In 2009 we took our local efforts to the next level, formally establishing a global policy and a platform to best direct initiatives and coordinate activities that support unified goals of the firm. The work of our Firmwide and local Green Committees continues to be strengthened by the dedicated lawyers and staff across the firm who put our practices into action everyday.
Firmwide Sustainability Mission Statement
Mayer Brown is committed to an eco-friendly working environment. We stress global education on environmental issues and focus on local action, keeping personnel informed about local activities and opportunities. We work at the firmwide department and local office level to implement sustainable business practices and effect positive change.
Global Commitment
Across our offices worldwide, we are committed to:
Sustainable Office Buildings
- Moving into office buildings that feature energy efficient design and facilitate sustainable practices.
- Several offices feature glass office walls, energy-efficient lighting, eco-friendly building materials and furniture, and energy-reducing motion sensors for light and water.
- London, Chicago and Washington, DC offices are located in buildings that hold, respectively, BREEAM “Excellent”, LEED Platinum and LEED Gold certifications.
Energy Reduction
- Educating our lawyers and staff on the impact of turning off monitors and computers at night, changing our US and European Information Systems policy to allow complete shut down overnight. This practice is projected to prevent the release of up to 825 tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere per year in our five European and seven US offices.
- Using energy efficient light bulbs and automatic presence detection lighting systems; we use timers in the open areas so that lights turn off at a set time after close of business.
Overall Waste Reduction
- Providing biodegradable utensils and re-usable mugs in office kitchens.
- Significantly reducing bottled water usage for internal and external meetings by providing pitchers of filtered water and glassware.
- Establishing robust recycling programs across the firm’s offices, including plastic, aluminium cans, glass bottles, paper and cardboard recycling.
- Consistently executing recycling programs for rechargeable batteries and technological waste such as cell phones, computers, printers and printer toner cartridges, compliant with regional e-waste regulations.
Responsible Paper Consumption
- Developing a PaperLess initiative, a multifaceted program to promote green workplace behaviors, adopt best practices and leverage technologies to reduce paper in the workplace. By 2017, our vision is to reduce our both off-site records inventory and physical consumption of paper by 60 percent.
- Changing imaging technologies across the firm—roughly 50 percent of all printers and copiers to date—with the understanding that consistent use of features such as double-sided or multiple page per sheet can dramatically decrease paper consumption.
- Using 30 percent post-consumer recycled paper in all offices and Forest Stewardship Counsel (FSC) certified paper for brochure printing.