The ruling propels UK law enforcement to increase its investigative powers under POCA, and businesses to enhance their supply chain due diligence.
On 27 June 2024, the UK Court of Appeal found that the National Crime...more
7/9/2024
/ China ,
Criminal Investigations ,
Due Diligence ,
Human Rights ,
Imports ,
Law Enforcement ,
National Crime Agency (NCA) ,
Prisoners ,
Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (POCA) ,
Supply Chain ,
UK ,
Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA)
Finch v. Surrey calls for assessment of all likely direct and indirect environmental effects in EIAs, including certain Scope 3 emissions if a reasonable estimate is feasible.
On 20 June 2024, the UK Supreme Court (the...more
7/3/2024
/ Climate Change ,
Energy Projects ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Assessments ,
Environmental Impact Statements ,
Environmental Litigation ,
Fossil Fuel ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Oil & Gas ,
UK ,
UK Supreme Court
On 16 May 2024, the government published updated guidance regarding the UK Sustainability Disclosure Requirements (SDR) framework.
The SDR was first set out in Greening Finance: A Roadmap to Sustainable Investing in...more
5/28/2024
/ Climate Change ,
Consultation ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
New Guidance ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Business Practices ,
Transitional Arrangements ,
UK
The strategy aims to boost supply chain resilience of critical goods. On 17 January 2024, the government launched the Critical Imports and Supply Chains Strategy (the strategy), which aims to safeguard UK supplies of goods...more
The Private Members Bill, if passed, would establish the UK’s first law mandating business due diligence on human rights and the environment.
On 28 November 2023, Baroness Young of Hornsey (Baroness Young) introduced the...more
The FCA’s long-awaited regime seeks to raise standards, increase consumer understanding, and reduce instances of greenwashing.
On 28 November 2023, the FCA published its Policy Statement (PS23/16) containing final rules on...more
The Act demonstrates the UK’s renewed commitment to reaching net zero and paves the way for players in key industries to achieve their targets.
On 26 October 2023, the UK Energy Act 2023 (the Act) received Royal Assent....more
11/1/2023
/ Carbon Capture and Sequestration ,
Climate Change ,
Energy Storage ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Hydrogen Power ,
National Energy Act ,
Net Zero ,
New Legislation ,
Nuclear Power ,
Public Projects ,
Renewable Energy ,
Tender Offers ,
UK ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)
The framework claims to set the “gold standard” for companies to contribute to the net zero transition while emphasising ambition, action, and accountability.
The UK Transition Plan Taskforce (TPT) launched its...more
10/12/2023
/ Climate Action Plan ,
Climate Change ,
Consultation ,
COP ,
Federal Agency Taskforce ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Framework Agreement ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Regional Greenhouse Initiative ,
Strategic Planning ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Business Practices ,
Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) ,
UK
The EU regulators are reviewing the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation introduced in 2021, exploring the need for potential additional adjustments.
On 14 September 2023, the European Commission initiated a...more
9/27/2023
/ Climate Change ,
Consultation ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Institutions ,
Green Finance ,
Investment Products ,
SFDR ,
Sustainable Finance ,
UK
The Green Technical Advisory Group, which is guiding the UK government’s implementation of a UK Green Taxonomy, has issued detailed advice for the upcoming legislation.
In September 2023, the Green Technical Advisory Group...more
The UK standards will aim to increase the comparability and value of reported information for investors.
The UK government announced on 2 August 2023 that it will develop standards for company sustainability disclosures...more
8/4/2023
/ Advisory Committee ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
IFRS ,
Investors ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Business Practices ,
Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) ,
UK
The ASA conveyed a sense of urgency, as it believes influencing consumer behaviour will be an important part of meeting UK net zero targets.
On 23 June 2023, the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) published an...more
6/29/2023
/ Advertising ,
Advertising Standards Authority ,
Climate Change ,
False Advertising ,
Greenwashing ,
Guidance Update ,
Marketing ,
Misleading Statements ,
Sustainable Business Practices ,
UK ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)
The Guidelines build on current social, environmental, and technological issues facing businesses following the last update in 2011.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) released updated...more
6/27/2023
/ Climate Change ,
Compliance ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Due Diligence ,
EU ,
Guidance Update ,
Member State ,
Multinationals ,
OECD ,
Regulatory Agencies ,
Supply Chain ,
Sustainable Business Practices ,
Transparency ,
UK
The public consultation seeks input on the priorities, strategic direction, and future work of the ISSB.
On 4 May 2023, the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) launched a public consultation to seek input...more
The government published a new document outlining its existing and proposed objectives to develop the UK’s sustainable economy.
On 30 March 2023, the UK government published an updated version of its Green Finance...more
4/28/2023
/ Carbon Capture and Sequestration ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Financial Institutions ,
Green Finance ,
Investment ,
Investors ,
Net Zero ,
Public Policy ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Business Practices ,
Sustainable Finance ,
Taxonomy ,
UK
The latest proposals show the direction of travel in the increasingly expanding web of consumer protection regulation on sustainable products and initiatives.
Background -
The European Green Deal, presented by the...more
The UK government has unveiled a number of measures with the overall purpose of reaching net zero by 2050 and meeting the UK’s climate targets.
On 30 March 2023, on what has been called the UK’s “green day”, the UK...more
3/31/2023
/ Carbon Capture and Sequestration ,
Climate Change ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Policies ,
Federal Funding ,
Green Finance ,
Green Initiatives ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Hydrogen Power ,
Net Zero ,
Nuclear Power ,
Public Policy ,
Renewable Energy ,
UK
The consultation considers what a potential regulatory regime would look like, and its proposed scope.
On 30 March 2023, HM Treasury published a consultation on regulating ESG ratings providers, which ties in with and...more
3/31/2023
/ Consultation ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Green Finance ,
HM Treasury ,
IOSCO ,
Rating Agencies ,
Rating System ,
Ratings ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Third Country Entities (TCEs) ,
UK
A court recently found that UK authorities did not fetter their discretion by not investigating general cotton imports potentially produced by the forced labour of Uyghur people in China.
On 20 January 2023, the High...more
Navigating a global patchwork of ESG regulation and enforcement while preparing for greenwashing claims and other ESG litigation will likely be among the main concerns for companies in 2023.
Both anticipated and less...more
1/6/2023
/ Board of Directors ,
C-Suite Executives ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Enforcement Priorities ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Global Economy ,
Global Market ,
Greenwashing ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Shareholder Activism ,
Supply Chain ,
UK ,
Wage and Hour
TPT’s proposed best practice includes four elements for effective disclosure of transition plans, aligned with GFANZ’s and the ISSB’s disclosure recommendations.
On 8 November 2022, the UK’s Transition Plan Taskforce...more
The Final Report recommends five themes that financial institutions should incorporate into their net zero transition strategies.
On 1 November 2022, the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ) issued its Final...more
The FCA hopes the proposals will protect consumer trust in ESG-related financial products and help consumers navigate the increasingly complex ESG-related financial market.
On 25 October 2022, the UK’s Financial Conduct...more
The outcome of the review may signal what climate-related laws and policies to expect in the UK in the coming years.
On 8 September 2022, newly appointed UK Prime Minister Liz Truss announced that Chris Skidmore MP, a...more
9/27/2022
/ Climate Change ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Emissions Trading System ,
Environmental Policies ,
EU Directive ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Net Zero ,
SFDR ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Business Practices ,
UK
The second version includes guidance on metrics and how companies can conduct dependency and impact evaluation.
On 28 June 2022, the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) released version 0.2 of its...more