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Working collaboratively to promote sustainable practice across the legal sector

News & Views

  • 15 February 2024 5:20 PM | Kelvin O'Connor (Administrator)

    More and more companies are not speaking up about their sustainability initiatives for fear of exposing failures, or being afraid of 'not doing enough'

    This is discussed in this article from Sustainable Brands.

    In the wake of governments cracking down on greenwashing, and facing the reputational risk involved, organisations are becoming more cautious. To avoid risks of greenwashing under increased scrutiny, it is necessary to be able to back up your claims with evidence — and as this can be difficult without the right data and tracking in place, it becomes easier and safer to communicate less.

  • 15 February 2024 12:45 PM | Kelvin O'Connor (Administrator)

    A new collaborative study from climate risk analysis firm EMMI, UNSW Sydney, Griffith University and the University of Otago has found that reported emissions from over 1200 companies, under-estimates their scope-3 emissions by 44 percent.

    Scope 3 emissions account for the highest proportion of total emissions, however it’s the least likely scope to be reported on because companies typically focus on emission categories that don’t generate huge amounts of emissions, like business travel, while avoiding the carbon emissions involved in carbon intensive categories like 'product use'. Read the article from the UNSW Newsroom HERE.


  • 15 February 2024 9:52 AM | Kelvin O'Connor (Administrator)

    Sustainable Business Council members KPMG New Zealand and Kantar have released an insightful reporting looking at the sustainability transformation landscape in Aotearoa New Zealand, featuring thoughts from leading sustainability professionals around the impetus for change, barriers, drivers, opportunities, and how the consulting industry can best support their goals.

    One of the conclusions in the report finds that businesses view sustainability opportunities and challenges through the lens of broader business transformation. See the report HERE

  • 15 February 2024 8:49 AM | Kelvin O'Connor (Administrator)

    Under the Public Works and Procurement Act 1912 (NSW), government agencies must take reasonable steps to ensure that goods and services procured by and for the agency are not the product of modern slavery within the meaning of the Modern Slavery Act 2018 (NSW) and must report on these steps and related matters.

    The NSW Anti-slavery Commissioner has issued some guidance on reasonable steps to remedy modern slavery, effective from 1 January 2024.

    The guidance is issued under the Commissioner's statutory monitoring, consultation, public awareness and advice functions. It includes a suite of new resources to help government agencies manage modern slavery risk in their operations and supply chains. See more HERE


  • 15 February 2024 7:49 AM | Kelvin O'Connor (Administrator)

    The UN Global Compact Network Australia will launch their 2024 Program via a webinar on March 5.

    Go to their website HERE to register in time to attend, or at least get the recordings.

    Hear from Executive Director Kate Dundas, and The UN Global Compact team including:

    You will have the opportunity to ask questions and gain access to early announcements of important event dates for this year.

    Can’t attend the webinar? Register anyway to receive the recording and presentation.

  • 05 February 2024 7:32 AM | Kelvin O'Connor (Administrator)

    In a story from Lawyers Weekly, national law firm McCabes Lawyers has launched a new initiative and internship program to support and encourage Indigenous youth into a legal career.

    McCabes say this is a "step in the right direction" and aim to provide a supportive environment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students within the legal industry. Read the Lawyers Weekly article HERE

  • 30 January 2024 8:39 AM | Kelvin O'Connor (Administrator)

    As part of the  Workplace Gender Equality Amendment (Closing the Gender Pay Gap) Bill which was passed in 202, WGEA will publish the gender pay gap for employers with a workforce of 100 or more employees from mid February 2024.

     Employers are encouraged to read about these changes in the extensive WGEA guide to the understanding the WGEA reforms as they include additional requirements for employers starting from late 2023.

    The process of publishing employer gender pay gaps will happen in stages, due to the way the legislation was designed. 

    Go to the WGEA website HERE to find out more about employer obligations.

  • 25 January 2024 10:05 AM | Kelvin O'Connor (Administrator)

    The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), one of the leading organisations promoting standardized ESG reporting, has announced the publication  of “GRI 101: Biodiversity 2024,” a major update to its  Biodiversity Standard, aimed at enabling companies to publicly disclose on their most significant biodiversity impacts, and how they are managed.

    Read more about this in an article from Mark Segal, from ESG Today.

  • 24 January 2024 9:27 AM | Kelvin O'Connor (Administrator)

    In an article from HR Leader, studies show that 11 per cent of the Australian population identify as part of the LGBTI community, however less than 1% of chief executive positions are held by people openly identifying as part of this community.

    The article notes that employers can do their part to reduce the divide by creating development opportunities for LGBTI workers and a diverse leadership team can bring together a variety of perspectives and experiences. 

    Read more in the HR Leader article HERE.

  • 18 January 2024 5:31 PM | Kelvin O'Connor (Administrator)

    At COP28 this year, the SBTi marked more than 4,000 businesses with validated science-based targets. This figure has doubled annually: from 2,000 last year and 1,000 the year before. To match the growing demand for credible corporate climate action, and for those organisations who want to have their targets validated, the SBTi has released a set of new and improved resources to further increase efficiency and transparency.

    The science-based target validation documents being released and updated are:

    Procedure for Validation of SBTi Targets - new document to consolidate practical information on setting targets and explain how the SBTi implements criteria and standards.

    SBTi Criteria Assessment Indicators - a new document that collates all criteria from near-term, net-zero and sector-specific guidance and outlines minimum documentation requirements for alignment.

    SBTi Corporate Target Submission Form - an updated resource for companies to develop their targets and submit them to the SBTi for assessment.

    See the SBTi website release HERE for more information. 

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