Our carbon footprint

Rebaselined carbon footprint (combined firm scope)

We recalculated our carbon footprint baseline to reflect the full scope of A&O Shearman’s emissions. This updated baseline incorporates all relevant Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions across our operations and value chain, providing a consistent and comparable starting point for tracking progress against our climate targets. Our greenhouse gas inventory continues to be prepared in line with the GHG Protocol, covering direct emissions, purchased energy and all relevant upstream and downstream value chain categories, including purchased goods and services, business travel and employee commuting.

Methodology improvements and impact of recalculation

The recalculation reflects both the structural change in the firm following the merger in 2024, and improvements in data quality, methodology and emissions factors. As part of this process, we are restating our historical baseline (2019) to align with the current organizational structure and to apply more recent and robust emissions data. 

Using this new approach, our reported emissions are materially lower than prior disclosures. However, these differences are primarily driven by the updated methodology, and results are expected to become more consistent as all historic data is calculated in line with the revised methodology. 

The rebaselined data will underpin the recertification of our science-based targets to ensure they remain credible, consistent and aligned with the firm’s footprint over time. It already forms the starting point for our commitment to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.