Responsible Business
Commitment to the community
Defining goals
Pursuing the SDGs
Corporate responsibility and sustainability are a key part of VdA’s history, a pioneer in the legal market with our establishment of an institutional programme strongly committed to the Community, which has been widely recognised, notably, for its extensive pro bono work and carbon neutralisation efforts, activities that we monitor and report on in accordance with international indicators and standards.
VdA has long invested in Sustainability, setting concrete and tangible targets, and guided in its activity by the Principles of the United Nations Global Compact. We are among the first 600 companies in the world to have joined the SDG Ambition Programme, reflecting our deep commitment to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the European Green Deal carbon neutrality goals.
An ESG
Culture
Our identity is based on a corporate commitment to future generations, as part of an ecosystem to which the firm actively seeks to add value as a catalyst for positive change.
We relied on the UN Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to develop the different aspects of our responsibility and corporate sustainability all primarily aimed at ensuring that the firm has a positive impact on every community in which we operate, including by contributing towards solving enduring societal problems while minimizing negative impacts of our operation, including environmental impact. Because we staunchly believe in the power of network work, we always try to take advantage of every opportunity to work in partnership with other players within the context of SDG 17 (Partnerships for Sustainable Development), acting as a social enabler and bringing stakeholders closer together.
Lawyers play an essential role in ensuring access to justice, which is why law firms like VdA, which bring together hundreds of lawyers, have an increased responsibility to ensure the effective exercise of civic rights. In this context, VdA has developed an extensive Pro Bono Programme through which it annually provides thousands of pro bono hours to numerous non-profit entities.
organizations
organizationsPro Bono Legal Services
Pro Bono Legal ServicesPartners
PartnersCorporate Volunteering
Corporate VolunteeringA more responsible and
sustainable business ecosystem
We know that no organization can beat the sustainability challenges alone and so we are members of the leading collaborative business networks that seek to join forces to build a more responsible and sustainable business ecosystem and invest in training, because we believe that developing new skills is critical for such purpose.
We are firm advocates of a global transformative business agenda that harnesses the full power of digital technologies to reshape the current economic growth and production model and aspire to create value in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement. We have therefore adhered to the “Digital With Purpose Movement” led by GeSI - Enabling Digital Sustainability, a recognized leader and proactive driver of the ICT sustainability agenda.
GRACE – Empresas Responsáveis – chaired by VdA since 2018 – is a public interest association dedicated to Responsibility and Sustainability of organizations. Member of the European network CSR Europe, a leader in sustainability and corporate responsibility, GRACE brings together more than 180 undertakings of different sizes and from different economic sectors, committed to playing a bigger role in the implementation of solutions for sustainable growth.
VdA is a member of BCSD, a business association that is part of the global network of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, which brings together forward-thinking companies working together to accelerate the transition to a more sustainable world.
VdA has been a member of the Legal Sustainability Alliance since 2011, an international organization of law firms committed to promoting and adopting environmentally sustainable practices in their activity.
We actively encourage a diverse and inclusive environment, as well as the empowerment and personal and professional growth of our staff, notably through the firm’s Corporate Academy - VdA Academia - which develops programs that ensure a life-long learning and skill development journey crucial for the coming disruptive future.
Focused on our path
Networking and partnerships
Goal 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) matches one of the main pillars of VdA's Responsibility and Sustainability Programme: cooperation and networking as key mechanisms to implement projects that address the needs of the Communities in which we operate and promote human rights protection and capacity building for active citizenship at three main levels: social investment, collaborative networks and bringing different stakeholders together.
Focus on innovation and social entrepreneurship
Because we believe in the transformative power of innovation, over the past decade we have assisted in the development and strengthening of numerous projects in the area of social innovation, social entrepreneurship and social investment. We believe this investment has significant impact in the redefinition of current mindsets, generating new solutions to old problems.
Our involvement
Thanks to our Pro Bono Programme, and our Corporate Volunteering Programme, our team is able to accomplish their personal and social goals and to exercise an active citizenship, within the firm and as part of the work carried out with our partners. By strengthening the capacity of social and environmental organisations, we raise awareness to their rights and legal obligations in an effort to make them more sound and capable of developing their mission.