On January 31, 2025, Vanguard issued its proxy voting policy for US portfolio companies, following the publication of BlackRock’s proxy voting guidelines for benchmark policies – US securities in December 2024. The updates...more
2024 was an active year for environmental, social and governance (ESG) regulations, voluntary reporting standards, and stakeholder policies. While the incoming Trump administration is expected to halt federal sustainability...more
On October 7, 2023, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the Voluntary Carbon Market Disclosures Act (VCMDA) – AB 1305 – which will impose new requirements applicable to companies making climate-related claims, as well as...more
In January 2023, the European Union adopted the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), which requires EU and non-EU companies with activities in the EU to file annual sustainability reports alongside their...more
At Cooley, we’re increasingly speaking to clients in the US, Asia and elsewhere who are surprised by the intensity of environmental, social and governance (ESG) requests and covenants coming from their investors. Often these...more
As companies prepare for the 2023 proxy season, their ESG performance, as evaluated and rated by various third-party ratings providers, is a key focus. With the growing importance of ESG to institutional investors,...more
For companies of all industries, ESG matters have become an area of intense focus. In addition to investor and activist pressure, the growth of ESG ratings – and proposed climate and broader ESG disclosure requirements in the...more
New environmental, social and governance (ESG) reporting requirements in the European Union and the US are set to fundamentally change the nonfinancial reporting landscape. The new EU rules will require ESG reporting on a...more
‘Greenwashing’ is the practice of a company providing information on its environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) policies, or its products and practices, with the intent to present an environmentally responsible...more