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Our policy commitments
Minter Ellison is committed to sound environmental practices. This is part of our broader commitment to corporate social responsibility. We are the first professional services firm in Australia to participate in the annual Corporate Responsibility Index.
As a provider of commercial legal services, our overall environmental 'footprint' is relatively small. Nevertheless, we aim to minimise our use (and, where possible, maximise our re-use) of the resources we utilise to deliver our services.
Regarding procurement, we are committed wherever possible to assessing the environmental, social and economic impacts of our purchasing decisions.
In considering environmental impact, we seek to purchase products that:
- minimise greenhouse gas emissions;
- maximise sustainability;
- utilise recycled content in production;
- are recyclable at life end;
- minimise the use of water;
- minimise toxicity; and
- are sourced from producers and/or suppliers with a proven record of environmental management and product stewardship
In considering social impact, we seek to work with suppliers who:
- provide assurance that no form of abuse or exploitation is permitted within their supply chain;
- offer Fair Trade products, where appropriate; and
- share Minter Ellison's commitment to creating social benefits from unused or decommissioned products
Regarding social stewardship, our core business is about assisting our clients to conduct their operations within the law – including environmental laws and regulations. Our Climate Change legal team assists our clients to maximise their environmental performance.
Our actions
Environment
Minter Ellison has been a member of the Commonwealth Government's Greenhouse Challenge since 2001. The Greenhouse Challenge provides us with a framework to reduce our total carbon emissions. Our aim is to reduce net emissions in the following main areas.
- As an office-based business, the single largest source of our carbon emissions is electricity consumption. We are committed to reducing our electricity-based emissions through a combination of electricity efficiency and the purchase of accredited GreenPower.
- All our printing and copying paper is produced from 50% recycled content and 50% sustainable forest plantations. We utilise duplex printing to reduce our paper consumption.
- Through our building managers, Minter Ellison participates in comprehensive recycling programs including paper, cardboard and other recyclable waste. We recycle our toner cartridges in partnership with Planet Ark and Lexmark.
In partnership with our building managers we have also implemented a series of water efficiency measures.
- We require all office appliances to be of a 4 star energy rating or above. We have introduced flat, LCD computer screens across the firm - which are twice as energy-efficient as the previous model. New multi-function devices (MFDs) have been introduced to combine copying, printing and scanning - resulting in further energy savings.
Social
We donate superseded computers to community organisation WorkVentures for its "Connect IT" program. In 2005, we donated 1,500 computers across Australia to Connect IT.
We source our client floor coffee from Republica, suppliers of Fair Trade coffee.
We donate leftover food, in compliance with food handling regulations, to OzHarvest in Sydney and One Umbrella in Melbourne.
Our future commitments
Energy Management Plans are being formulated for implementation in each office to achieve ongoing improvement in energy efficiency.
Our ultimate goal is to operate a carbon neutral business. Our commitment to GreenPower and reduced electricity consumption takes us a long way down this path.
We will continue to seek new opportunities to improve our environmental performance and report progress to our clients and the wider community.
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