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
As part of the European Green Deal ambitions, the proposal encourages sustainable consumption through additional incentives to repair products to reduce waste and emissions.
On 22 March 2023, the European Commission...more
3/30/2023
/ Climate Change ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Environmental Policies ,
EU ,
EU Directive ,
European Commission ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Incentives ,
Net Zero ,
Repairs ,
Right to Repair ,
Supply Chain ,
Sustainability ,
Waste Management
The EU’s latest initiative to enhance ESG disclosures will expand the requirements of earlier initiatives and bring considerably more companies within its scope.
On 5 January 2023, the Corporate Sustainability Reporting...more
Latham lawyers highlight key takeaways and developments in the sustainability space from the second half of the year.
...more
12/22/2022
/ Antitrust Provisions ,
Climate Change ,
Consultation ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) ,
Forced Labor ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Investment Funds ,
Sustainability
Establishment of the loss and damage fund and development in Article 6 of the Paris Agreement were among the major developments in this year’s conference.
On November 20, 2022, the 27th annual Conference of Parties...more
12/9/2022
/ Africa ,
Asia ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Climate Change ,
COP ,
Environmental Policies ,
Forestry ,
Funding ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
John Kerry ,
Paris Agreement ,
Saudi Arabia ,
Sustainability ,
UNFCCC ,
United Nations
The Council’s position includes a number of differences from the European Commission’s original proposal, including in relation to the requirement to diligence the broader value chain.
On 30 November 2022, the European...more
From 2024 at the earliest, more European and global companies will need to disclose their ESG activities in greater detail.
On 10 November 2022, the European Parliament adopted a final version of the Corporate...more
11/18/2022
/ Corporate Counsel ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
EU Directive ,
European Commission ,
European Parliament ,
Financial Reporting ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Business Practices
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 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
EU Parliament and Council reach agreement on CSRD -
European Parliament and European Council | 21 June 2022 -
The European Parliament and European Council reached a provisional political agreement on the terms of the...more
8/18/2022
/ Antitrust Provisions ,
Blocked Mergers ,
Corporate Governance ,
Due Diligence ,
EU ,
EU Directive ,
European Commission ,
European Parliament ,
Exemptions ,
Natural Gas ,
Nuclear Power ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Business Practices ,
Sustainable Finance ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive expands the existing sustainability reporting requirements and brings more companies under its scope.
On 21 June 2022, the European Parliament and European Council reached...more
6/24/2022
/ Audits ,
Certification Requirements ,
Compliance ,
Compliance Dates ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
EU Directive ,
European Council ,
European Parliament ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Business Practices
The move follows a number of similar standards that regulators and governments across the globe have proposed. With effect from 1 June 2022, the Guidance for Enterprise ESG Disclosure (the Guidance), published by...more
6/16/2022
/ Accounting Standards ,
China ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
New Guidance ,
SASB ,
Supply Chain ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Business Practices ,
Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD)
A series of early-stage working papers provide insight into how a proposed EU legislation might expand companies’ ESG reporting obligations.
On 21 April 2021, the European Commission adopted the Corporate Sustainability...more
HM Treasury’s Transition Plan Taskforce aims to influence international standard setting and make the UK the world’s first net zero-aligned financial centre.
On 25 April 2022, HM Treasury (HMT) announced the launch of...more
In-scope companies would have to publicly identify “actual and potential” adverse impacts of their operations on the environment and/or human rights.
On 23 February 2022, the European Commission (the Commission)...more
The world’s largest asset manager stressed that sustainability issues will continue to be fundamental to companies’ long-term economic outlook.
On 17 January 2022, Larry Fink, the founder and chief executive of...more
Dealmakers should continue to weigh the impact of ESG issues on M&A deals as ESG standards evolve.
Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues have become increasingly important for corporates in recent years,...more
1/11/2022
/ Acquisitions ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Data Privacy ,
Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) ,
Due Diligence ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Green Finance ,
Human Rights ,
IFRS ,
Indemnification Clauses ,
Mergers ,
Modern Slavery Act ,
Private Equity ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Representations and Warranties ,
Supply Chain ,
Sustainability ,
UK
Truly Green? CMA Continues to Evolve Guidance and Metrics for Companies’ Environmental Claims -
The Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA’s) Green Claims Code (the Code) and final guidance (the Guidance) on...more
12/22/2021
/ Climate Change ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
EU ,
Green Marketing ,
Net Zero ,
New Guidance ,
Regulation Technical Standards (RTS) ,
Sustainability ,
Taxonomy ,
UK ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)
The SBTi’s standard aims to clarify the target for net zero emissions, whilst the Common Ground Taxonomy indicates China-EU cooperation on sustainable finance issues.
Last month, the Science Based Targets initiative...more
11/17/2021
/ China ,
Climate Change ,
Consultation ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Green Finance ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Greenwashing ,
Net Zero ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Finance ,
Taxonomy ,
Working Groups
The government also introduced transition plan requirements for companies to meet the UK’s 2050 net zero target.
On 3 November 2021, the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) Foundation Trustees Chair, Erkki...more
11/9/2021
/ Administrative Review Board ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
IFRS ,
International Regulatory Standards ,
Net Zero ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Public Policy ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Business Practices ,
Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) ,
UK
The roadmap introduces sustainability disclosure requirements for UK companies and reveals further developments in relation to a UK Green Taxonomy.
On 18 October 2021, the UK government released a report titled “Greening...more
10/21/2021
/ Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Green Finance ,
IFRS ,
Investors ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Business Practices ,
Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) ,
UK