Global, sector-focused law firm HFW has been certified by The Planet Mark for the sixth consecutive year in recognition of its continued efforts to reduce its environmental impact.
HFW has measured and published carbon footprint data since 2015 and has reduced its CO2 emissions per person by almost two-thirds over that period.
In 2021, HFW launched a new global sustainability strategy and appointed Giles Kavanagh, who was recently elected as the firm’s new Global Senior Partner, as its first sustainability partner.
Among HFW’s various sustainability initiatives, the firm’s London office uses 100% renewable energy and now recycles more than 75% of all waste, with general (non-recyclable) waste transported by barge along the River Thames to an energy-from-waste plant, which feeds into the National Grid and creates enough energy each year to power more than 35 homes for a month.
HFW’s London office canteen has been plastic free since 2018, its caterers have a strict requirement to use sustainable ingredients and products with the lowest possible food miles, and its coffee supplier empowers the homeless by training them to be baristas.
Giles Kavanagh, Sustainability Partner and Global Senior Partner Elect, HFW:
“Sustainability is a key priority for us at HFW, and one that we see as being critical to the future success of our business – not just in terms of the environmental impact of our own operations, but also how we work with clients to help them achieve their sustainability goals.”
Mike Forshaw, Head of Property and Facilities, HFW:
“Our approach is to ensure that sustainability is a key consideration in every decision that we make in relation to our built environment, from the buildings that we occupy to our choice of utilities providers and the suppliers that we work with. That can be more challenging in some of the markets in which we have offices, but we’re a global law firm and this is a genuine priority for us, so it’s something we’re committed to tackling on a global basis.”
