Nearly one year after Canada amended the Competition Act to establish standards for assessing environmental claims (see B&D’s Client Alert), Competition Bureau Canada published final guidelines that outline its general...more
Parties to the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal (Basel Convention) have agreed to take up work on how transboundary movements of waste textiles and their...more
Update: On February 11, 2025, acting SEC Chairman Mark Uyeda issued a statement changing the SEC’s position on the Final Climate Rules. Chairman Uyeda states that he “continue[s] to question the statutory authority of the...more
Overview -
Following our post-election Alert outlining major anticipated themes for environmental and natural resource law and policy in the second Trump administration, leaders from a number of our practices – many of...more
Overview -
Beveridge & Diamond’s Carbon Markets Roundup covers domestic and international issues of note in mandatory and voluntary markets, as well as related regulatory programs aimed to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG)...more
What Happened: On September 28, the Responsible Textiles Recovery Act of 2024 was signed into law which is designed to increase responsibilities of apparel and textile article producers regarding the reuse, repair, and...more
Canada is increasing accountability for environmental claims by explicitly requiring companies to substantiate claims promoting the environmental benefits of their products and business activities. Bill C-59 (which received...more
Countries are preparing for a new round of negotiations on an ambitious legally binding international treaty to address plastics pollution across the entire life cycle of plastics per the UNEA 5.2 mandate in resolution 5/14....more
Update: On February 20, the Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition Directive (the “Directive”) received final approval from the European Council and was published in the Official Journal of the EU on March 6, 2024. The...more
On March 6, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) voted (3-2) to adopt final rules entitled, The Enhancement and Standardization of Climate-Related Disclosures for Investors (the “Final Climate Rules”). The Final...more
Key Takeaways -
On January 17, the European Parliament approved the Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition Directive (the “Directive”), aimed to improve environmental marketing practices and ban the use of...more
In addition to signing two significant new laws requiring large companies doing business in California to disclose their greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), Governor Newsom on October 7 signed AB 1305, which creates new...more
New “Right to Repair” legislation worldwide seeks to extend product lifespan and increase circularity, thereby reducing premature waste. The legislation often aims to facilitate consumer and independent company repair of...more
Green Marketing Updates in the European Union (EU) -
Background -
On March 22, 2023, the European Commission (Commission) published a Proposal for a Directive on Green Claims (Proposal). The Proposal is part of the EU's...more
What's Happening?
The California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) published proposed regulations to amend the Recycling and Disposal Reporting System (RDRS) to increase the specificity of waste...more
As 2022 comes to a close, mandatory Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) reporting in the United States remains the subject of much debate and political scrutiny. The European Union (EU) and other jurisdictions are moving...more
Maine DEP Issues Second Concept Draft of Proposed PFAS Regulation; Schedules Stakeholder Meeting Oct. 27 Maine’s Department of Environmental Protection (Maine DEP) issued a revised “Second Concept Draft” of proposed...more
Maine DEP Requests Comments on Concept Draft of Proposed PFAS Regulations -
The Maine DEP has issued a “Concept Draft” of proposed regulations that details some of the notification requirements and sales prohibitions for...more
California’s Second Readopted COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) is now in effect and will remain in place through April 14, 2022. In general, the ETS retains many of the central provisions of the earlier versions....more
On October 20, 2021 California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) published the draft text for the proposed second re-adoption of its COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard (“proposed ETS”). The proposed...more
The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) recently published its revised Universal Standards, which go into effect on January 1, 2023. The revision will require all companies reporting in accordance with GRI standards to report...more
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has historically used its civil enforcement authority under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) to pursue most penalties associated with the...more
As consumers, investors, and other stakeholders are focused more than ever on the impacts of their purchasing and investment decisions, companies are seeking to convey information on the environmental attributes of their...more
Key Takeaways -
• What is Happening? On July 15, 2021, Maine adopted a law that will ban the use of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in products. While the law takes a phased approach over the next few...more
Key Takeaways What Is Happening? An increased focus on climate change and environmental stewardship is rapidly changing the legal and regulatory landscape affecting the fisheries and aquaculture industries, and agencies and...more