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Home / Expertise / Sectors / Sustainable Future / Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance
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Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance

We can help investors assess the ESG impact of their investments as well as supporting organisations with integrating ESG factors into their work practices.

ESG has moved beyond being a risk assessment tool used to determine the extent to which an investment adheres to environmental, social or governance best practice and has now become management shorthand for talking about values, ethical behaviour and sustainability generally.  We now see ESG being used by a variety of organisations as a way of articulating their culture and values to the public and to showcase governance initiatives like diversity, equity and inclusion. It also provides a platform for organisations to shout about their positive impact and highlight the more compassionate side of their work.

We act for investors who want to understand the Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) impact of their investments.

Our work includes:

  • Advising investors and investees regarding ESG and social impact investment and how to hold investment consultants and managers to account.
  • Advising businesses looking to embed a social purpose within their organisation and achieve social change, including mission statements, asset locks, constitutional structures and golden shares.
  • Advising social enterprises, registered charities, community interest companies and other forms of non-profit organisations.
  • Supporting businesses with setting up corporate foundations so as to enhance their overall social impact.
  • Providing detailed and tailored governance advice, including in relation to fiduciary duties (of directors, charity and pension trustees), codes of conduct, anti-corruption, whistleblowing, safeguarding and risk management.
  • Our Employment team can advise you on managing your social impact, including in relation to your employees. A focus on ESG is now a key pillar of employee engagement and we can assist with preparing diversity and inclusion policies and programmes, advising on gender and ethnicity pay gap reporting, drafting modern slavery statements and helping organisations to reshape their policies and procedures with a greater focus on ESG.
  • Our Planning, Infrastructure and Public law team is a market leader in advising on Clean Air Zone legislation and it advises on a range of renewable energy projects across the UK, including novel carbon capture & hydrogen projects.
  • Our Environmental team can advise you on all aspects of environmental issues, including project development, impact assessment, environmental permitting, licensing and consents, land use restrictions, habitats and nature conservation, access to environmental information and climate change.
  • Our Litigation team can advise on environmental litigation (both actual or potential), whether involving decisions or policies of public bodies or regulators, or issues within the private sphere (generally arising out of particular land uses or development).  We can assist with litigation and risk mitigation concerning pollutant and emission levels, environmental damage, water quality, waste discharges, nuisance including where there are health and human rights issues.

The firm’s own environmental policy.

  • 1
    BDB Pitmans, a new member of the Legal Sustainability Alliance ...

    BDB Pitmans, a new member of the Legal Sustainability Alliance, is in the process of further advancing its long-term work in addressing the urgent global climate crisis. The firm is in the process of setting challenging carbon emissions targets, providing the firm with a clearly-defined path to reduce emissions in line with Paris Agreement goals.

  • 2
    BDB Pitmans is developing a clear roadmap of the actions ...

    To deliver on this, BDB Pitmans is developing a clear roadmap of the actions that it will take to reduce its firmwide and value-chain greenhouse gas emissions. This is aligned with the 2015 Paris climate agreement to limit global temperature rises to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels by 2030. With the assistance of environmental management consultants the firm will measure its carbon footprint, set structured targets and objectives and produce an independent validation of the targets.

  • 3
    In addition to developing a consolidated comprehensive Climate Change Strategy ...

    In addition to developing a consolidated comprehensive Climate Change Strategy, BDB Pitmans has implemented a number of significant measures to help reduce its environmental impact. For example, in September the firm relocated its London headquarters to the brand new Grade A, BREEAM Excellent-rated office One Bartholomew Close in the City of London.

  • 4
    The firm has established an internal Climate Change Strategy Group ...

    Additionally, the firm has established an internal Climate Change Strategy Group to accelerate climate action across the firm and inspire all employees to offset and reduce carbon emissions both individually and collectively. This includes allowing all staff to choose a monthly payment plan to help them offset their personal carbon footprint from May 2021.  

  • 5
    The firm has recently signed their Green City pledge ..

    One of BDB Pitmans’ regional offices is based in Southampton and the firm has recently signed their Green City pledge and also donated £5,000 to the city’s tree planting scheme as a way of mitigating the firm’s current environmental impact.

  • 6
    BDB Pitmans is committed to a sustainable future ...

    BDB Pitmans is committed to a sustainable future, and that translates to the work the firm undertakes. Its planning, infrastructure and public law team is a market leader in advising on Clean Air Zone legislation and it advises on a range of renewable energy projects across the UK, including novel carbon capture & hydrogen projects.

Our Offices

London
One Bartholomew Close
London
EC1A 7BL

Cambridge
50/60 Station Road
Cambridge
CB1 2JH

Reading
The Anchorage, 34 Bridge Street
Reading RG1 2LU

Southampton
Grosvenor House, Grosvenor Square
Southampton SO15 2BE

 

Reading
The Anchorage, 34 Bridge Street
Reading RG1 2LU

Southampton
Grosvenor House, Grosvenor Square
Southampton SO15 2BE

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© BDB Pitmans 2024. One Bartholomew Close, London EC1A 7BL - T +44 (0)345 222 9222

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