On February 26, 2025, the European Commission (Commission) published a proposed ‘Omnibus package’ to streamline some of the recently adopted European Union (EU) sustainability laws. The laws in scope of the proposed Omnibus...more
2024 was an active year for environmental, social and governance (ESG) regulations, voluntary reporting standards, and stakeholder policies. While the incoming Trump administration is expected to halt federal sustainability...more
The European Commission has provided its strongest indication yet that its new rules on product safety, the General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR), will apply to stand-alone software – even though this is not expressly...more
The European Financial Reporting Advisory Group (EFRAG) is in the process of finalizing its draft sustainability reporting standards for non-EU parent companies (NESRS), which will shortly be subject to public consultation....more
On 24 April 2024, the European Parliament voted to adopt the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), meaning it will now become law and necessitate a shift in corporate attitudes to responsible business...more
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted its long-awaited climate disclosure rules on March 6, 2024. (For more information, see our recent Cooley client alert, webinar and resource page.) The final rules require...more
On 5 March 2024, European Union legislators reached provisional agreement on new rules that, once formally adopted, will ban products made with forced labour from being placed or made available on the EU market or exported...more
The transition towards a net zero economy remains an important focus of the UK government’s internal and foreign policy. With the conclusion of COP28 (the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference), this client alert...more
On 14 December 2023, the European Union (EU) announced that it had reached political agreement on the new Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD or CS3D). Once adopted, the CSDDD will create new and...more
In January 2023, the European Union adopted the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), which requires EU and non-EU companies meeting certain thresholds to file annual sustainability reports alongside their...more
This week, the European Council and Parliament reached provisional agreement on a new European Union (EU) directive to ‘empower consumers for the green transition’. Key features of the new rules include the following...more
In January 2023, the European Union adopted the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), which requires EU and non-EU companies with activities in the EU to file annual sustainability reports alongside their...more
At Cooley, we’re increasingly speaking to clients in the US, Asia and elsewhere who are surprised by the intensity of environmental, social and governance (ESG) requests and covenants coming from their investors. Often these...more
In January 2023, the European Union adopted the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), which requires EU and non-EU companies with activities in Europe to file annual sustainability reports. These reports need...more
On the 23 March 2023, the European Commission proposed a new Green Claims Directive (the “Directive“). If adopted, the Directive will have a huge impact on businesses making green claims on the products they sell in the EU. ...more
New environmental, social and governance (ESG) reporting requirements in the European Union and the US are set to fundamentally change the nonfinancial reporting landscape. The new EU rules will require ESG reporting on a...more
‘Greenwashing’ is the practice of a company providing information on its environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) policies, or its products and practices, with the intent to present an environmentally responsible...more
On February 23, 2022, the European Commission published its long-awaited proposal for a directive on corporate sustainability due diligence and annex, with an aim to “foster sustainable and responsible corporate behaviour...more