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Freshfields joins ‘RE100’ as it accelerates new global environment strategy
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer ('Freshfields') has joined the global RE100 initiative, cementing its commitment to source 100 per cent renewable electricity for all its offices by 2030 as part of its new five-year global environment strategy.
RE100 is a global initiative that brings together the world’s most influential businesses driving the transition to 100 per cent renewable electricity.
Georgia Dawson, Freshfields Senior Partner, commented: “Our partnership with RE100 demonstrates our commitment to 100 per cent renewable electricity across the firm and is an important next step in our sustainability journey. We are proud to join other RE100 member organisations in the collective effort to achieve a greener future. We have already started working towards the environment targets we announced in January, improving our positive impact on the planet as a firm as well as supporting clients in their own transition to a sustainable future.”
Mike Peirce, Corporate Partnerships Director, Climate Group, said “I am delighted to welcome Freshfields to RE100. By joining RE100 and committing to 100 per cent renewable electricity by 2030, Freshfields is taking an important step forward on improving their sustainability, joining a growing number of companies committed to driving market change. This sends a powerful message that renewable electricity makes good business sense, and we encourage others to follow.”
Freshfields’ partnership with RE100 is part of the next phase of its new global environmental strategy, which includes a target to source 100 per cent renewable electricity by 2030. The other new targets are:
• Reducing carbon from business travel by 30% by 2025 (against a 2019 baseline), building on a 13% reduction in carbon from travel already achieved since 2015/16;
• Reducing paper usage by 40% by 2025 (against a 2019 baseline), meaning that by 2025 the firm will have reduced its overall usage by more than 60% over the previous 10 years;
• Phasing out single-use plastics in all Freshfields offices by the end of 2021.
Freshfields’ partnership with RE100 follows over a decade of industry-leading environmental initiatives for the firm. These includes committing to carbon neutrality in 2007; setting up the award-winning 10-year ‘Reforestation in East Africa Programme’ (REAP) carbon offsetting scheme; signing up to set UN supported science-based targets over the next 12 months in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in line with the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement, and most recently signing the ‘Green Pledge’, an initiative led by the Campaign for Greener Arbitrations that seeks to reduce the carbon footprint and environmental impact of arbitrations.
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Notes to Editors:
Find out more on Freshfields’ global environment strategy and targets here.