South West law firm sets ambitious net zero target for 2025

Employee-owned law firm, Stephens Scown LLP, is leading the charge against climate change by setting an ambitious target of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2025 – well ahead of the Government’s target for businesses to reach net zero by 2050 and indeed ahead of most UK organisations.

The announcement comes ahead of the COP26 summit in Glasgow, which will bring parties together from across the world to accelerate action against climate change. It also comes hot on the heels of the Stephens Scown publishing its third annual Giving Back report, which can be viewed here.

Stephens Scown’s Giving Back partner and board member, Verity Slater says, “As well as our commitment to going above and beyond to look after our clients’ needs, one of our core firm values includes seeking to be sustainable and to do things efficiently and without waste. In essence, we want to leave behind a world that the next generation can enjoy.

“With a commitment to genuinely caring about our people, local community and the environment, we launched a comprehensive Giving Back programme in 2018. Since then we have made giant steps in our journey to becoming net zero, including launching a green travel policy earlier this year to encourage our colleagues to use sustainable transport whenever possible – walking or cycling, using the low emission Co-Cars (the use of which replaced our leased pool cars), travel by train, or car share.

“In July this year, we also moved to a 100% renewable energy tariff with Good Energy, which means our energy comes from sun, wind and water by a community of independent UK generators – including client Delabole Wind Farm in Cornwall. This will reduce our carbon footprint significantly. Although ambitious, we believe our target is completely achievable.”

With a dedicated renewable energy team having delivered over 300 solar farms for clients and the firm acting on the first wind farm in England and the first solar farm, Stephens Scown now works with many clients and communities in delivering smart low carbon energy infrastructure. In addition, the forward-thinking law firm has run a series of zero-carbon sessions, highlighting work that can be undertaken in many of its key sectors: housing; tourism; energy; mining and minerals and corporates.

Other carbon reducing activities will include engaging more employees to reduce their carbon usage at home and use renewable energy, undertaking a review of its office energy use to see if more energy savings can be made, further reducing emissions from the firm’s paper use, printed folders and binders and looking to wider Scope 3 (non-direct) emissions that can be measured and reduced.

From the electric car charge points at the offices to sourcing sustainable food for events, Stephens Scown is now measuring all its activity in its journey to becoming a zero-carbon firm.

For more information visit www.stephens-scown.co.uk