Dentons reduces carbon footprint by 44%

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Dentons has cut emissions by 44% through a new pilot scheme, which sees lawyers work from home, digital dashboards and a ban on printing.

Dentons, which is the largest firm by lawyer headcount, has implemented a range of environmental changes across a four-month project for government client Defra Legal Advisor. The scheme meant that all meetings were held online for the project, except introductory meetings. The firm also used Legal Front Door – a new platform  to automate workflow, creating dashboards to allow Defra to monitor the firm’s progress and legal spend. This method had a 78% lower carbon intensity compared with using emails.

Results showed that, during the Defra project, lawyers taking part in the scheme worked 40% of their billable hours from home. In total, Dentons cut its carbon emissions by approximately 120kg, reducing the carbon footprint of the Defra project by 44%.

Environmental sustainability manager at Dentons, Caroline Connolly, said: “Legal services represent a small but significant source of Scope 3 emissions for organisations that engage lawyers, and Dentons is eager to support its clients by reducing emissions associated with working together.”

The firm has also set a range of other net-zero targets as part of its Carbon Reduction Plan, pledging to:

• consider environmental impacts when making corporate real estate decisions;
• collaborate with suppliers to reduce emissions from procured goods and services;
• reduce waste and consumption of natural resources;
• introduce guidance documents for travel, events and procuring goods and services; and
• advance sustainable technology.

These goals are part of Dentons UK and Middle East LLP’s “science-based commitment” to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040, with a near term target set for 2030.