Environmental Sustainability

At Skadden, we are committed to helping mitigate the severe consequences of climate change by decreasing the impact of our global operations and partnering with our clients, vendors and communities to support positive change in sustainability practices. Additionally, we are dedicated to providing pro bono legal services to nonprofit organizations leading the effort to protect the planet.

Skadden aims to reduce our carbon footprint by at least 25% in the next decade. We intend to reach this goal by remaining actively engaged in sustainability efforts and working closely with experts to develop new approaches to limiting our leading sources of emissions, including electricity usage, air travel and paper use. We also will continue to partner with our attorneys, professional staff, clients, communities and fellow law firms to effect change outside our firm, through both public and pro bono service.

Our firm is an active member of the Law Firm Sustainability Network.

Our global Green Team investigates and coordinates best practices for reducing waste and meeting our carbon footprint goals. The team regularly reaches out to attorneys and professional staff to raise awareness, share tips on making a difference, and invite them to get involved in environmental projects within the firm and our local communities.

Our office space design and infrastructure also reflect our commitment to conservation — we incorporate and promote sustainable practices in our new leases and renovations whenever possible. A number of our locations have received LEED Platinum and Gold or other certifications as green buildings, and all of our offices emphasize minimizing paper consumption and increasing recycling habits. A recent analysis of our carbon footprint and sustainability practices highlighted our largest sources of carbon emissions — electricity and air travel. We are rethinking our approach to both, among other areas, in an effort to substantially lower these totals.