April 22, Earth Day
First commemorated in 1970 by not many, today more than 193 countries are recognizing April 22 as Earth Day. Over the years, important events have marked that day, such as the signing of the Paris agreement in 2016.
In 2015, all United Nations member countries committed to the 17 sustainable development goals to promote prosperity and protect the planet. Since then, consequently, we have all been assuming the commitment and good practices with sustainability.
Companies with solid programs or initiatives in environmental and social management are better valued in the corporate world. New generations entering the labor market prefer companies that care about the environmental impact and those working to offer them a better future.
When choosing their legal strategic allies, clients often evaluate sustainable operating practices through third-party audits. This year, among the top 10 trends in risk and compliance is the ESG risk, or Environmental Social and Governance risk.
Creating value and at the same time mitigating risks go hand in hand with the quantifiable strategy in managing environmental and social criteria in law firms. The strategy includes traditional corporate compliances to incorporate environmental and social responsibility in its operations. And, also, measure progress.
In the case of law firms, we can seek guidance and familiarize ourselves with standards in the legal industry through the sustainability network for law firms. It is time to act, to get ahead of the regulation curve.
In Russin, Vecchi & Heredia Bonetti, within our sustainability program, more than 10 years ago we implemented a series of best practices:
- We were a pioneer among law firms in the Dominican Republic in becoming aware of and adopting a solid waste recycling program, starting with paper recycling and then continuing with plastics.
- Promote training in solid waste management, dissemination of the 3Rs Culture: reduce – reuse – recycle, awareness of the team and, more broadly, the community, about the responsibility of people to the environment.
- Awareness campaign regarding the use of clean energy in the vehicle fleet.
- Participation in beach cleaning and reforestation
- Operations management practices, such as the regulation of environmental temperature, virtualization of servers, digitization, and use of biodegradable disposables, among others.
Other operations management procedures in support of sustainable development goals include the installation of solar panels, use of motion sensors to control lighting, travel restrictions for work, and hybrid work to reduce travel times to name a few.
In the Dominican Republic, there is still a long way to go, but the good news is that institutions like AMCHAMDR have a Sustainability Committee which has organized workshops to promote innovation and transformation towards sustainable development goals. Particularly important because as we become more aware of environmental issues, trained personnel will be required to lead processes of change towards sustainability.
What is certain is that regardless of the regulations or the risks, our decisions, and the commitments we make today with our planet will represent the consequences, for our children, tomorrow.
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