Environmental Sustainability

In addition to our unparalleled Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) + Sustainability practice and our Sustainability-Focused Pro Bono endeavors, we aim to “walk the walk and talk the talk” by ensuring we undertake initiatives to advance environmental sustainability in our operations as well.

Environmental Sustainability Committee 2024 Annual Report

We invite you to explore Morrison Foerster’s continued commitment to reducing our environmental impact and advancing sustainability across our global operations. Each annual report highlights the firm’s progress toward key environmental goals, shares insights into our initiatives, and details how we’re implementing meaningful changes across our offices.

Together, these reports reflect the actions we’re taking to embed sustainability into our day-to-day operations and long-term strategy.

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Past Annual Reports

Strategy

Firmwide Environmental Sustainability Strategy

At Morrison Foerster, our Firmwide Environmental Sustainability Strategy reflects our leadership and longstanding commitment to environmental stewardship. The strategy enables us to meet regulatory requirements, support our clients’ sustainability goals, and maintain a strong reputation in the legal and business communities.

The strategy consists of five key focus areas, each guided by core priority issues that embody Morrison Foerster’s values of responsibility, transparency, and client alignment. These priorities shape firmwide goals, reflecting our long-term sustainability ambitions, while office-specific objectives allow tailored, actionable steps that address immediate operational needs.

Our framework balances overarching ambitions with customized actions across offices in which offices can define their individual focuses, targets, and measures to ensure relevance and adaptability.

Designed to evolve over time, our strategy incorporates regular assessments, including biennial Climate Risk and Opportunity Assessments (CROA), to remain responsive to regulatory shifts, client expectations, and emerging sustainability trends.

Guided by transparency, collaboration, and active employee and stakeholder engagement, our approach empowers our teams and partners to drive continuous improvement and meaningful environmental impact, fostering a cohesive and adaptive approach to sustainability across the firm.

Key Objectives

Climate Impact and Energy

Science-Based Target: Reduce absolute scope 1, 2, and 3 GHG emissions 46.55% by 2030 from a 2019 base year.

Renewable Energy: Purchase 100% of U.S. office’s energy consumption with Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) by 2025.

Energy Efficiency: Implement energy-efficient upgrades (e.g., LED lighting, smart HVAC systems) in offices where feasible.

Waste Management

Plastic: Achieve a 100% phase-out of single-use plastics in all leased office common areas by 2025.

Paper: Reduce paper consumption and improve printing efficiency across offices.

Sustainable Procurement and Supply Chain

Partner with environmentally responsible suppliers and implement procurement policies and guidance that prioritize sustainable materials, products, and services, in alignment with our Supplier Code of Conduct.

Engage with suppliers to increase transparency and obtain environmental performance data that supports our GHG emissions reduction goals.

Develop reporting practices aligned with recognized sustainability frameworks to track progress and improve scoring.

Environmental Governance and Reporting

Maintain and evolve internal policies and oversight practices to reflect the firm’s environmental sustainability responsibilities and priorities.

Advance ESG reporting by aligning with recognized frameworks and pursuing external assurance to support transparency and stakeholder confidence.

Employee and Client Engagement

Strengthen internal engagement by offering meaningful opportunities for employees to participate in sustainability initiatives and shape firmwide culture.

Expand programming through campaigns, pledges, and Environmental Sustainability Committee engagement to foster connection, awareness, and shared ownership.

Support community and client impact by integrating environmental values into pro bono work, partnerships, and outreach efforts.

Governance

Environmental Sustainability Committee

The Environmental Sustainability (ES) Committee, consisting of attorneys and business professionals, oversees environmental sustainability initiatives, sets goals, and communicates progress annually to the board of directors. Several board members focus their practice on environmental sustainability and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) related topics. Currently, over 100 attorneys and business professionals firmwide participate on the ES Committee, identifying unique sustainability opportunities across offices.

The Committee is structured into three distinct levels:

Steering Committee: Sets overarching goals and provides high-level direction for all Environmental Sustainability Committee activities.
Firmwide Committee: Develops and integrates firmwide sustainability policies, identifies collaboration opportunities, and represents office committees.
Office Committees: Proposes local initiatives, reviews firmwide deliverables, implements strategies, and fosters a sustainability culture in each office.

Sustainability