City of London Corporation celebrates climate heroes

Moving Towards a Circular Economy: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP. Awarded for embedding reuse into everyday operations through practical changes, from eliminating coffee pods to textiles recycling.
 

Chairman’s Cup – Travers Smith LLP: Awarded for placing action for nature at the heart of their sustainable procurement ethos, from sourcing local produce to supporting responsible farming and backing biodiversity projects.

“This year’s award winners showed how practical action and innovation can deliver meaningful environmental results. Judges were particularly impressed by the way these firms are reducing waste, lowering emissions and embracing more sustainable ways of working,” said Peter Dunphy, chair of the City Corporation’s Port Health and Environmental Services Committee.

“These businesses are driving real progress across the Square Mile and supporting our shared ambition for a cleaner, more sustainable City.”

The awards align with the City Corporation’s Climate Action Strategy (CAS), which commits the organisation to achieving net zero carbon emissions in its own operations by 2027 and its full value chain by 2040, as well as supporting the whole Square Mile to reach net zero by 2040, a decade ahead of national targets.

“These businesses are driving real progress across the Square Mile and supporting our shared ambition for a cleaner, more sustainable City”

The City of London has also been recognised as an ‘A-List climate action leader’ for the third year in a row by the environmental non-profit organisation, Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), receiving a top score on its climate action measures.

Since 2018, the City Corporation has purchased 100 per cent renewable electricity, and since 2021 over half of its electricity has been sourced through a power purchase agreement with a Dorset solar farm, which also powers iconic landmarks across the City, including Tower Bridge and the Barbican Centre. 

In the past year, 132 solar panels were installed on the roof of the City Corporation’s The London Archives, generating 10 per cent of the building’s annual electricity needs and saving £25,000 a year.

The City Corporation’s 11,000 acres of open spaces across London and southeast England – including Epping Forest and Hampstead Heath – also remove an estimated 16,230 tonnes of carbon annually, equivalent to two thirds of its 2024/25 operational carbon footprint.