On March 29, the European Financial Reporting Advisory Group (EFRAG) announced that it would start to develop additional guidance for sector-agnostic European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS). In making this...more
As we have been regularly reporting, the European Union is pursuing major changes in its climate policy. The next significant development is a new legislative policy package, dubbed “Fit for 55.” The planned reforms would...more
The European Commission has launched a public consultation and a call for evidence seeking opinions on the EU’s intermediary climate targets for 2040. This is a scheduled step in the EU’s ambition to reach net-zero emissions...more
5/8/2023
/ Air Pollution ,
Climate Action Plan ,
Climate Change ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Financial Transactions ,
Green Deal ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Pollution Control ,
Public Consultations ,
Renewable Energy
On March 27, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Taxonomy Board (ATB), representing ASEAN finance sectoral bodies, released Version 2 of the ASEAN Taxonomy for Sustainable Finance. This follows Version 1, which...more
On March 23, the British Standards Institution (BSI), the UK National Standards Body, announced the launch of a three-year Nature Investment Standards Programme and related consultation, which aims to stimulate private sector...more
On March 23, 2023, the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) commenced a new “maintenance” project to “explore whether and how financial statements can better communicate information about climate-related risks.”...more
On March 8, 2023, 25 organizations wrote to the European Commission concerning its treatment of agriculture in the forthcoming Taxonomy Delegated Act, urging them to follow the advice published by their own expert group. The...more
4/10/2023
/ Agribusiness ,
Climate Action Plan ,
Climate Change ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Farms ,
Greenwashing ,
NGOs ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Business Practices ,
Sustainable Finance ,
Taxonomy
On March 13, 2023, the European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs) and the European Central Bank (ECB), published a Joint Statement on climate-related disclosure for structured finance products. In describing the need for such...more
4/3/2023
/ Climate Action Plan ,
Climate Change ,
EU ,
European Central Bank ,
European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs) ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Green Bonds ,
Investment ,
Investors ,
Securitization Standards ,
Structured Financial Products
On March 22, 2023, the European Commission unveiled a proposal, the Green Claims Directive, (Proposal) aimed at combating greenwashing and misleading environmental claims. By virtue of the Proposal, the EC is attempting to...more
3/29/2023
/ Climate Action Plan ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Claims ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
European Commission ,
Greenwashing ,
Misrepresentation ,
Sustainable Business Practices ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
Border to Coast Pension Partnership (the “Partnership”), a pension pool consisting of 11 UK local government pension schemes, announced that “[o]il majors and banks must make greater progress on climate pledges or risk losing...more
At the recent G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting in Bengaluru, India, attendees called for the creation of a common global framework to facilitate financing the United Nations’ Sustainable Development...more
On February 23, three climate advocacy groups—Friends of the Earth France, Notre Affaire à Tous and Oxfam France—filed a lawsuit alleging that a global financial institution violated Article L. 225-102-4.-I of the French...more
On February 13, 2023, as part of the European Commission’s Strategy for financing transition to a sustainable economy, the European Banking Authority (EBA) launched an industry survey seeking input on green loans and...more
3/6/2023
/ Climate Action Plan ,
Climate Change ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
European Banking Authority (EBA) ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Green Loans ,
Mortgages ,
Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) ,
Sustainable Finance
Following strong demand from investors for a timeline, the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) has confirmed that draft IFRS S1 (General Requirements for Disclosure of Sustainability-Related Financial...more
Environmental regulators and ministers from across the EU member states provisionally approved the introduction of the world’s first major carbon border tax, the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), which will require...more
1/3/2023
/ Carbon Emissions ,
Carbon Taxes ,
Climate Change ,
Emissions Trading System ,
Environmental Policies ,
EU ,
Exporters ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Foreign Corporations ,
Pollution Control ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Tax Rates