Collaborating for climate and social impact
A collaborative carbon-removal model delivering climate action, stronger livelihoods and long-term resilience for communities most affected by climate change.
When Freshfields first committed to climate action in 2007, we did so with a clear purpose: to take responsibility for our footprint and to support communities on the frontlines of climate impact. That commitment deepened in 2015 when we moved from one-off purchases of carbon credits to a 10-year partnership agreement. The result was the Reforestation in East Africa Program (REAP) – a project designed not only to remove carbon emissions but to sustain livelihoods in Uganda and Kenya.
Working together through the Legal Charter 1.5 collaboration and Save the Children Global Ventures (SCGV), Freshfields helped design a new model for collective climate action – one that delivers carbon removal while strengthening livelihoods and resilience in communities most affected by climate change.
Building on the success of our REAP program, we joined forces with SCGV and Legal Charter 1.5 to pioneer a new collaborative approach to carbon removal. The initiative brings together nine major law firms to fund large-scale agroforestry and reforestation projects in climate-vulnerable regions, beginning in Kenya’s Nandi County – where child poverty and environmental degradation intersect.
A new model for collective climate action
Unlike traditional carbon offset schemes where individual firms purchase credits from existing projects, this model pools resources across participating law firms to fund new, high-quality carbon removal initiatives. It delivers efficiencies of scale while prioritizing projects that create tangible social co-benefits – improving the welfare of families in areas where climate impacts are most severe, through improved farm resilience and productivity, as well as nutritional diversity.
Freshfields advised SCGV pro bono on the framework underpinning the partnership, ensuring it can scale efficiently as demand for collective investment in climate adaptation and resilience grows. The approach required meticulous legal work building on the Freshfields team’s deep experience advising corporates on large and innovative carbon removal schemes.
Freshfields drafted the agreement behind an information wall to ensure that all participating firms could work together in a fair and transparent manner. One of the key challenges was managing the complexities of the multi-party structure, with each firm needing to coordinate and agree on common goals. A further balancing act was protecting SCGV’s position while ensuring the carbon removal credit transactions remained compliant with financial regulation and competition frameworks. Additional advice was provided by Freshfields’ competition lawyers and its financial regulation team.
Impact for communities and the climate
The program is expected to offset thousands of tons of CO₂ annually. For local families, it means stronger livelihoods, healthier ecosystems and greater food security. Winning the Legal ESG Awards 2025, and Highly Commended at The Lawyer Awards 2025 and the Legal Business Awards 2025, its innovation and collective impact have already been recognized. Above all, the initiative demonstrates how the legal profession can act together to deliver measurable climate and social progress, turning shared commitment into impact.