Womble Bond Dickinson, a transatlantic law firm headquartered in London, has introduced a £300 “carbon fee” on all business-class flights as part of its efforts to reduce the environmental impact of business travel. The initiative, detailed in the firm’s recent responsible business report, directs the proceeds to support an oyster restoration project in Hampshire.
The 1,300-strong firm, established in 2017 through the merger of the UK-based Bond Dickinson and North Carolina’s Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, operates from 40 offices across the United Kingdom and the United States. Its new policy aims to encourage more sustainable travel choices by prioritizing rail travel and discouraging unnecessary flights.
“Our focus on the impact of business travel emissions led us to refresh our travel and expenses policy to promote purposeful travel, prioritize lower emission options such as rail, and discourage unnecessary journeys,” the report states. A notable component of this updated policy is the £300 carbon levy applied to business-class flights.
Since implementing the fee, the firm reported a 30 percent reduction in the use of business-class flights compared to the previous year. To offset the financial impact on its higher-earning staff, the collected funds are allocated to the Solent Oyster Restoration Project, a collaboration involving GreenTheUK and the Blue Marine Foundation. Established in 2010, the Blue Marine Foundation describes this project as an effort to restore native oyster beds in the Solent and foster a sustainable fishery.
Other firms have taken similar steps to address the environmental costs of business travel. For example, Shoosmiths, one of the United Kingdom’s largest regional law firms, introduced a £200 levy on all air travel for its lawyers four years ago, channeling the proceeds into its own green initiatives. Meanwhile, a year later, the professional services firm PwC restricted business-class flights to “critical” journeys, citing both cost-cutting and environmental considerations.
Senior officials at Womble Bond Dickinson indicated that the £300 carbon fee had not generated significant internal opposition, suggesting that the firm’s approach to balancing sustainability and business needs has been broadly accepted.