Clifford Chance

We have set ambitious sustainability goals. Our offices account for a large proportion of our emissions, and we are committed to making them as sustainable as possible.

Across our global real estate portfolio, we are using several building certification standards, including LEED, BREEAM and NABERS, (explained opposite), to guide our approach to reducing emissions alongside our own global sustainable workplace framework.

These standards assist us with meeting emissions reduction challenges posed by a global portfolio including lease considerations, location selection and meeting evolving regulatory requirements.

•  We opened an office in Houston, to further the global growth of our Energy and Infrastructure (E&I) practice, in June 2023. The choice for a home in Houston was made simpler by the fact that only two sites conformed to our global real estate procurement standards. Our final selection – Texas Tower – is rated LEED and WELL Platinum, making it one of the most sustainable buildings in the city. In addition, the downtown Houston location is close to several global clients and a draw for prospective new hires.
•  While our move in New York to Two Manhattan West, above the vibrant Manhattan West District, completed in June 2024, most of the planning took place in FY24. The building is LEED Gold and WELL Platinum accredited, and we plan to achieve a double platinum rating for our tenant fit-out.
•  Successful fitouts of our Perth and Sydney offices have gained five- and six- star NABERS accreditation respectively.
•  We moved into our London office in 2003, before modern sustainable features became the standard, so the challenge there and in other older buildings is greater – as exemplified by the case study on page 26 in our 2024 Responsible Business Report.

Our overall approach is to ensure that we mitigate the environmental impact of our offices.

Green building certifications explained

LEED: Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, the world's most widely used green building rating system

NABERS: National Australian Built Environment Rating System, a rating to accurately measure and communicate the environmental performance and progress of buildings

BREEAM: Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Methodology, science-based validation and certification systems for the built environment worldwide

WELL: The world's leading healthy building certification programme.