Iberdrola España launches plan to decarbonise the legal sector

• It is a pioneering and comprehensive approach to help the legal sector to reduce and neutralise their emissions.
• They will be helped to calculate their carbon footprint and establish a plan to reduce it, as well as to participate in carbon sequestration projects and to create a forest of high ecological and social value.

Iberdrola España has launched a plan to decarbonise the legal sector. It is a pioneering and comprehensive approach to help the law firms it works with to reduce and neutralise their emissions. This plan will be based on three axes:

• Calculation of carbon footprint and preparation of a decarbonisation plan through a platform, which will dynamically prepare a personalised study of the economic and energy saving measures with the greatest impact for each office, based on their consumption and facilities, as well as responding to regulatory compliance.
• Advice and preferential conditions in the implementation of energy reduction and saving measures based on the decarbonisation solutions offered by Iberdrola Clientes, such as the electrification of the vehicle fleet (Smart Mobility), more efficient solutions for air conditioning such as Aerothermial (Smart Clima) or self-consumption solutions (Smart Solar). 
• For those emissions that are difficult to eliminate, Iberdrola España will facilitate participation in projects that contribute to the fixation and absorption of carbon in nature. These projects generate high quality carbon credits, with multiple social and environmental benefits.

Furthermore, as an outstanding milestone, this plan will offer the possibility of participating in the development of an emblematic natural project for the sector in Spain. This will involve the creation of a forest that will recover a degraded or burnt area, which will contribute to tackling climate change, favouring biodiversity and boosting the rural economy.

For Marta Luengo, Head of Iberdrola's Innovation and Sustainability Legal Services, "this initiative shows the clear commitment of Iberdrola España's General Secretariat and Board to the sustainability strategy – in this case promoting decarbonisation and the fight against climate change. With the support of other entities, we will create a forest that will capture CO2, provide a habitat for a variety of species and promote the structuring of the territory".

For Luis Buil, Director of Smart Solutions at Iberdrola Clientes, "the energy transition towards a carbon neutral economy will require significant efforts in all sectors, and the electrification of demand is often the most efficient way to do so – with solutions such as electric mobility, electrification of heat or self-consumption. As part of our commitment to decarbonisation, at Iberdrola Clientes España we put all the means at our disposal to promote sustainability among all our stakeholders".

An innovative legal area

Iberdrola España's General and Board Secretariat is leading legal innovation from its Legal Innovation Centre. Just a few months ago it launched "Construyendo Juntos" ("Building Together"), a multidisciplinary project through which professionals from Iberdrola España's Legal and Tax Services will provide training services as well as legal and tax advice of the highest quality to non-profit organisations. All this in collaboration with lawyers from the 14 signatory law firms. This initiative is enabling the beneficiary entities to cover their current and future training needs on legal and tax matters. To this end, Iberdrola España professionals and collaborating law firms will contribute their knowledge and work on a voluntary basis in a task of a strong social nature.

In February, the Centre for Legal Innovation launched the first forum for sustainable legal advice, which was joined by other IBEX companies. Through this forum, the Centre for Legal Innovation has created a space for the legal sector of large companies to reflect on legal and sustainability issues under ESG (Environment, Social and Governance) criteria. The event brought together the legal departments of four large IBEX35 companies along with the country's leading law firms, law schools, business schools, as well as legal advice from other companies.

The law firms of the future are improving their work and data systems with the use of technology and the digitisation of their decision-making processes and establishing reporting schemes that include ESG criteria. This culture has an impact on the profile of the lawyer of this new era, who, in addition to their advice, seeks to generate a positive impact on society and collaborate with the social and sustainable strategies of their companies.