Sustainability at WBW is approached as a matter of good governance, professional responsibility, and long-term resilience.
As a regional law firm with a strong physical presence across the South West, our environmental and social impacts are shaped by how we occupy buildings, how our people travel, and how we deliver legal services day to day. Understanding those impacts — and managing them responsibly — is part of maintaining trust with our clients, our communities, and our people.
Our approach is grounded in transparency, proportionate action, and continuous improvement. It is not driven by broad claims or one-off initiatives, but by evidence, accountability, and informed decision-making.
Our Environmental Impact
Measuring our carbon footprint
WBW has completed its first full organisational carbon footprint assessment, covering the 2024–25 reporting year. This assessment measures emissions across:
- Scope 1 — direct emissions from fuel use and fleet activity
- Scope 2 — electricity use across all offices (reported on a location-based basis)
- Scope 3 — indirect emissions including business travel, employee commuting, waste, and selected procurement categories
The footprint has been prepared in accordance with the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol and independently reviewed by Balanced Energy, who are part of the Carbon Accounting Alliance and iSEP qualified in Carbon Accounting and management. It provides a verified baseline that supports regulatory compliance, procurement readiness, and effective governance.
Understanding what drives our emissions
As a professional services firm, WBW’s emissions are not generated by industrial processes. They arise from how our people work.
Our carbon data shows that the largest contributors to our footprint are:
- Business travel and employee commuting
- Energy use across our office estate
This reflects the scale of our workforce, our regional service model, and our commitment to providing accessible, in-person legal services. These characteristics are central to how we operate — and they are also where we hold the greatest influence over future emissions.
How we are responding
Our focus is on managing the areas where we can make the most meaningful difference, while being realistic about structural constraints such as leased buildings and legacy infrastructure.
Key areas of action include:
- Improving visibility and governance of travel and commuting impacts
- Stewardship of energy use across our office estate, including monitoring and efficiency where feasible
- Embedding carbon considerations into existing systems such as procurement, travel planning, and operational reporting
- Building internal capability so that carbon awareness supports everyday decision-making
WBW has begun rolling out Climate Literacy Training, starting with the Senior Leadership Team in January 2026 and extending across the firm. This programme is designed to ensure that carbon understanding is practical, proportionate, and aligned with professional responsibilities — not treated as a separate or specialist issue.
Our aim is not to change how we operate, but to strengthen how existing systems are used, with better data, clearer accountability, and consistent governance.
Carbon Reporting and Transparency
Understanding our carbon footprint is a governance tool, not a declaration of achievement.
In 2024–25, WBW completed a verified organisational carbon footprint assessment, providing a clear view of where emissions arise and where influence lies. This work supports compliance with ESOS requirements and reflects growing expectations from clients and procurement frameworks.
View our Carbon Footprint Summary Report (2024–25)
(BEgin Net Zero — One-Page Overview)
Governance and Accountability
Strong governance underpins everything we do.
WBW operates within established regulatory and compliance frameworks set by the Solicitors Regulation Authority and the Law Society. Our sustainability work builds on these foundations, extending the same discipline applied to legal risk, compliance, and operational oversight into environmental and social areas.
Carbon reporting and ESG expectations are evolving. Our focus is on readiness — ensuring we have the data, governance structures, and internal understanding needed to respond confidently as expectations increase.
Looking Ahead
Our sustainability journey is ongoing.
We will continue to improve the quality of our data, strengthen internal capability, and focus effort where it has the greatest impact. Progress will be guided by evidence, proportionate action, and transparency rather than headline claims or fixed declarations.
As our approach develops, we will share updates that reflect real progress and practical change — aligned with how WBW operates as a responsible, well-governed regional law firm.
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