ACICA is pleased to announce the launch of its Sustainability Taskforce (Taskforce).
The Taskforce comprises industry leaders Daisy Mallett, Independent Arbitrator and Legal Consultant in Sydney; Mark Mangan, Partner at Dechert in Singapore; and Amanda Murphy, Principal, Sustainability & ESG Legal (Disputes & Regulatory) at BHP in Perth. Deborah Tomkinson, ACICA Secretary-General and Caroline Swartz-Zern, ACICA Counsel, are leading this initiative within ACICA.
Sustainability has long been a focus of ACICA. The ACICA Arbitration Rules (2021) contain provisions with sustainability in mind, including expressly permitting virtual hearings, defaulting to electronic filings and electronic signature of awards. ACICA signed the Campaign for Greener Arbitrations Green Pledge (Campaign) in 2022.
The establishment of the Taskforce represents the next step in ACICA’s ongoing commitment to sustainability. The initial focus of the Taskforce is:
(i) to consider ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions throughout the arbitral process;
(ii) to further the efforts of the Campaign by adapting the measures contained in the Campaign’s Green Protocols for the broader Australian market and the changing expectations in the sustainability space; and
(iii) to identify ways to educate users on how to accomplish these goals in this rapidly evolving area.
