Staff at Royds Withy King have taken part in a number of activities during the firm’s annual Green Week to understand how small changes in the workplace can have a big impact on the environment.
During the week-long campaign, staff took part in a number of green initiatives including lunchtime walks, video conference training sessions, green commutes and a photography competition to find the most creative visualisation of ‘My green Bath’.
Each of the initiatives were linked to areas for improvement identified by the firm, including paper consumption, electricity, waste management and inter-office travel.
The firm has been taking steps to reduce electricity and paper consumption, with regular “switch off” campaigns and a green desk-side bin policy, resulting in significant improvements in behaviour.
Inter-office travel has also been tackled with the introduction of an upgraded video conferencing system which calculates the miles saved for each session, allowing staff to understand the difference they are making by using an alternative to travelling.
Commenting on the success of the campaign, Ian Carrier, partner and Chair of Royds Withy King’s Green Group, said: “Our Green Week is an opportunity for us to reflect on what has been achieved over the past five years, while at the same time encouraging collaboration and a bit of fun.
“The events that took place across the offices were a great way to reinforce the larger aims that the Green Group are working towards in practical ways that individuals can apply to their own behavior.
“It’s also a time where we can look to the future and think about how we can continue to improve our sustainability and minimise our environmental impact.”
To demonstrate the commitment to further reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions, Royds Withy King has signed up to the Low Carbon Workplace Charter and is working towards certification in the Low Carbon Workplace Standard.
Royds Withy King is also a member of the Legal Sustainability Alliance which allows UK law firms to benchmark their carbon footprint against others in their sector.
Since 2013, Royds Withy King has reduced its carbon footprint from 1.5 to 1.07 tonnes of CO2 per employee. The firm has the sixth lowest carbon footprint per employee when compared with the data of 60 law firms, as set out in the Legal Sustainability Alliance’s latest annual report.
