Our Grass Roots programme ensures Rouse is a conscientious global citizen whether by advocating the IP industry to mitigate and join the fight against climate change via our ground-breaking Climate Change and IP Team, supporting the local communities in which we work or supporting our own Rouse family. We want to have a positive impact. It is integral to our business and values.
Climate Change is no longer a buzz word, it’s a worldwide and daily reality we cannot ignore. Regulations on global warming are quickly reshaping the business and IP landscape. As one of the first firms to practice IP with Climate Change, Rouse is at the forefront of this emerging area. Our multi-disciplinary team is composed of Climate Change attorneys, patent agents and engineers in energy and waste management.
We help our clients navigate the evolving world of Climate Change legislation and unlock opportunities in an increasingly carbon-constrained economy by focusing on six major aspects of Climate Change.
We map, protect and assist the commercialisation and enforcement of Environmental Sound Technologies (ESTs) around the world.
We represent clients in Climate Change lawsuits involving tort, technologies, human rights, negligence and public trust claims.
We assist our clients with Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions calculation, reporting and offsetting through voluntary and mandatory Emission Trading Systems. We evaluate the compliance of our clients’ green credentials and marketing claims with Climate Change legislation.
Rouse Cares, formed in 2008, aspires to take a broad global approach with a strong local focus by seeking to make a difference in the countries in which we operate as well as the wider regions.
Rouse Cares seeks to bring together, to record, to support and to guide all of our efforts. Our support ranges from pro bono legal services to supporting charitable institutions and working directly with community organisations. Our programme also provides valuable opportunities for the personal and professional development of employees by supporting their participation in community and charity-based initiatives.
Our approach is linked closely with our Diversity Policy. We are an equal opportunities employer and operate rigorous non-discrimination policies.
We pay attention to all protected characteristics of race, disability, religion, sexual orientation, gender and age. Rouse is committed to avoiding all forms of unlawful and unfair discrimination and encouraging diversity and equality in its workforce across the globe. We positively encourage diversity among our workforce, regarding it as one of the strengths of the firm. Individuals are treated with dignity and individual differences valued.
Read about some of our initiatives [need new activities].
The Mitrataa Foundation was set-up in 2000 by a former Rouse colleague, Bec Ordish. It works with the girls and women of Nepal to give them opportunities through education and jobs training.
Since 2018, we have been providing support to two of Mitrataa's projects:
Connecting Skills (and Products) with Markets
Social entrepreneurship is a better alternative to aid dependency for addressing social issues. Many of the women Mitrataa works with have wonderful skills – sewing, art (painting on to clothes/t-shirts/silk), cooking etc. But they don’t know how to reach a market for this to create sustainable businesses. Mitrataa is working on creating a platform which could link customers up with the women’s skills.
Mitrataa wants the women to be independent, tapping into local need on small scale connections as they cannot make large quantities. Their passion and skill is meeting their customer’s individual needs. The plan is to create a brand so people will recognise it as a place to go and connect with someone who can fulfil their needs for unique gifts, daily challenges or simply to spoil themselves.
Financial literacy is one of the greatest challenges facing Nepalis. At its core is a strong fear of numbers learned and taught over generations in school. Mitrataa wants to demystify maths and numbers and make them accessible to the children and women they work with, to empower them to make great, informed and confident financial decisions in their future.
Mitrataa’s strategy has four main elements to ensure they capture them young and instil a love of numbers and then reinforce it throughout their education and adulthood. You can read more here.
Rouse has worked with Mitrataa over a number of years by providing pro bono advice linked to the registration of collective trade marks for the Nepal Pashmina Industries Association which is now registered in over 40 countries and the Nepal Tea and Coffee Development Board. This collective trade mark enables them to develop these local industries to provide more sustainable employment and an alternative to aid dependency.
If you would like to make a donation to The Mitrataa Foundation you can do so on their website.