by Beth Salt | Sep 16, 2025 | LSA Insights, Small business Hub
Quick Wins for a More Sustainable Office
There are many quick and easy ways you can reduce your environmental impact and save money.
How to get started
If the number of options below feels overwhelming, start with a simple, three-step process:
- Measure your footprint: Use the LSA’s Carbon Calculator to calculate your baseline energy use, waste, and emissions.
- Focus on high-impact areas: Target the biggest sources of waste or emissions revealed by your audit to achieve the most significant results.
- Start small and build momentum: Implement one or two quick wins. As you see the benefits, you can expand your efforts and tackle bigger goals over time.
Recycling/ Resource Use
- Provide glasses and mugs rather than disposable cups
- Limit use of disposable goods e.g. pens, in favour of reusable ones
- Make it easy for staff to recycle as much as possible; paper, card, glass, plastic, aluminium, batteries, old phones
- Take away individual waste bins from desks and replace them with recycling bins
- Compost food waste
- Lengthen the life of toner cartridges by adjusting printer settings to draft quality – and black and white
- Recycle used toner cartridges
- Recycle old computer equipment by giving it to local charities or community groups
- At Christmas, make a donation to charity rather than sending cards
- Use environmentally friendly cleaning products
- Give an active preference to products with minimal packaging and that are locally sourced
- Discourage excessive ordering of stationery by installing a central ordering system
- Use local suppliers/caterers where possible
- Maximise savings by putting up signage reminding staff to save energy and reduce waste
- Fix dripping taps
Paper Use
- Only print when necessary
- Save paper costs by buying 100% recycled paper and reusing discarded paper for notes
- Default printers to print double-sided
- Print internal documents in size 11 font and reduce the borders to 1.5cm
- Inform staff whether agendas and minutes will or won’t be available at meetings to avoid duplication of printing
- Send internal memos electronically
- Use ‘track changes’ to review documents rather than printing
- Cancel junk mail and unwanted publications
- Re-use bubble wrap, boxes and padded envelopes where possible
- Collect and re-use name badges after events and meetings where possible
Energy Use
- Minimise energy costs by ensuring that all equipment and lights are turned off (i.e. not left on standby) when not in use
- Install movement sensors to meeting rooms. Encourage staff to switch off light switches by labelling light switches to indicate which area of th
e office they light. Ask security to check all lights are switched off once the building is empty
- Encourage staff to switch off monitors when away from their desks for more than 5 – 10 minutes and to shut computers down when they leave the office.
- Make sure everyone has a way to turn down the heating, rather than opening a window, to cool the office
- Check that heating is not timed to come on overnight or at weekends
- Turning the heating down by one degree saves 8% of the energy bill a year. The Environment Agency recommends 19 degrees C in the winter and 23 degrees C in the summer is comfortable for most staff
- If extra heating is needed, use oil-fuelled rather than electric fan heaters. They use 750W of energy as opposed to 3kW
- Ensure all light bulbs are energy efficient – LEDs are more efficient than halogen
- Ensure air conditioning vents or heating units are not blocked by office furniture/boxes
- Switch your electricity supplier to a green tariff. Many suppliers will assist in monitoring energy use and promoting reduction
Transport use
- Save time, inconvenience and pollution by using conference calls rather than travelling to meetings where possible
- Provide interest-free season ticket loans
- Use cycle couriers where possible
- Use LPG and/or carbon neutral taxi companies and encourage use of public transport whenever possible by making this easier to book through a central system
- Encourage staff to cycle to work by installing secure bike racks, shower facilities and offering cycle mileage allowance
- Introduce travel policies that reward car sharing
by Beth Salt | Sep 15, 2025 | LSA Insights, Small business Hub
Sustainability for Small Businesses
By Jim Haywood, Managing Director, Woodman Farrow Ltd.
Running a small business in today’s competitive marketplace is a constant challenge. Bills need to be paid and books need to be balanced whilst remaining profitable. Small law firms face many demands on often limited resources – including the time and expertise of colleagues and, of course, finances. When setting out priorities and budget planning, it may be tempting to reduce the focus on sustainability (in all its guises), or even ignore it altogether. Some small businesses may see it as an irrelevance and something that only the bigger players in the market need to worry about. After all, it’s just about compliance with environmental legislation, isn’t it? An understandable view but one missing the opportunities and benefits that sustainability offers firms of all sizes.
Of course, it’s a given that we all must comply with relevant environmental laws – for example, when dealing with waste, discharging anything to watercourses, or in demonstrating the energy efficiency of the business (e.g. via the UK’s Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting requirement). But being a sustainable business (and demonstrating that you are) is about much more than staying on the right side of the law. It can give your business a critical edge over your competitors as well as putting you in a good position to be a key part of the supply chain of larger companies. It can make you more attractive to lenders and investors and help you recruit and retain committed and engaged staff. Being sustainable can ultimately save you money and improve your bottom line.
The sustainability landscape is changing quickly:
- Around two thirds of investors now take sustainability performance into account[i] – a significant increase in the past few years. They often need to see hard evidence, such as a demonstration that your business meets a standard like the new VSME, the voluntary sustainability reporting standard for SMEs (see below). There is compelling evidence[ii] that companies with top ESG ratings are able to obtain financing on the capital market at significantly lower rates on average (average interest rate ~6.8 %a.) than ESG laggards (7.9 %)
- Companies with a strongly embedded sustainability culture and who ‘walk the talk’ score up to 70% higher on employee engagement than competitors who take the issue less seriously[iii]. They also retain 93% of their employees[iv]
- 80% of Gen Y/Z now expect companies to actively protect the environment[v]. Those who clearly do not can suffer serious consumer backlash. (Just think of the bad press and reputational damage suffered by fast fashion brands such as Boohoo)
- Sustainable products are in increasingly high demand from customers. (For example, Unilever’s purpose-led ‘Sustainable Living’ brands grew 69% faster than the rest of their portfolio in 2019)[vi]. Thinking and acting sustainably can open market opportunities (with both end consumers and B2B customers). This also helps promote innovation and efficiency, particularly for nimble and proactive small firms
- As energy prices increase (and security of supply becomes more uncertain), cutting energy through efficiencies and thoughtful use of power not only helps to reduce a dependence on grid supplied electricity but also helps cut carbon as well as saving money. It is estimated that the average SME could reduce energy bills by 18-25% by making energy improvements[vii] (such as installing solar panels with battery storage, changing out old lighting for LEDs, draught-proofing windows and doors, replacing old heating systems with more sustainable options (e.g. Air Source Heat Pumps), etc.)
Small law firms who respond positively and seize the many opportunities presented by embedding sustainability into their organisation are more likely to be the survivors in the competitive marketplace. Despite the possible up-front costs (for example, installing more energy-efficient equipment), becoming a sustainable business is a win-win situation. Experience shows that the ROI on expenditure which improves the sustainability of the business is worth the investment, particularly given the wider business benefits. (For example, there is usually a 4-5 year payback on the average solar panel installation (30kWp) for SMEs)[viii].
Finally, don’t forget the opportunity to highlight your own business’s commitment and progress with becoming a sustainable firm. If your firm has fewer than 250 employees, the newly introduced voluntary sustainability reporting standard (VSME) for non-listed SMEs requires a company to provide relevant information about its impacts on people and the environment, and the effects of environmental and social issues on its financial position, performance and cash flows in the short, medium, or long term. The standard is likely to attract the attention of B2B customers, lenders and other key stakeholders. They will be looking to see who adopts it; meeting the requirements is likely to become an expectation for doing business in the supply chain.
Not engaging with sustainability could leave you out in the cold. Not embedding it into all aspects of your business could, quite simply, put you out of business.
——
[i] Cse-net.org
[ii] MSCI
[iii] Gallup
[iv] WeSpire
[v] psico-smart.com
[vi] Unilever
[vii] UK Department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC)
[viii] heatable.co.uk
by Beth Salt | May 6, 2025 | LSA Insights
World Environment Day 2025
In 2025, the focus of World Environment Day is on ending global plastic pollution. This year, it falls exactly two months before countries meet to continue negotiating a global treaty to end this pervasive problem.
Individual actions truly matter, but when we collaborate with colleagues to drive systemic change in our workplaces and across our supply chains, our impact is supercharged. By choosing to work with businesses that prioritise sustainability, we can help shift the entire sector towards smarter, plastic-free practices.
To mark World Environment Day we are urging LSA members to take the following pledge by downloading these graphics and sharing them on your social media channels, or by creating your own version using this copy.
Please tag us in your posts so we can amplify the message. Download images are high res, please feel free to co-brand and resize as appropriate.
The pledge:
We commit to tackling plastic pollution, by reducing our plastic footprint and supporting businesses who minimise theirs.
Find out more about World Environment Day here.
Graphics for Social Media:
by Beth Salt | Mar 31, 2025 | LSA Insights
Embedding Environmental Training in Law Firms – the Freshfields story
Law firms put environmental policies in place to help them measure and reduce their emissions – but why use valuable time and resources training staff about them?
We asked Mikey Bloxham, Environment Manager at Freshfields, which is directing its colleagues to undertake a mandatory education module on environmental topics.
Over 2025, the firm will roll out a global training module that is compulsory for all staff, partners and new joiners. This will be followed by a requirement to annually update knowledge.
“We understand the need to keep colleagues informed of work we are doing across the environment function for a number of reasons. Firstly, we want to help everyone understand why they are being asked to commit to practices that will reduce our emissions – for example, adopting to paperless working, adhering to the firm’s smart travel policy, turning their computer off at the end of the day, and correctly segregating any waste, amongst other things. We were also keen to keep colleagues up to speed with our climate action (offsetting) initiative and how we ensure that the project maintains integrity. Informed people are more likely to engage and take action. Lastly but also incredibly important, our lawyers now have these great talking points with clients.
“This is not only about existing employees, many of our new joiners, work experience students and scholarship candidates are asking us what we are doing in the environmental sustainability space. This is an important topic for people.”
The firm has set itself a number of targets to achieve, including a 35% reduction in business travel-related emissions by 2027, and 100% renewable electricity supply to all offices by 2030, with these and other targets validated by SBTi. The environment team at Freshfields feel that education about the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of these targets will help galvanise employees and ensure their success.
Securing buy-in from senior leadership, including all regional COOs, has been crucial to the success of this upskilling, as was the need to create a standard module that functions internationally. This was a decision which inevitably presented challenges, with climate policies impacting regions in different ways. For instance, restrictions on business travel have a markedly different effect on Freshfields offices in Asia, compared to those in the UK. However, as collaboration is a cornerstone of effective climate action, Freshfields recognized the importance of adopting a unified, firmwide approach.
Education remains our most powerful tool, and engaging, empowering and informing colleagues and clients on how and why to take climate action will be a vital ingredient in the legal sector’s transition to net zero. If you are interested in finding out more about Freshfield’s training module then please get in touch here, the firm are happy to share the details of their experience in setting this initiative up. The LSA can organise an event/webinar to explore this area further if there is interest, please let us know.
Freshfields teams perform a river clean up in Tokyo and a beach clean up in Hong Kong, steered by the global green group.
by Beth Salt | Feb 24, 2025 | LSA Insights
Empowering Action – How to start an environment and sustainability team in your law firm.
By Lauren Spencer, Manager at Fragomen.
Before diving into the steps for starting an Environment and Sustainability Team, or ‘green team’, it’s important to define what a green team is.
At Fragomen, our green team began in our UK office when a group of employees passionate about sustainability came together to explore ways to make our office more eco-friendly. That’s exactly what a green team is – a group of like-minded employees working towards a shared goal of creating a more sustainable workplace.
So, how can you start a green team in your organisation?
- Find interested team members
Start by gathering colleagues who share an interest in sustainability. Spread the word in a way that suits your workplace – send out an email, post on internal communication channels or even put up a poster (just remember to recycle it afterwards!).
If initial responses are low, you may need to take a more active approach. Speak with colleagues, bring it up in team meetings or ask managers to nominate a representative from their department. Having a diverse team with members from different areas of the company is key to making a greater impact.
Key departments to involve:
- Office Services and Facilities: They can drive change by choosing eco-friendly suppliers and improving energy efficiency
- Finance: Sustainability efforts often involve budget considerations, and having finance onboard can help secure funding for green initiatives
A well-rounded team ensures that sustainability becomes a company-wide initiative rather than a niche interest.
- Start Small
Once the team is in place, use your first meeting to brainstorm quick, achievable wins. What small changes require minimal cost and effort?
At Fragomen, our first steps involved reviewing office consumables and making eco-friendly swaps. We switched to eco-friendly toilet paper, eco-friendly cleaning supplies, ethical tea and coffee brands, recycled printer paper, and greener stationery suppliers. Once this conversation starts, you’ll find endless opportunities for improvement.
Starting with small, visible changes build momentum. When employees see the results-such as greener products in the office- it creates excitement and encourages wider engagement.
To maintain momentum, schedule regular meetings (monthly or bimonthly) and set a structured agenda. This keeps your team focused and ensures meaningful progress towards sustainability goals.
- Educate and Engage Employees
A green team’s impact grows when the wider workforce gets involved. The more employees connect with sustainability efforts, the more likely they are to adopt eco-friendly habits in their daily lives.
Interactive events and hands-on activities are among the best ways to engage colleagues.
At Fragomen, we hosted:
- Workshops on eco-friendly Christmas decorations: Teaching employees how to create sustainable Christmas decorations using recycled materials
- Clothes swap shops: Encouraging staff to refresh their wardrobe sustainably by swapping clothes instead of buying new ones
- Halloween costume swaps for colleagues’ children: Helping parents reduce waste and save money by exchanging pre-loved costumes
- Volunteering days – Giving employees opportunities to support community gardens and local woodlands
- Plants in the office: Bringing greenery into the office and promoting plant-based well-being
- Seasonal events: Consider running themed events or monthly challenges to keep employees engaged year-round. Whether it’s a ‘Plastic Free July’ challenge or a lunchtime sustainability talk, small efforts help foster an eco-friendly culture
- Engage Senior Leadership
Securing senior leadership involvement is crucial for a green team to gain traction. Leadership advocates ensure sustainability initiatives are taken seriously and integrated into broader company goals. Without top-down support, green teams often struggle to gain momentum, as great ideas risk being overlooked or deprioritised. Engaging leadership early helps teams drive meaningful change with the backing needed to turn ideas into action.
- Measure Success and Keep Growing
Track progress by setting measurable goals and celebrating achievements. Recognising success keeps motivation high and encourages long-term commitment from employees.
The Road to Green Teams
Starting a green team is a powerful way to make a difference in your workplace. With the right support, a clear vision and a team of passionate individuals, you can drive meaningful change and create a more sustainable work environment.
Fragomen is a global immigration firm with nearly 6,000 professionals and support staff across more than 60 offices worldwide.
by Beth Salt | Feb 5, 2025 | LSA Insights
The Launch of the LSA’s Nature and Biodiversity Working Group (by Jenni Ramos)
The Legal Sustainability Alliance has hosted several workshops on biodiversity and nature in recent years, with a particular focus on what it means for lawyers. Our 2024 summer event “A legal lifeline for nature” featured Clare Brook (CEO of Blue Marine) in discussion with Sharif Shivji KC (co-author of the legal opinion Nature-related risks and directors’ duties under the law of England and Wales).
Many assume that the intersection between law and nature is found primarily in litigation cases such as those pursued by Blue Marine Foundation, environmental law practice or planning law and biodiversity net gain regulations.
While these are important areas, the relevance of nature and biodiversity to many members of the LSA falls outside the sphere of environmental and planning law and emerges from the ‘business case for biodiversity’. The legal opinion described above found that nature-related risks and opportunities are highly relevant to the duties of company directors to act with care and promote the success of their company. This is due to the global recognition that biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation pose financial risks to the entire economy and the companies and financial institutions within it. This places it firmly on the agenda of lawyers who advise companies across all practice areas. It is an emerging area of law that most lawyers are either unaware of, or only just beginning to grapple with.
Nature-related risks include physical and transition (including legal) risks. They can manifest in procurement and supply chain issues, strategic nature-related litigation (including cases relating to anti-money laundering, greenwashing and financial misrepresentation), insurance risk assessment and compliance with corporate and financial sustainability reporting and due diligence frameworks.
Nature-related risk is often viewed as a future concern or merely a compliance issue with incoming reporting regimes. Whilst the World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report has in recent years consistently listed biodiversity as a top five risk over the next ten years, this framing of it being a future not immediate risk is misleading. The UK legal opinion (written by leading barristers primarily specialising in corporate and financial law) emphasised that a company’s nature-related dependencies or impacts had the potential to affect a company’s short term interests as well as its long term financial success. Nature related risks can be both acute and chronic in character and have the ability to manifest in cascading and compounding chains of events which could manifest rapidly in the short term.
The LSA is launching a Nature and Biodiversity Working Group to discuss how nature-related risks and their associated reporting regimes will affect member firms and clients. Members can explore issues they are facing, discuss where nature-related risks sit on their firm’s agenda and how it integrates with existing work on climate risk, sustainability reporting and supply chain due diligence. Members will lead the group’s direction, fostering knowledge sharing, identifying practical insights and potential outcomes.
As chair of the working group, I will be facilitating the first session, provisionally on 25th February at 12.30pm. Please email manager@legalsustainabilityalliance.com if you would like to join us.
