(LAWFUEL) – Chapman Tripp received a Judges Commendation award in the Emerging Large and Corporate category at the 2008 Northern Sustainable Business Network Awards, held in Auckland on Thursday 28 August. Express Couriers won the main prize for the category and Criterion Furniture took the overall award for Sustainable Business of the Year.
Chapman Tripp launched a firm-wide sustainable business project in mid-2007, and since then has implemented a variety of initiatives to address its environmental footprint. These have included new recycling systems, contributing to a dramatic reduction in waste sent to landfill (for example, a 90% paper waste reduction in the Auckland office and 92% reduction in organic waste in the Wellington office); a review of purchasing practices resulting in the replacement of many products used within the firm with more sustainable options; and the replacement of PCs and monitors across the firm with more energy efficient models and the donation of old PCs to schools and charities. An internal electricity conservation campaign also encouraged staff to reduce the amount of energy they use.
The firm is also actively involved in the development of thinking and policy on climate change, including hosting a climate change symposium last year, and providing legal advice to clients on climate change policy, numerous energy projects and carbon trading initiatives.
The firm’s sustainable business project manager, Jessica Meech, says that she is delighted to receive the award which recognises the efforts of staff right across the firm over the last year.
“We have achieved a great deal since we launched our sustainable business project, but we still have more work to do. We are currently looking at the firm’s energy usage and air travel to see where we can make further improvements,” she says.
The judges of the award commended Chapman Tripp for its comprehensive sustainability programme, including a focus on social as well as environmental aspects, and the use of novel and innovative ways of communicating internally.
The criteria for the “Emerging” category required that an entrant be a business that is new to sustainability and has actively begun implementing sustainable actions within the last two years.
Sustainable Business Award Win for Chapman Tripp
