Climate & Sustainability
Bristol was named the UK’s first European Green Capital in 2015 in recognition of what its citizens had already achieved in making our City a healthier, happier place to live in.
In 2018 Bristol City Council declared a Climate Emergency with ambitious plans for the City to be carbon neutral by 2030 which is set out in The One City Climate Strategy.
With <5% of emissions in the City directly controlled by the Council, it is imperative that all businesses look at their practices and take action to reduce their carbon footprint for the good of the City and its people, and the wider planet. As a key sector and influencer in the City, the legal sector has an important role in addressing sustainability and climate issues for the good of its own people and businesses but can influence change as property owners, tenants, through its supply chains and through its legal advice.
The local sector has been making progress with a sizeable number of the largest firms setting Science Based Targets (SBTi’s) to reduce emissions as a critical part of their journey to NetZero.
In 2022, the inaugural meeting of the collaborative BLS Sustainability and Climate Group met to share their NetZero/ carbon neutral journeys with a view to identifying issues and areas where knowledge can be shared and cascaded across the sector for the benefit of all legal organisations to create maximum impact.
Climate issues are high on political, business, and personal agendas with younger generations particularly concerned about the planet and demanding change from employers and suppliers. In the competitive world of talent or tendering for work, climate and sustainability policies and data to back that up are increasingly at the forefront of those business-critical decisions.
Over the coming years, BLS will be supporting the work of our members with events and information with practical hints and tips and resources to assist members on the road to NetZero, ESG compliance and general sustainability issues.
If you would like to become more involved with the Climate and Sustainability Group, please contact Helen.read@bristollawsociety.com.
Useful resources
Bristol focused
- one-city-climate-strategy.pdf (bristolonecity.com)
- Richard Martin – Climate Strategy Co-ordinator, Richard coordinates the delivery of the One City Climate Change strategy with external partners and is keen to engage with the local legal sector sharing challenges and solutions.
- https://bristolgreencapital.org/
- Guide to Climate risks: building resilience - We’ve published a guide to help businesses understand and prepare for the impact of a changing climate – a really important and often neglected topic.
- Case studies - Our latest case studies include Watershed giving an overview of their Carbon Literacy initiative, and SS Great Britain and Bristol Sport sharing their climate journey so far and top tips.
- SDG Alliance
Legal Sector focused
- Legal Sustainability Alliance (LSA)
- Net Zero Lawyers Alliance
- The Chancery Lane Project
- The Law Society
- Landmark Information Group/Risk Horizon