Campaign for Greener Arbitrations launches innovative Carbon Impact Calculator

The Campaign for Greener Arbitrations ("CGA") has launched its Carbon Impact Calculator ("CGA Calculator"), an innovative tool designed to support arbitration practitioners in quantifying the environmental footprint of arbitral proceedings with greater precision and consistency. The CGA Calculator enables users to identify and measure carbon emissions generated across all stages of an arbitration—from the initial filing of a request through to the issuance of the final award—thereby offering a structured and comprehensive view of the process’s environmental impact.

The CGA Calculator focuses on indirect emissions, organising the analysis into two principal categories: energy consumption and other emissions. It incorporates scientifically grounded assumptions, including those relating to purchased electricity for computer use, document printing and email communications, as well as travel, hotel stays, computer manufacturing, data storage and material use. The CGA Calculator has been developed in accordance with the GHG Protocol Corporate Standard, widely recognised as the leading global framework for carbon accounting, which enhances the robustness, consistency and comparability of the outputs generated.

Athanasia Arapogianni Konisti, Co-Chair of the CGA Innovation and Policy Task Force, said:

"You cannot manage what you cannot measure. In developing this calculator, our goal was to provide a scientifically grounded yardstick that captures the hidden ’carbon hotspots’ of a case.
By highlighting that over 90% of emissions often sit within the value chain, specifically travel and infrastructure, we are giving tribunals and counsel the evidence base they need to justify greener procedural orders and drive systemic change."

Christine Falcicchio and Cherine Foty, Immediate Past CGA Global Co-Chairs, said:

"The launch of the CGA Calculator marks a significant step in CGA’s broader mission to embed sustainability within international dispute resolution. In addition to the CGA Green Protocols, the CGA’s guidance on how each user might adopt more sustainable environmental behaviours, the CGA Calculator aims to equip practitioners with an innovative tool to facilitate more informed decision-making."

Andrew Mackenzie and Laura Halonen, CGA Global Co-Chairs, said:

"We are delighted to be launching the CGA Calculator and thank Christine and Cherine and the members of the CGA Innovation and Policy Task Force for their leadership and hard work on developing this important tool.

By translating complex environmental data into measurable outputs (kgCO2e), the CGA Calculator provides arbitration practitioners with insights into the carbon footprint of an arbitration. Of course, we hope that this will lead to some changing behaviours and practitioners looking to reduce emissions and make more sustainable procedural choices. The next phase of this project will be to provide information and advice to practitioners on carbon offset and mitigation schemes.

We are particularly delighted to be launching the CGA Calculator at ICCA Madrid. The organisers of this ICCA Congress have worked hard to ensure that the event is as sustainable as possible, and we want to recognise that endeavour."

The Carbon Impact Calculator is available at:
https://www.greenerarbitrations.com/carbon-impact-calculator.

About the Campaign for Greener Arbitrations

The Campaign for Greener Arbitrations is a global initiative aimed at reducing the environmental impact of international arbitration proceedings. Through practical tools, protocols, model clauses and collaborative efforts, the Campaign promotes the adoption of sustainable practices across the arbitration community, supporting a gradual transition towards more environmentally responsible standards.