AusLSA Principles

As Members of AusLSA, we commit to:

• Developing a shared understanding of the value that sustainability provides across our businesses
  
• Working collaboratively to build the capacity of our peers, suppliers and other stakeholders to improve their sustainability
  
• Engaging in the public debate to develop, apply and promote best practice across the sector
  
• Measuring, managing and improving the sustainability of our businesses
  
• Reporting on our progress and being accountable

What do the Principles really mean?

See the Examples

These principles were established by the Foundation Members of the Australian Legal Sector Alliance. The AusLSA board will review the principles periodically  based on developments in developments in best practice corporate citizenship, feedback sought from members, consultation with key stakeholders and lessons learned during the implementation of the program. They will reflect ongoing learning and emerging best practice, and the capacity and commitment of the Australian legal sector to progress their sustainability performance.

The principles provide both a framework to support individual member action, and an outline of AusLSA’s commitment to promoting sustainability.

The focus of the principles is to define and guide sustainable practices of AusLSA members, and the wider Australian legal sector. 'Sustainability' extends to policies and practices which relate to the environment, together with those which relate to individuals engaged in the Australian legal sector, and those which relate to community and social engagement.

Environmental sustainability is the initial focus however AusLSA will continue to evolve to cover material sustainability issues that are important to our members.

The principles cover members’ own operations, but also how members may influence clients, suppliers, employees and policy makers.

Members adopt these principles voluntarily and independently. AusLSA recognises that members will apply these principles as appropriate: they will apply to different members in different ways, each of whom will be at different stages of promoting sustainability in their business. For this reason, we provide non-prescriptive examples of how the principles might be applied. However, this is not to be taken as a 'get-out clause'. Where it is impossible for a member to implement a particular principle, they are invited to explain to members why they are unable to do so in their annual report to AusLSA.