Environmental responsibility

AusLSA reporting

MinterEllison was the first professional services firm in Australia to participate in the annual Corporate Responsibility Index and is now a member of the Australian Legal Sector Alliance (AusLSA), an organisation bringing together law firms who share a mission to work collaboratively in promoting sustainable practices across the legal sector.

Since reporting began in 2004, we have reduced our emissions by an impressive 41%.

Managing our footprint

As a provider of commercial legal services, our overall environmental footprint is relatively small. Nevertheless, where possible, we aim to minimise our use, and maximise our re-use of resources, including challenging our landlords to provide green alternatives in our tenancies. We continue to seek new opportunities to improve our environmental performance and reporting progress to our clients and the wider community.

Sustainable procurement

We are committed to assessing the environmental, social and economic impacts of our purchasing decisions. In doing so, 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.

We also seek to work with suppliers who:

• provide an assurance that no form of abuse or exploitation is permitted within their supply chain
• offer Fair Trade products where appropriate, and
• share our commitment to creating social benefits from unused or decommissioned products.