Law firms unite for groundbreaking nature restoration

In an unprecedented move for the UK legal and insurance sectors, law firms Clyde & Co, DWF, and Keoghs (Davies Group) have joined forces with seven businesses from QBE Europe’s insurance claims supply chain to create the QBE Buyers Club, the country’s first nature restoration consortium. This collaborative initiative, launched on 30 June 2026, aims to fund extensive rewilding efforts and carbon credit generation at Boothby Wildland in Lincolnshire, marking a significant shift in how professional services firms address climate change and nature conservation.

The QBE Buyers Club represents a transformative approach by encouraging businesses to pool resources and invest collectively in sustainability projects, rather than relying on individual initiatives. This model not only enhances the impact of their climate action but also strengthens the relationships between the firms involved. Paddy Linehan, Chief Sustainability Officer at Clyde & Co, expressed the consortium's innovative ethos by stating that "the QBE Buyers Club is a different proposition entirely: it asks what becomes possible when businesses invest together, across the relationships that already connect them."

The project is backed by expertise from the leading rewilding organisation Nattergal and broker Nature Broking, aiming to remove carbon across 18 dedicated acres over its 50-year span. Over the lifetime of the scheme, it is expected to generate around 25,000 verified carbon credits, supporting vital ecological restoration efforts at Boothby Wildland, where the reintroduction of two beavers to the West Glen river will play a crucial role in improving wetland habitat and biodiversity.

Abi Duff-Walker, Head of Sustainability at DWF, highlighted the focus on collaboration: "The QBE Buyers Club presents an opportunity to extend that commitment and amplify our impact, leveraging our client and peer relationships to accelerate action on climate change and nature loss." Likewise, Connie Cobb, Market Director at Keoghs, reinforced a collective approach: "Reaching net zero is an industry challenge, not an individual one. By working alongside our peers and aligning around shared goals, we can multiply our impact and accelerate meaningful progress."

The QBE Buyers Club stems from extensive research conducted at the renowned Knepp Estate, confirming that rewilded soil can store carbon at rates similar to established woodlands. This reinforces the project's significance as Boothby Wildland aims to be the first large-scale commercialisation of such findings. As Luke Baldwin, CEO of Nature Broking, noted, "The voluntary carbon market works best when buyers are connected to the land they're funding." With the establishment of the QBE Buyers Club, the future of corporate sustainability appears more interconnected and impactful than ever.