On 26 February 2025, the European Commission (“Commission”) published its “Omnibus I” or “Sustainability Omnibus” package as part of its mission to improve the competitiveness of the European Union. The Omnibus Package...more
2/27/2025
/ Carbon Emissions ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Due Diligence ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Risk Mitigation ,
Supply Chain ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Business Practices
The 29th Session of the UN Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP-29) concluded on November 22, and COP-30 is now in sight. In this Legal Update, we discuss some of the key results of...more
On November 11, 2024, one of the first substantive outcomes of the 29th Session of the UN Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) was approved. The President of COP19 introduced a...more
BACKGROUND -
The incorporation of complex environmental and climate impacts from business operations and supply chains into human rights impact assessments and governance models is proving to be a major challenge for...more
On 24 July 2024, the European Securities and Markets Authority ("ESMA") published an opinion on the sustainable finance regulatory framework (the "ESMA Opinion"), which outlines the ESMA's long-term vision for the functioning...more
The UK Supreme Court’s landmark judgment in R (on the application of Finch on behalf of the Weald Action Group) v Surrey County Council and others (“Finch”) was handed down on 20 June 2024. Since then, more recent...more
INTRODUCTION -
Deforestation is now the second leading cause of climate change globally, after burning fossil fuels, and is responsible for around 11% of all greenhouse gas emissions. In the last 60 years more than half...more
Japan is considering whether to require all of its primary listed companies to publish an annual sustainability report which substantively conforms with the standards issued by the IFRS’ International Sustainability Standards...more
On May 28 2024, the Biden administration released the “Voluntary Carbon Markets Joint Policy Statement and Principles”. This is one of a number of recent international initiatives to “shore up” the voluntary carbon markets...more
The EU Taxonomy Regulation (the "Regulation") is a highly complex piece of legislation which sets out a classification framework in order to determine whether an economic activity carried out by an undertaking is...more
6/7/2024
/ Compliance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Due Diligence ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Human Rights ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Business Practices ,
Taxonomy
On 16 May 2024, the UK Government launched an open consultation seeking stakeholders' views on various government proposals and policy options aimed at facilitating the transition of companies from EU REACH to UK REACH, and...more
On 14 May 2024, the European Securities and Markets Authority ("ESMA") published its final report on "Guidelines on funds’ names using ESG or sustainability-related terms" (the "Guidelines"). The Guidelines aim to provide...more
5/16/2024
/ Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (AIFMD) ,
Capital Markets ,
Climate Action Plan ,
Climate Change ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) ,
Greenwashing ,
Investment Funds ,
New Guidance ,
SFDR ,
Sustainability ,
UCITS
On 23 April 2024, the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA“) published its “Finalised non‑handbook guidance on the Anti‑Greenwashing Rule (FG/24/3)” (the “Guidance“). The FCA has published the Guidance to help in-scope...more
The UK Government launched a Consultation on the introduction of a UK CBAM on 21 March 2024. The Consultation closes on 13 June 2024. This follows the announcement, in December 2023, that the UK would implement a UK CBAM...more
Climate disclosure regulations are among the most significant and complex challenges faced by companies and boards, with a variety of requirements emanating from numerous governmental authorities and non-governmental...more
On March 15, 2024, the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit granted an administrative stay of the climate-related disclosure rules recently adopted by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). The SEC rules...more
Executive Summary-
Climate disclosure regulations are among the most significant and complex challenges faced by companies and boards, with a variety of requirements emanating from numerous governmental authorities and...more
What is the new UK Battery Strategy and why is it important to the automotive sector?
On 26 November 2023, the UK Government Department for Business and Trade published the UK Battery Strategy (the "Battery Strategy"),...more
On 28 November 2023, the UK's Financial Conduct Authority ("FCA") published its "Sustainability Disclosure Requirements ("SDR") and investment labels" policy statement (PS23/16) (the "Policy Statement"). The Policy Statement...more
11/30/2023
/ Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Greenwashing ,
Investment ,
Policy Statement ,
Retail Investors ,
Sustainability ,
UK
The EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (“CSRD”) entered into force on 5 January 2023 and the associated European Sustainability Reporting Standards (“ESRS”) were adopted by the European Commission on 31 July...more
The risk of an accusation of “greenwashing” is now an important concern for many companies. Greenwashing is an ill-defined concept but, nevertheless, is increasingly a source of litigation and regulatory scrutiny – with more...more
7/7/2023
/ Carbon Capture and Sequestration ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Due Diligence ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Greenwashing ,
Net Zero ,
Offsets ,
Reputation Management ,
Risk Management ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Sustainability ,
UK
On 28 February 2023, the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament reached a provisional agreement on the creation of the European Green Bond Standard (“EU GBS“).
...more
On 10 November 2022, the EU Parliament adopted the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive ("CSRD"). The EU Council is expected to adopt the CSRD on 28 November 2022, after which it will be published in the Official...more
Over 1,000 firms have made either indicative or concrete pledges to align their greenhouse gas emissions with the Paris Agreement—which means reducing emissions to zero by 2050....more
2/1/2021
/ Carbon Capture and Sequestration ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Climate Change ,
Environmental Policies ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Infrastructure ,
Oil & Gas ,
Paris Agreement ,
Real Estate Development ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Urban Planning & Development