Case Study: Planet Mark And Environmental Sustainability At Acuity Law
In February 2023, we were thrilled to announce that Acuity Law had achieved Planet Mark accreditation.
The right changes. The right choices.
We know that sustainability is a journey – and it’s one we are committed to taking. We are excited about measuring and improving our carbon footprint year on year by making informed changes to our operations and business procedures.
What is Planet Mark?
Planet Mark is an organisation that benchmarks companies against the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, certifying those that are making progress towards greater sustainability and reducing their impact on the environment.
Accredited companies must not sit back. Planet Mark certification is an annual process, and companies must meet personalised targets set by Planet Mark to retain their accreditation.
How did Acuity Law achieve its accreditation?
Last year, members of our ESG committee prepared an exhaustive report, in which we shared details of our sustainability footprint across all our offices between December 2021 and November 2022 with Planet Mark.
After a meticulous information-gathering process, we were able to produce evidence transparently documenting the total carbon emissions generated by our buildings, business travel, waste and water consumption.
It was a valuable exercise in auditing and understanding exactly where our carbon output is generated, as we uncovered the sources of the energy we use, our waste disposal routes, the composition of our paper, how each office performs individually, and much more.
Planet Mark then delved into our data, analysing and scoring us across each area. Together with our accreditation, it set us a target to achieve before next year’s review.
What did Acuity discover?
Source: Acuity Law Planet Mark report 2022
Fast facts:
- All of the waste generated by the Cardiff office is recycled and diverted from landfill through one of our sustainable suppliers
- 100% of our paper is FSC/PEFC certified and all carbon is offset
- 100% of the electricity used to power our Cardiff office is from renewable energy sources
- Planet Mark has protected one acre of Peruvian rainforest in the name of Acuity Law
- Our employees donated 58 voluntary hours to supporting voluntary community or social enterprise organisations (VCSOs)
What is Acuity’s target over the next year?
By 2050, every UK business must be net-zero by law. With the help of Planet Mark, we have committed to reducing our annual carbon emissions by 5% for the 2022/2023 financial year with the ultimate gal of achieving net zero emissions in the not-so-distant future.
