- Firm joins global network in committing to responsible business practices
- Reducing environmental impact and championing change high on firm agenda
Leading law firm Lander & Rogers this morning announced it had joined the United Nations Global Compact - a voluntary framework for the development, implementation and disclosure of responsible business practices.
The firm is one of more than 300 Australian businesses and thousands globally since 2000 to sign the compact and commit to the initiative's ten universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption.
Chief executive partner, Genevieve Collins, said "we recognise that our role as a business and a law firm is not only to comply with ethical standards and responsible business practices, but to help to drive these standards through our firm, clients and supply chains, and within our profession and communities."
The Compact requires participants to report progress against the ten key responsible business principles annually. Ms Collins noted the importance of initiatives like the UN Global Compact in driving meaningful change. "The framework provides guidance and a mechanism for measuring progress - both important factors in achieving sustainable and tangible results."
According to Ms Collins, Lander & Rogers has gone beyond simply aiming for compliance, instead taking a net contribution approach to designing and implementing responsible business practices that minimise harm and maximise benefit to communities and the environment.
From driving collaboration between law firms on the Uluru Statement from the Heart, to supporting asylum seekers, the firm has a long history of advocacy and community support. "We play an active role in championing human rights through our ongoing work with First Nations people, vulnerable women and marginalised communities, leveraging our legal expertise and networks to provide access to justice and support," said the chief executive.
The law firm leader emphasised the importance Lander & Rogers has placed on reducing its environmental footprint, a key component of the UN Global Compact. "We recognise that climate change poses a very real threat and will increasingly impact law firms, our clients, and the communities in which we work. It is incumbent upon everyone to play a part in reducing our collective environmental impact," said Ms Collins.
In its commitment to the environment, Ms Collins announced the firm had also enrolled in the UN Global Compact's Climate Ambition Accelerator - a six-month facilitated workshop program designed to equip Australian organisations with industry best practice on emissions analysis and the knowledge to develop effective science-based emissions reduction targets. Access to the program is available to members of the UN Global Compact Network Australia - the local network of the UN's initiative designed to engage and support domestic businesses through collaboration and education - of which Lander & Rogers is a member.
The move, says Ms Collins, aligns with the firm's values and 2025 strategy, which outlines targets to become carbon neutral in 2022 and zero-waste by 2025, noting the firm has been using 100% renewable energy since 2021. "Through a considered commitment to purchase GreenPower, we have reduced our greenhouse gas emissions by more 370 tonnes per year."
Lander & Rogers also recently appointed a dedicated environment consultant, Michael Boley, to its Pro Bono, Community and Environment practice to help the firm and its value chain proactively minimise its environmental footprint; and welcomed the first environmentally-focused startup, NetNada, as a resident in the firm's LawTech Hub to help drive innovation in the space.
"It's just another way we're committed to reducing our environmental impact and demonstrating responsible business conduct", said Ms Collins.
