Allen & Overy signs the Campaign for Greener Arbitrations: The Green Pledge

Launched in 2019, the Green Pledge is seeking to reduce the carbon footprint of international arbitrations through behavioural change.

In signing, A&O has committed, among other things, to make efforts to reduce energy consumption and waste in arbitral practice; make use of technology to reduce travel, facilitate virtual hearings and meetings; avoid unnecessary travel and off-set carbon emissions of essential arbitration-related travel (Allen & Overy already carbon offsets business travel); and where possible, use suppliers and service providers, which are themselves committed to reducing their environmental impact.

“A&O’s International Arbitration team has been evolving its arbitral practice in response to climate change, deploying technology and virtual solutions to streamline the arbitral process and drive efficiencies for our clients,” said Suzanne Spears, partner in International Arbitration, and one of the leaders of the firm’s ESG group. “The Covid-19 pandemic has sped up the process and, following it, while some hearings will inevitably return to ‘in person’, we will not go back to business as usual because of the environmental impact. We are pleased to commit to the Green Pledge.”

Allen & Overy has developed a range of resources on virtual hearings, drawing on the experiences and expertise of our global dispute resolution team. To view these resources, visit A&O’s Evolution of dispute resolution - virtual hearings hub, which includes a podcast where International Arbitration partners Kirsten O’Connell (Dubai) and Kate Davies McGill (London) discuss the question: Virtual hearings – are they here to stay?

For more information on the Green Pledge, please visit https://www.greenerarbitrations.com/