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
On 13 December 2021, the EU imposed sanctions against the Wagner Group, a private military entity based in Russia, as well as related entities and individuals, citing human rights abuses and destabilising activities in...more
As yet another sign of the surge of climate change litigation around the world, yesterday the Brussels Court of First Instance found the Belgian federal and regional governments in breach of their duty of care and human...more
On 22 March 2021, the European Union ("EU") designated a total of 22 individuals and 4 entities as subject to an asset freeze under the EU sanctions regimes relating to Global Human Rights Sanctions and Myanmar/Burma.
...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
The UK Supreme Court has issued the latest in a series of landmark decisions on parent company liability under English law for claims alleging environmental damage and human rights abuses.
In a unanimous reversal of the...more
2/23/2021
/ Corporate Counsel ,
Corporate Governance ,
Due Diligence ,
Duty of Care ,
Environmental Violations ,
Foreign Subsidiaries ,
Human Rights ,
Internal Controls ,
Nigeria ,
Parent Corporation ,
UK Supreme Court ,
Zambia
On 7 December 2020, the EU Council adopted a landmark decision and a regulation setting up for the first time a global human rights sanctions framework for the EU. The EU can now respond to serious human rights violations and...more
The European Commission and the EU's Foreign Policy High Representative have put forward a proposal for a new, non-country-based sanctions programme to address human rights violations and abuses with asset freezes and travel...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
Strong ESG credentials and long-term plans to improve their relationship with society and the environment are increasingly important to ensure companies’ access to capital.
Environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters...more
8/7/2020
/ Acquisitions ,
Black Lives Matter ,
BlackRock ,
Capital Raising ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Rights ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Financial Crisis ,
Global Dealmaking ,
Human Rights ,
Investors ,
Mergers ,
Middle East ,
Multinationals ,
Popular ,
Public Disclosure ,
Renewable Energy ,
SASB ,
Shareholder Proposals ,
Shareholders ,
Workplace Safety
On 6 July 2020, the UK adopted its first autonomous sanctions regime, imposing asset freezes and travel bans on 47 individuals and two entities across the world accused of serious human rights violations. The new regime marks...more
Thoughtful business participation in benchmark reviews.
If one or more human rights and ESG benchmarks review—or could soon review—your industry, it may make business sense to participate thoughtfully and/or disclose...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
What businesses need to know for a strategic approach -
Benchmarks focus on human rights, labor rights, political rights, “digital rights” (human rights in the Internet era) and wider sustainability efforts. They...more
1/13/2020
/ Benchmarks ,
Corporate Governance ,
Digital Rights ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Human Rights ,
Labor Policies ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Sustainability
What businesses need to know for a strategic approach -
In an increasing number of sectors, companies’ operations and disclosures are publicly evaluated by “benchmarks” that compare their performance on human rights and...more
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