Spotlight on Environment
2028 Ambitions
Raising the bar on our environmental performance
During 2024/25, we sustained our commitment to advancing our environmental data practices and refining our carbon accounting methodology. This work has resulted in material changes to the figures we are reporting in this year’s Annual Review and marks an important step towards the long-term objectives of our Responsible Business Strategy.
Below, you can read more about the improvements we have made to our environmental data and carbon accounting methodology, and the rationale behind those changes, operational upgrades to our London office, and our investment in an innovative carbon removal project in collaboration with other law firms and Save the Children Global Ventures.
In a rapidly evolving regulatory and commercial landscape, we cannot afford to stand still on our environmental reporting. Looking ahead, our focus for the next reporting year will be to review our baseline year and our net zero targets. This target will position us to provide a clear and consistent trajectory of our progress, enabling meaningful, like-for-like comparisons over time.
Better data, better decisions
A key development in the past year has been the adoption of a new platform specifically designed to gather and track data and carbon emissions related to our operations.
This platform has streamlined our carbon accounting process and contributed to enhanced accuracy. This advancement ensures that we have a more up-to-date assessment of our environmental impact and comprehensive management insights to make changes.
In 2024/25, we also updated our carbon inventory and methodology. As a result, we improved our Scope 3 emissions reporting, now including expanded reported in the “Purchased Goods and Services” category for the first time. This accounted for about 8,752 tCO₂e, representing a considerable jump compared to previous years. This figure also includes emissions from refurbishment projects, which we know have a notable impact on the increased total.
With a smaller impact on Scope 3, other improvements were made; in particular, we have added new sources to our carbon inventory, such as activity data from courier services, along with updated information on employee commuting and homeworking.
Carbon emissions (2024/25)
Total UK carbon emissions for the reporting year 1 May 2024 – 30 April 2025
Note: * The original baseline for 2019/20 did not include Purchased Goods and Services emissions, so the like-for-like figure for 2024/25 presented here is calculated using the same approach. Our methodology and baseline year is currently under review, so we have also presented our updated figure for comparison as described above.
**Calculated using revised methodology.
UK emissions for the year reporting 1 May 2024 – 30 April 2025
Breakdown of Scope 3 total carbon emissions
Achieving BREEAM ‘Excellent’ at our London office
The recent refurbishment of our London office, completed between January 2024 and April 2025, has been officially certified as BREEAM ‘Excellent’, with a score of 79.4% under the BREEAM UK Refurbishment and Fit-out 2014 scheme. This achievement highlights our dedication to sustainable design, operational efficiency, and maintaining high environmental standards.
Key carbon-related measures were embedded throughout the refurbishment: we upgraded our office lighting to energy-efficient LED systems, the newly designed open-plan layout supports more effective heating and cooling, and the optimised use of 40,000 sq. ft. of space helps to further increase efficiency.
Our early monitoring of the new measures indicates a 20% reduction in energy use in the initial months following the project’s completion, compared with 2023 figures. We estimate that this will save over 141,527 kWh every year, which is equivalent to avoiding 29 tonnes of carbon emissions annually, demonstrating the improvements are already delivering substantial energy savings.
Following the success of the project, we have continued to pursue other sustainability upgrades within our London headquarters. For example, LED lighting installations were carried out on the ground floor and are soon to extend to a portion of the eighth floor. Upon completion, the office will be equipped with LED lighting and PIR sensor controls throughout most of the building. These steps aim to maximise energy savings and further improve operational efficiency.
reduction in energy use in the initial months
we estimate that this will save over
kWh every year
Unlocking climate impact through carbon finance
In February 2025, we joined eight UK law firms, including: Freshfields, Clyde & Co, Slaughter and May, DLA Piper, Taylor Wessing, and Simmons & Simmons, to embark on a new carbon finance collaboration with leading NGO, Save the Children Global Ventures (SCGV), an investment arm of Save the Children UK.
Under SCGV’s model, member firms fund one or more carbon projects in return for a share of the carbon credits generated. These projects aim to deliver carbon removal, rather than avoidance (e.g. planting trees, rather than just reducing deforestation), and seek strong social, climate and environmental benefits by design.
Initial funding facilitated by the collaboration is targeting agroforestry and reforestation in and around the tea-growing areas of the Nandi region in Kenya where child poverty, malnutrition and food insecurity are high, and climate change is impacting farmers.
The initiative is a first for the legal sector in terms of collaboration for greater impact and sets out a new pathway for the evolution of voluntary carbon markets. “Beyond the direct impact of the climate action projects we fund, we hope that this model will inspire and provide a template for more climate finance collaborations, in the legal sector and beyond,” says Kerry Stares, Partner and Director of Responsible Business.
2026/27 Responsible Business Environment goals include:
- Reviewing the output of our climate risk and opportunities assessment and building findings into a draft transition plan.
- Working with international colleagues to map the availability of environmental data for international offices and building available data into an updated carbon emissions baseline.
- Modelling a new carbon reduction trajectory and proposed targets for the entire Firm, aligned with the Paris Climate Agreement.
Alumni • Legal Notices • Accessibility • Privacy Notice • Fraudulent or 'scam' communication • Complaints Procedure • Pricing Information
© Charles Russell Speechlys 2025. Solicitors Regulation Authority number 420625.