The heads of the German Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the Christian Social Union in Bavaria (CSU) and the German Social Democratic Party (SPD) presented their plans for their joint Government on April 9, 2025....more
Even for the unpredictable world of business and human rights, 2024 was particularly volatile, including for sustainability more generally. The European Union’s (EU) Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD)...more
We have gathered and examined data from AGM Notices published by FTSE 350 companies until November 2024. We have set out the approach companies have taken on a number of key aspects of their meetings, including the venues of...more
The march toward mandated corporate disclosures for climate-related risks continues. Despite significant pushback and substantial legal challenges, state legislatures and regulators are continuing to advance laws and rules...more
In this week’s edition, we discuss the investor expectations set out by the Finance Sector Deforestation Action for banks to address the financial risks of deforestation; the Voluntary Carbon Markets Integrity initiative’s...more
On March 6, 2024, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) released final rules regarding the Enhancement and Standardization of Climate-Related Disclosures for Investors (the Final Rules). We provided an overview of the...more
In this week’s edition, the European Commission contacted 20 airlines requiring them to address potentially misleading or inaccurate green claims. The International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) launched its digital...more
On April 24, 2024, the European Parliament approved the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CS3D). The directive, which must be formally endorsed by the Council of the European Union (EU) before officially...more
In this week’s edition, we discuss the ever-increasing focus on greenwashing by way of enforcement action taken by regulatory authorities and incoming legislation aimed at enhancing consumer protection. The EU confirmed the...more
On March 6, 2024, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) issued an adopting release (Release Nos. 33-11275 and 34-99678), entitled The Enhancement and Standardization of ClimateRelated Disclosures for Investors (the...more
After nearly two years of public comments and deliberation, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted a Final Rule on Mandatory Climate Disclosures (Final Rule). While less sweeping than initially proposed,...more
On March 6, 2024, the SEC adopted final rules (Final Rules) requiring extensive climate-related disclosures in companies’ annual reports and registration statements. The new rules are set forth in Release No. 33-11275. The...more
Introduction - With the adoption by 196 parties of the Paris Agreement in December 2015, legally binding international climate change arrived. The Paris Agreement requires increasingly aggressive five-year cycles climate...more
Introduction: Strategic Carbon Management - The corporate world is experiencing significant growth in the need for carbon management services. Within the diverse field of environmental and sustainability services, the top...more
Executive Summary- Climate disclosure regulations are among the most significant and complex challenges faced by companies and boards, with a variety of requirements emanating from numerous governmental authorities and...more
On December 21, 2023, the New York Department of Financial Services (“NYDFS”) finalized guidance on how the banks and mortgage institutions it regulates (“New York Institutions”) should manage climate-related financial and...more
On September 18, 2023, following a two-year development process, the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) published its final recommendations (the Recommendations) to help market participants with...more
According to a survey conducted by KPMG, 75% of companies are not in a position to obtain third-party assurance on their published ESG data. This is despite the fact that two-thirds of companies must disclose such data, or...more
An Austrian regional court found Austrian Airlines AG (AUA), a subsidiary of German airline Lufthansa, liable for greenwashing for advertisements offering carbon-neutral flights that used 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF),...more
The Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures ("TNFD") released its final framework (the "TNFD Framework") on September 18. The TNFD Framework encourages organisations to integrate nature into decision-making and...more
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law two key climate bills as part of the California legislature’s broader Climate Accountability Package. The two laws—Senate Bill No. 253 (SB 253) and Senate Bill No. 261 (SB...more
In addition to the risk of regulatory enforcement actions and penalties, the court system continues to be used as a battleground for climate issues through litigation against oil and gas (“O&G”) companies....more
In late July 2023, House Republicans on the Financial Services Committee introduced four bills targeting various business and market activities that implicate environmental, social, and governance issues. In a statement...more
On June 21, 2023, the General Court of the European Union rejected an action brought by a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) seeking to annul European Commission legislation that identified certain activities related to...more
In its 2023 snapshot report (the Climate Litigation Report), the London School of Economics’ Grantham Institute found that climate litigation continues to grow, with 190 new cases filed in the last 12 months, including cases...more