The Chancery Lane Project released version 3 of its Climate Contract Playbook yesterday, for which Emily Dorotheou contributed a precedent clause on circular design, titled "Alex's clause". The Chancery Lane Project is collaborative effort of lawyers from around the world developing new contracts and model laws to help fight climate change. The aim of the Project is to create practical legal solutions to mitigate climate change.
Emily comments: As we have seen over the past few months, and increasingly during the Covid crisis, sustainability, supply chain integrity and organisations' responsibility have risen to the top of the agenda. One of the ways in which businesses can become more sustainable, reduce their supply chain waste and improve their environmental footprint is by embracing the "circular economy". This involves designing products which contemplate their re-use, repair or recycling from the outset and considering the ways in which products can enjoy a longer lifespan. I'm so thrilled to have contributed a circular design and manufacture clause for The Chancery Lane Project's playbook. As a Commercial lawyer, I believe that Commercial lawyers have a unique role to play in combatting climate change, by drafting contractual rights and obligations which can have instant effect. I really do hope that my small contribution can help to facilitate a change in the design process. The Playbook contains an array of precedent clauses and Model Laws and I encourage businesses and lawyers to use it when drafting their contracts and considering their activities.
Head of Mishcon Purpose, Alexander Rhodes, added: We are increasingly being asked to advise clients on how address risks in their supply chains. Emily's precedent clause is relevant to all businesses looking to increase efficiency and reduce waste in design and manufacture. Growing consumer demands, industry initiatives and regulatory requirements are aligning the commercial imperative to increase sustainability in product lifecycles with the pressing need to increase resilience in supply chains. More profoundly, as succinctly explained in the interim report of the Dasgupta Review on the Economics of Biodiversity, maintaining current living standards without massively increasing the efficiency of our use of natural capital will require 1.7 Earths – and we only have one. We are proud to be part of The Chancery Lane Project and recommend Emily's precedent clause and the Playbook as important tools for responsible businesses.