Christopher Knudsen on in-house lawyers using super ESG powers to save the world

One of the ways I discovered how to do that was by learning from people who have already experienced it. So I started with two books, Let My People Go Surfing and The Uninhabitable Earth. Both inspired the feeling it’s possible to make a positive impact on climate change whatever your job. Well, that’s after 100 pages of facing the bleak and necessary facts around trying to grasp the size of the challenge we face.

For example, in Let My People Go Surfing, author Yvon Chouinard walks through Patagonia’s philosophy and business practices. As a lawyer, I use this understanding to advise on decision making which is value-driven, environmentally friendly and socially responsible, because in-house legal teams are often given the opportunity and role of ensuring corporate values and sustainability goals are incorporated into the business strategy and legal advice, as well as day-to-day contracts.

Similarly, in The Uninhabitable Earth, David Wallace-Wells shows the reader the potential catastrophic consequences to our planet if we don’t address climate-related issues. Not only was it incredibly motivating to read, but also I realised that, as in-house lawyer, I could help build a sustainable future by ensuring my business prioritises environmental regulations, climate-related risks, and puts in place compliance measures to guarantee day-to-day operations are contributing to this goal.

Now I felt empowered and hopeful that it was possible to connect my work to making a difference. I knew I wanted to work for a company that had a genuine appetite to make such a positive environmental impact, and to know that the strategy and goals of the business aligned with this.

Whenever I think about this, I’m always reminded of a favourite comedy skit – Brand Consultant from Bo Burnham’s show Inside. This jokes about companies leveraging every possible societal issue to fuel a circular brand awareness for their firm. Which is why I think it’s important for businesses to establish a thoughtful and genuine attitude towards ESG topics that is aligned with their mission before jumping on the latest trend.

Joining Too Good To Go’s mission for a planet with zero food waste made it very easy for me to see their passion and culture to make a real difference. The social impact company is B Corp-certified, meaning it meets high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability.

I learned that one-third of global food produced goes to waste every year, which contributes to around 10 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions, so the desire to have an impact definitely feels real and is supported by day-to-day actions within our strategy and daily office life.

From working with restaurants, grocers and manufacturers to save food waste from the bin, to office “lunch & learns”, volunteering days, or supporting the education of food waste in schools, this journey with a purpose-led B Corp has shown me how lawyers can contribute to these projects and make a difference.

Over the past year, some highlights I’ve been involved include:

◆ Creating strong governance frameworks for TGTG’s B Corp recertification process and improving our B Corp score.

◆ Giving supporting advice on TGTG’s Impact Report.

◆ Helping our partners join our food waste app.

◆ Onboarding ethically responsible vendors to work with TGTG’s diversity, equity, and inclusion groups, and ESG initiatives.

◆ Advising on best governance and accountability practices with ESG at heart.

◆ Drafting policies that support taking action on social and environmental issues in our day-to-day operations.

◆ Participating in our giving-back initiatives.

◆ Being encouraged by TGTG to give advice that highlights ESG issues.

When I joined TGTG, I was very interested in the legal aspects ofB Corp and how I could contribute. I learned that a business seeking such certification must change its corporate governing documents to make a legally binding commitment that any decision-making will consider the impact on the likes of employees, the community and the environment. This ensures the business will adhere to its social and environmental goals.

Additionally, there are ongoing audits and assessments to ensure transparency and that the business is demonstrating B Corp standards under the environmental and social promises made within its corporate documents and policies. These are all projects that I really enjoyed being a part of.

Working in-house at a mission-driven company means that I’ve also been afforded opportunities at TGTG to give back to the community and the planet through charitable causes and volunteering.

As lawyers, we can demonstrate how much we care by taking part in these ESG initiatives and break any stereotype that we’re just robots. (Well, we’re not yet anyway, let’s wait for GPT-5…)

So, can a team of lawyers really help to save our planet?

Yes, we can make a strong contribution. In-house legal teams have the superpowers to become the heroes for climate-positive, ethical businesses. We’re positioned to collaborate across the entire business ecosystem and advocate not just for legal standards, but also for ethical and sustainability standards in every part of a business from governance to the environmental impact on local communities.

I hope we can all feel empowered to make a difference, one ESG initiative at a time. After all, the fate of the world depends on it… (cue opening titles and heroic film soundtrack).