William Fry LLP (William Fry), one of Ireland’s leading law firms, has achieved the Business Working Responsibly Mark (the Mark), the leading standard for sustainability. The Mark, developed by Business in the Community Ireland and audited by the NSAI, is based on ISO 26000 and was presented at the Embedding Sustainability in your Business webinar today. The event emphasised the importance of upholding a sustainable and responsible strategy, as well as the role businesses play in both local communities and environmental protection.
Established in 2010, the Mark fosters a culture of continuous improvement, ongoing accountability and leadership. It is a strategic management assessment framework which facilitates internal organisational collaboration and supports the integration of environmental and social imperatives into core business practices. It recognises the positive policies, practices, performance and impact a company has in areas such as: ethics, innovation and employee engagement, as well as best in class corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities.
Commenting on the award, Owen O’Sullivan, Managing Partner of William Fry said: “Achieving the Business Working Responsibly Mark demonstrates the commitment we have made to do the right thing for our people, our clients and our community. It has helped us turn responsible business from something we do to part of who we are and something that defines us as a business.”
Bethany Fiore, Responsible Business Manager at William Fry also noted: “Going for the Mark was a great opportunity for us to benchmark our programme against best practice, get a detailed road map for improvement, and ultimately receive external validation of the systems we have in place to ensure sustainability is fully embedded in our business and 460 strong team.”
Tomás Sercovich, Chief Executive of Business in the Community Ireland, adds: “I congratulate William Fry on achieving the Mark. It is challenging to undertake but it demonstrates the company’s commitment to examining the various areas of sustainability and the role it has to play with its clients, suppliers, employees, local communities and the environment.”
William Fry is committed to making a positive and lasting difference in the community, workplace, marketplace and environment. The firm is currently partnering with Depaul, the Irish Youth Foundation and Children’s Books Ireland on social inclusion initiatives and with environmental charity, Hometree to help plant native Irish trees and promote biodiversity. The firm is also part of the BITC Low Carbon Pledge and has set science based carbon emissions reduction targets with an ultimate goal of net zero. Other notable accreditations the firm holds include the Investors in Diversity Silver standard by the Irish Centre for Diversity and IBEC’s workplace wellness accreditation, the KeepWell Mark.
