Earth Day 2024: What green arbitration means in practice
The world today is urgently seeking ways to reduce the negative impact of human activities on the environment, and to better protect and reuse resources. And, where possible, to repair the damage done. Responsible companies are no different, taking a hard look at processes, asking questions that challenge the status quo and redesigning what can be improved. For the good of the planet and their business.
For us in 2024, arbitration is one such area, where we focus on modern methods of peaceful dispute resolution, new European arbitration centres, mediation and the role of technology. And it is technology that will help us take the next step towards a greener approach in this area.
Campaign for Greener Arbitrations at Kochański & Partners
Earth Day at a law firm must be concrete. Solid and real. So a good demonstration of this is the news that we are the only Polish law firm to have signed the Green Pledge of the Campaign for Greener Arbitrations – a global campaign for greener dispute resolution.
Its founders analysed the activities involved in arbitration. Based on a case study of a large international arbitration case, it was estimated that almost 20,000 trees would be needed to offset the CO2 emissions generated by the case. The main source of these significant emissions was air travel, but also other modes of transport, printing of documents and hotel accommodation.
In order to facilitate the mitigation of the negative environmental impacts associated with the provision of arbitration services, the Green Protocols, a set of guidelines and instructions aimed at law firms, institutions and individual arbitrators, among others, have been developed.
The Green Protocols can also be applied to the organisation of arbitration conferences. In the words of the initiative’s founders, ‘the responsibility to reduce the carbon footprint of arbitration is shared by all members of the industry community’.
The Green Protocols in practice
The Campaign for Greener Arbitrations: what does it mean for us? That we commit to reduce the carbon footprint of the cases we handle. That we will change those of our practices that may have an adverse impact on the environment, and that we will actively develop and promote those that help protect it. That we will plan and implement projects more consciously. And that we will promote the Campaign for Greener Arbitrations and encourage our partners, including arbitrators and counsel for the other side and cooperating institutions, to develop similar activities or to become actively involved in this initiative.
We have signed the Green Pledge
The Green Pledge is a commitment to eight guiding principles to promote environmentally sustainable arbitration practices, such as using electronic correspondence and online submissions, videoconferencing as an alternative to travel, avoiding printing and using electronic versions of documents, questioning the need for air travel, and offsetting carbon emissions for all arbitration-related travel.
Green arbitration in action
The individual signatories of the Green Pledge are Marek Jeżewski, Markiyan Malskyy, Magdalena Papiernik-König, Dominika Durchowska, and Michał König – prominent specialists in peaceful dispute resolution and internationally recognised practitioners. They understand that greener arbitration is a win-win for everyone – for the planet and its resources, for our clients and for ourselves.
Today, it is also an important competitive advantage, helping us to stand out in the market by living our values, where we are part of a global community and with a shared responsibility to protect our planet.
Read more about the Campaign for Greener Arbitrations.
Marek Jeżewski
