While ensuring accurate environmental claims is a laudable goal, unclear standards risk deterring businesses from informing the public of their efforts to achieve environmental goals. Ultimately, if businesses are deterred...more
US formally submits notification of withdrawal from Paris Agreement. On January 27, 2025, Dorothy Camille Shea, the US acting ambassador to the United Nations, submitted a notification of withdrawal from the Paris Agreement...more
Environmental claims are a powerful tool for companies to demonstrate their commitment to sustainability and connect with values-driven consumers. However, these claims are facing increased legal scrutiny, as governments and...more
“Net zero” is a topic as hot as the climate these days. With so much regulatory attention being placed on it, companies that do not communicate their net zero efforts appropriately or, worse, intentionally make false and...more
The U.S. Department of the Treasury (Treasury) announced a new joint statement of policy and new principles (Joint Statement) for responsible participation in voluntary carbon markets (VCMs) with the U.S. Department of...more
Your company has an ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) mission. It could be as (seemingly) simple as using renewable energy in production, sourcing eco-friendly materials or, more broadly, coming up with a "more...more
In September, ahead of the Conservative party conference, Rishi Sunak announced a step back from the Government’s net zero policy and targets. This was followed up last week by the Government’s formal response to the Climate...more
The UK’s financial services regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), has delayed the release of its policy statement setting out the final rules of the Sustainability Disclosure Requirements (SDRs), leaving asset...more
The risk of an accusation of “greenwashing” is now an important concern for many companies. Greenwashing is an ill-defined concept but, nevertheless, is increasingly a source of litigation and regulatory scrutiny – with more...more
The UK government (the “Government”) has long spoken of its commitment to tackling greenwashing and creating the world’s first net-zero emissions financial centre. Read more about this in our client alert on the “Green...more
The Net-Zero Banking Alliance (“NZBA”), the UN-led coalition of global banks “committed to aligning their lending investment portfolios with net-zero emissions by 2050,” is facing backlash from certain sustainability-focused...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
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