Environmental Social
Governance Statement.

Here’s the thing …

What we offer is intangible – try holding legal advice in your hands, yet our actions are having an impact on both society and the environment. When this impact is positive, we’re delighted. When it is detrimental we know we have work to do to make improvements!

So HM3 Legal is taking action.

In 2023 we are aiming to be a B Corp (benefit corporation). As you read this we are busy reviewing, measuring and setting targets for improvement. By embedding purpose into the business we are becoming a force for good, championing change in professional services.

Being ‘seen’ to be green is not how we roll. We are committed to changing lives for the better for clients, colleagues and communities.

We are behind changing UK law to ensure every company in the UK aligns their interests with those of wider society and the environment.

There are plenty of terms and buzz words around: ESG, socio-enviro, sustainability, going green, green economy, #greenwashing and blue rinsing (actually we added the extra one in at the end).

Being the difference. That is our Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) statement in a nutshell.

It means we are not content to say we want to make a difference, we’re making a difference by taking action in three main areas:

  1. People. Our personal and professional development programme is designed to nurture individuals so they can progress. We offer an inclusive environment which encourages diversity and equality, leaving no-one behind. We give back time and resources to our local communities by supporting charities and organisations, and sponsoring events which make a tangible difference to peoples’ lives. We work with our collaborators and partners to promote sustainable ways of doing business.
  2. Planet. We continue to review the impact of our business practices are having on the environment: reducing consumption and waste, increasing up-cycling and re-cycling and being responsible for hazardous waste. Our sustainability goals are addressing ways to lessen our negative impact both at work and while working from home. We are opening up new discussions with our supply chain so encouraging others to make sustainable choices.
  3. Prosperity. Focussing only on the bottom line is, well, so last century. The world would benefit from more businesses having a bigger purpose beyond making gazillions in profit. Just because they can. Sometimes with disregard for much else. We believe this is not the path to build a bright future for people or the planet. We want to grow our business in a sustainable way and are putting internal processes in place to achieve this goal.

Why be a sustainable business?

Research by B Lab UK shows that:

76% of the UK public think business should have a legal responsibility to the planet and people, alongside maximising profits

And according to Forbes:

88% of customers want businesses to step in and help them to make a difference to social and environmental issues.

Reducing our impact: office and home working

We are taking steps to reduce the direct and indirect impact our business is having on people and the planet. We are an information-heavy industry – relying on paper and real and virtual storage. We are calculating the impact of running our our offices, and over the next year or so are (ambitiously!) aiming to calculate our homeworking impact, and displaced emissions too.

HM3’s Road to Net Zero

We are meeting challenges, but we are committed to having a clearer view of our impact so we can set credible, science-based reduction targets. We may not achieve what we want to in 2023, but we are continuing to improve wherever we can.

HM3 Legal is developing an Impact Report that will set out key goals, targets and results. Our 5 areas:

  1. Minimising our greenhouse gas emissions.
  2. Auditing and reducing the impact of materials, adopting responsible procurement where possible.
  3. Reducing waste and increasing recycling.
  4. Taking action on the climate by raising awareness and forming partnerships that contribute to achieving the Paris Agreement.