internationally-recognised sustainability certification for organisations acknowledging continuous progress, encouraging action and committing to cut carbon emissions by a minimum of five per cent year-on-year.
Wright Hassall has taken steps to achieve significantly more than this target across two years of reporting data to Planet Mark, with the business reducing its carbon footprint by 15.3 per cent in year one, and a further 43.8 per cent in year two.
This has included moving to green electricity and investing in new fuel-efficient boilers which have substantially reduced the amount of gas and electricity used by the business, and reducing waste by encouraging recycling and the responsible use of electricity and heating across the business.
At the forefront of the efforts was Wright Hassall’s ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) committee who meet regularly to report back on the progress being made and look at additional plans and initiatives.
Wright Hassall will now continue to look at improving its carbon footprint, and has already identified ways to reduce this by a further 10 per cent. It is also set to expand its reporting to include suppliers’ carbon emissions.
Mark Shrimpton, Chief People Officer at Wright Hassall, said: “We are extremely pleased to receive the Planet Mark certification in recognition of reducing our carbon footprint by a huge 59.1 per cent in just two years.
“We have worked incredibly hard to make investments which are supporting us to achieve our sustainability goals, while also ensuring that colleagues understand the importance of improving environmental performance and exactly what they can do to help achieve this.
“It’s important that this is done in an engaging way, and has even seen us look further than just the Wright Hassall offices by undertaking litter picks in our local community to demonstrate the importance of recycling.
“Businesses often produce a substantial amount of carbon so must act responsibly to reduce this. The Law Society is also encouraging firms to reduce their carbon emissions, so this certification is in-line with their guidance.
“The certification also means that we can demonstrate the significant progress we are making to our clients, who are increasingly looking for suppliers who play their part in supporting the environment.
“Going forward, we will not only be continuing to reduce our carbon footprint, but also reporting on the carbon footprint of our suppliers to ensure they share our values in this area.”
