Executive members of the newly formed Australian Legal Sector Alliance (AusLSA), which includes firms such as Clayton Utz, DLA Phillips Fox and Norton Rose Australia, have disclosed their environmental footprint in a report, Environmental Consumption of AusLSA Members 2009/2010, to be released on 29 March.

Despite the availability of new systems and technology such as iPads, the legal sector is still a heavy consumer of paper. According to the report nearly 126 kilograms of paper is consumed by each employee every year.

The report also showed that business travel is the second highest source of emissions for law firms behind electricity. Travel by aeroplane accounted for an average of 23 per cent of total emissions, with firms with multiple offices or regional-based clients having the greatest travel-related footprint.

The AusLSA report is aimed at helping law firms identify where they can reduce emissions by measuring and monitoring their operations.