Environmental nonprofit ClientEarth, with support from other activist groups, has commenced litigation in a Paris court against a global food-products company. The claimants contend that Danone has breached France’s Corporate...more
1/18/2023
/ Climate Action Plan ,
Consumer Product Companies ,
Due Diligence ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Food Manufacturers ,
France ,
Plastics ,
Popular ,
Public Health ,
Regulatory Violations
In November 2022, the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) launched a consultation on the latest draft of their biodiversity disclosure standard. The draft standard extensively updates the 2016 version (GRI 304) and is designed...more
To ring in the new year, Kentucky’s Treasurer, Allison Ball, announced a list of eleven financial institutions that she claims are engaged in “energy company boycotts.” According to Ball, the list “was crafted after careful...more
The United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP15) ended in Montreal, Canada, on December 19, 2022 with a landmark agreement to protect at least 30% the planet’s lands, inland waters, coastal areas and oceans by 2030 (known...more
1/3/2023
/ Biodiversity ,
Board of Directors ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Climate Action Plan ,
Climate Change ,
COP ,
Corporate Issuers ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Environmental Summit ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Infrastructure ,
United Nations
Republican members on the House Committee on the Judiciary have written a letter to the steering committee members of Climate Action 100+, Ceres and CalPERS, requesting documents and seeking information regarding antitrust...more
Sylvie Goulard, Deputy Governor of the Banque de France, the French central bank, stated in a speech on October 24 that central banks need to take more aggressive action regarding nature-related risk. She posited that...more
In early 2022, the ESG ratings industry attracted attention when electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla Inc. was dropped from the S&P 500 ESG Index. Explaining its decision, S&P cited perceived deficiencies in many ESG areas,...more
It is hardly news that ESG investing is a significant aspect of the asset management industry. According to Barron’s, $400 billion was invested in U.S. mutual funds and assets that have an ESG orientation in 2021. However,...more
Summary -
In an important development, on April 28, 2022, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) commenced an action in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York in which it asserted that...more
5/3/2022
/ Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
False Statements ,
Intent to Defraud ,
Investment Fraud ,
Mining ,
Misleading Statements ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
On March 21, 2022, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) proposed far-reaching amendments to Regulation S-K and Regulation S-X that would mandate significant additional climate-related disclosures for public...more
4/7/2022
/ Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Regulation S-K ,
Regulation S-X ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation
On March 30, 2022, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) requested comment on draft principles “that would provide a high-level framework for the safe and sound management of exposures to climate-related...more
On March 21, 2022, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) proposed far-reaching amendments to Regulation S-K and Regulation S-X that would mandate significant additional climate-related disclosures. If...more
3/24/2022
/ Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Public Comment ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Regulation S-K ,
Regulation S-X ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation
I. Introduction -
Companies are increasing pressure to address environmental, social, and governance (“ESG”) issues. ESG topics have taken center stage in boardrooms, with regulatory agencies, and in the media. ...more
In anticipation of New York Fashion Week, lawmakers remind us that this season’s haute couture is not the only thing heating up right now. After years of global warming and environmental, social and governance (ESG) topics...more
2/11/2022
/ Climate Action Plan ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Fashion Design ,
Fashion Industry ,
Manufacturers ,
New York ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Retailers ,
State Legislatures ,
Supply Chain ,
Sustainability
Introduction -
The asset management industry has been sounding the alarm for some time about the risks and opportunities posed by climate change. While private equity giant, Carlyle, is the most recent financial institution...more
The recent IPO for Rivian Automotive Inc., the electric pick-up truck manufacturer whose shares increased 29% on the day following the offering, resulting in an enterprise valuation of more than $86 billion – more than the...more
12/2/2021
/ Business Strategies ,
Capital Investments ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Investment ,
Risk Assessment ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Sustainable Business Practices
On October 21, 2021, the Financial Stability Oversight Council (“FSOC”), established in 2010 by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act to respond to emerging threats to the stability of the U.S....more
10/25/2021
/ Banking Sector ,
Climate Action Plan ,
Climate Change ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Environmental Justice ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
FSOC ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Risk Controls ,
Risk Mitigation ,
Threat Management
As investors’ calls for greater climate-related corporate accountability grow louder, the “E” in ESG—environmental, social and governance—looms larger than ever, particularly from the perspective of directors facing oversight...more