The European Commission published an "Omnibus" package of proposed changes on 26 February, marking the start of a process that could result in significant changes to key EU laws on sustainability reporting, diligence and...more
3/10/2025
/ Carbon Emissions ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Corporate Governance ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Popular ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Supply Chain ,
Sustainability ,
Taxonomy
As global supply chains continue to suffer from ill health, M&A offers a path to recovery -
Supply chains are the lifeblood of global trade and industry, yet recent years have seen them disrupted by a multitude of...more
The new Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation1 ("ESPR"), which entered into force on 18 July 2024, is set to significantly reshape the regulatory landscape for companies operating in the European Union ("EU"). As part...more
The UK Parliament's Joint Committee on Human Rights has launched a new inquiry into forced labour in UK supply chains. This review will assess the effectiveness of the UK's legal and voluntary frameworks, including the Modern...more
The EU's new Deforestation Regulation requires companies trading in cattle, cocoa, coffee, oil palm, rubber, soya and wood, as well as products derived from these commodities, to conduct extensive diligence on the value chain...more
In December 2024, representatives from the European Commission, Council of the EU and Parliament agreed a compromise that will delay the application of the Deforestation Regulation by 12 months....more
On 19 November 2024, a new EU regulation prohibiting products made with forced labour from being sold on the Union market (the "Forced Labour Regulation") was formally adopted by the Council of the European Union. This was...more
The mining & metals industry stands at a critical juncture, facing unprecedented societal, regulatory and risk management pressures. As global attention on environmental sustainability and social responsibility intensifies,...more
Due to the increased importance of sustainability, environmental protection and social factors in recent years, the luxury industry has found itself at a crossroads of tradition and transformation. Once characterized...more
9/3/2024
/ Climate Change ,
Compliance ,
Due Diligence ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
False Statements ,
Fashion Industry ,
Greenwashing ,
Human Rights ,
Luxury Goods ,
Misleading Statements ,
Pollution Control ,
Popular ,
Proposed Legislation ,
SFDR ,
Supply Chain ,
Sustainability
The EU's new Deforestation Regulation requires companies trading in cattle, cocoa, coffee, oil palm, rubber, soya and wood, as well as products derived from these commodities, to conduct extensive diligence on the value chain...more
The United States, the European Union, and Germany have recently adopted or proposed new rules requiring enhanced due diligence in supply chains, targeting human rights and environmental issues. This alert examines key...more
2/24/2023
/ Civil Monetary Penalty ,
Compliance ,
Customs and Border Protection ,
Due Diligence ,
Enforcement ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Forced Labor ,
Germany ,
Human Rights ,
Imports ,
Penalties ,
Popular ,
Proposed Rules ,
Supply Chain ,
Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) ,
Withhold Release Orders (WROs)
The German Act on Due Diligence in Supply Chains (Lieferkettensorgfaltspflichtengesetz, "LkSG") came into force on 1 January 2023 and imposes new obligations for supply chain due diligence. In parallel, the European legal...more
The global drive towards a low-carbon circular economy and increased focus on ESG are creating many new opportunities for metal recycling projects. But is scrap the answer to the growing demand for green metals?...more
On 23 February 2022, the European Commission ("Commission") issued its long-awaited Proposal for a Directive on Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence to tackle human rights and environmental impacts across global value...more
As part of the EU Green Deal, existing EU legislation on batteries will be modernized so that all batteries on the EU market will be "sustainable, high-performing and safe all along their entire life cycle". This initiative...more
On 10 March, the European Parliament (the "Parliament") passed a legislative initiative (the "Parliament Initiative") for an EU directive on Mandatory Human Rights, Environmental and Good Governance Due Diligence ("MHRDD")...more
In September 2020, the UK and the EU announced initiatives to strengthen human rights due diligence and reporting. The UK Home Office will bolster the UK Modern Slavery Act 2015 (MSA) to enhance transparency in both the...more
The strategic value of paying attention to areas that benchmarks assess -
Some companies are skeptical about engaging with human rights and ESG benchmarking, because they question whether human rights and ESG disclosures...more
1/14/2020
/ Benchmarking ,
Benchmarks ,
Business Strategies ,
Corporate Human Rights Benchmark (CHRB) ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Data Privacy ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Human Rights ,
Investors ,
Modern Slavery Act ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Risk Assessment ,
Risk Management ,
Shareholders ,
Supply Chain ,
Sustainability ,
Transparency ,
Transparency in Supply Chains Act
As corporate responsibility evolves, and the focus on corporate sustainability grows, more businesses in the mining and metals and related sectors are referencing the long-term potential of blockchain technology and platforms...more
10/22/2019
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Automotive Industry ,
Blockchain ,
Compliance ,
Conflict Mineral Rules ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Due Diligence ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Extractive Industry Transparency Rule ,
Human Rights ,
Innovative Technology ,
Internet of Things ,
Metals ,
Minerals ,
Mining ,
Popular ,
Supply Chain ,
Sustainability ,
Transparency
A Taiwanese-owned, Vanuatu-flagged fishing vessel is the first known enforcement target of its kind by US Customs and Border Protection ("CBP") in its efforts to halt the importation of goods produced with forced labor....more
4/11/2019
/ Customs and Border Protection ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Forced Labor ,
Human Trafficking ,
Imports ,
Prohibited Transactions ,
Restricted Goods ,
Supply Chain ,
Taiwan ,
Tariff Act of 1930 ,
Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act ,
Vessels ,
Withhold Release Orders (WROs)
Mounting pressure on businesses to gain clarity on their social and environmental footprint will challenge corporate operations in 2019. New risks are present but there are also opportunities for companies willing actively to...more
4/5/2019
/ Benchmarking ,
Climate Change ,
Common Law Torts ,
Conflict Mineral Rules ,
Corporate Governance ,
Environmental Litigation ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Foreign Subsidiaries ,
Human Rights ,
Investors ,
Mass Tort Litigation ,
Mineral Extraction ,
Native American Issues ,
Parent Corporation ,
Popular ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Resource Extraction ,
Supply Chain ,
Technology Sector ,
Transparency