Environmental Social Governance

We want to give back to the communities in which we’re based…

At Burnetts, we are aware of our environmental impact. Individually and collectively, we are committed to safeguarding the future of our local environment and we have set an intention to become net zero in advance of the Government’s deadline of 2050. Our Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Committee has been set-up with this in mind. We know that small changes can make a big difference. A few highlights of our work together include:

• We have introduced monthly litter picks to ensure that the local community and enterprises around us are litter free and tidy
• Laptops and IT equipment are recycled, last year this resulted in the planting of 45 trees!
• A new lighting system has been installed at our Cockermouth Office which uses 80% less energy than the old system
• Our IT department installed more efficient printers, saving 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per year and a new Cloud First based IT infrastructure uses 88% less CO2 than our old on-premises system
• So far this year we have recycled over a tonne of WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Recycling) waste

Our ESG Committee meets regularly and is constantly suggesting new, innovative ideas to benefit the environment.

The Thrive Fund
We strive to help local and national charities through fundraising events, monthly team challenges and volunteering. This is an integral part of our culture. Early in 2024, in partnership with the Cumbria Community Foundation and the Community Foundation for Tyne and Wear and Northumberland, we were delighted to be able to establish our own charitable fund, The Thrive Fund.

The aim of The Thrive Fund is to provide a lasting legacy of community support across the North East and North West. The Thrive Fund is currently supporting our communities in two ways:

• By establishing a grant scheme for eligible students between the ages of 11-19 from Richard Rose Academy (Central), Cockermouth School and Excelsior Academy, to apply for grants from the Thrive Fund to fund residential trips, costs associated with work-experience activities, musical instruments, theatre workshops and sport training costs. With the support of their teachers, we want to ensure that as many school age students as possible are afforded the same chances of success, reward, and achievement.
• By making donations to the Winter Warmth Fund and Search Newcastle to help provide heat, shelter, food, and support to vulnerable people throughout the colder months of the year. Money raised goes towards the establishment and maintenance of warm spots, such as libraries, community centres and village halls, which all allows vulnerable, elderly people the opportunity to keep warm and healthy in tough, wintery conditions.

Recruitment:

We support the L6 Solicitor Apprentice route to qualification. This is a six-year commitment which is fully funded by Burnetts, completed while working in a specific department here. To ensure that our employees are supported in embracing alternative routes to qualification, we recruit internal candidates through our Legal Career Development Policy.

Volunteering:

We encourage our employees to volunteer in their local community. Our volunteering policy allows everyone at Burnetts to take one day of paid leave to volunteer to support charitable projects in the areas in which they live and work.

Wellbeing:

We take wellbeing very seriously and offer a number of employee benefits to encourage a healthy and happy working environment. Our Wellbeing Group, made up of our employees, meets regularly to discuss and find new ways to promote employee wellbeing (both physical and mental). This can involve arranging events or activities promoting wellbeing or raising awareness on important issues. We’re very proud to officially be one of the UK’s Best Workplaces for Wellbeing™ 2024.

We are committed to ensuring that the firm engages in responsible business practices. By placing employees at the heart of the decision-making process when it comes to Environmental, Social and Governance, we have fostered a firm-wide culture of environmental and social consciousness.

We do this by:

• Making employees a central part of our internal ESG Committee, which works closely with partners to implement relevant changes
• Presenting financial and operational information through quarterly town halls
• Recognising the achievements of employees at our Annual Conference
• Qualifying as a “Great Place to Work” in 2023 and 2024 as well as a Best Workplaces for Women (Medium Organisations) in 2022 and 2023 (the results for 2024 are yet to be released)
• Encouraging and supporting our employees to volunteer in their local communities