Business Waste Reduction

California Legal Profession Paper Waste Reduction Project

The California Legal Profession Paper Waste Reduction Project is an educational campaign designed to reduce paper consumption and increase recycling of paper used by the California legal profession. The project’s premise is that reducing paper waste can improve business efficiency and reduce costs, and is therefore in the best interests of law firms and the courts--as well as being in the best interests of the environment. The project also serves to educate the California legal profession about the environmental problems associated with paper manufacture and disposal, and to underscore the societal responsibility of the legal community to be a steward for the environment.

Background

In early 1998, we identified the legal profession as one of California's business sectors representing the greatest potential for paper waste reduction, and began investigating ways to assist this sector reduce its paper waste. In 1999, the Board conducted a survey of law offices throughout California to determine the greatest needs for paper waste reduction in the California legal profession. This survey revealed that a number of law firms lack even basic paper recycling programs.

On December 1, 2000, the Board (now known as the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery or CalRecycle) entered into a contract with Gary Liss & Associates (GLA) to assist the California legal profession reduce its paper waste. 

Present Contract Activities

Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), GLA's primary subcontractor, is presently carrying out the following three tasks under the Project contract:

1. Developing and promoting paper waste reduction educational materials for private law firms and court offices.

2. Performing case studies of model law office paper waste reduction programs and developing case study fact sheets.
3. Conducting a pilot paper waste reduction project in a medium-size law firm. (Note: as of December 17, 2003, the Board was still seeking a medium-size law firm to participate in the pilot project!)

Other (Non-Contract) Activities

The Board is teaming with the Environmental Law Section (ELS) of the State Bar of California to prepare and submit a proposal to the California Judicial Council to revise the Rules of California Court pertaining to the definition of recycled paper. Basically, the Board and ELS are seeking to change the definition of recycled paper in the Rules so that it is consistent with the definition adopted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and to promote the use of papers made with renewable non-wood fibers. See the latest version of our proposal. (MS Word, 48 KB)

Publications 

The Board produced two fact sheets pertaining to paper waste reduction and recycled paper in the California legal profession. Both of these fact sheets can be viewed on the Environmental Law Section's Web site.

1. Understanding the California Rules of Court Pertaining to Duplex-Printed Briefs & Papers and the Benefits of Duplex-Printed Documents
2. Understanding the California Rules of Court Pertaining to Recycled Paper.

Contact Information

For more information about the California Legal Profession Paper Waste Reduction Project, contact our business assistance team.