Electro-Extraction and the Future of E-Waste with Megan O'Connor, CEO and Co-founder of Nth Cycle - Battery + Storage Podcast
Reuse to the Rescue: Talking Water Reuse with Pat Sinicropi, Executive Director, WateReuse Association - Reflections on Water Podcast
The European Commission (EC) began a public consultation on July 8, 2025, on a draft act that will establish rules for calculating, verifying, and reporting on recycled plastic content in single-use plastic beverage bottles....more
The Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2025/40), the European Union’s new regulation concerning the packaging of products placed on the European market (PPWR), came into force on 11 February 2025....more
The European Commission's new efforts to boost the EU's competitiveness through the Clean Industrial Deal and sweeping regulatory simplification have garnered significant attention. At the same time, circularity remains a...more
Antitrust and Competition - European and UK Antitrust Enforcers Impose Fines Over End-of-Life Vehicles Recycling Cartel - On 1 April 2024, both the European Commission (the Commission) and the UK Competition and Markets...more
Chemical recycling of plastic is at a turning point in Europe, with several large projects poised to start but still facing regulatory and market challenges. As highlighted in the study recently published by consultants...more
COMPETITION - Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.11929 - MET / Mega)... Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.11828 - BNPP / Axa IM)...more
Waste treatment, recycling and take back obligations in relation to electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) and waste of such electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) have long been a focus area for EU regulators, and now...more
On November 5, President Donald Trump was elected President-elect for a second time. We anticipate that President Trump’s upcoming term will usher significant shifts in U.S. environmental and natural resource law and policy,...more
With Gov. Gavin Newsom's signature in late September 2024, Senate Bill (SB) 707, the Responsible Textile Recovery Act of 2024 (the Act), made California the first state to adopt the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)...more
The ESPR aims to make sustainable products the norm in the EU, replacing the current Ecodesign Directive and introducing broader measures for sustainability....more
The EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) is about to come into force and will significantly change packaging laws across the EU. The aim of the legislation is to eliminate packaging waste by ensuring that all...more
In this Insight, first published in PLC, Freya Scott discusses the RICS Sustainability Report 2023, considers some of the barriers to achieving the carbon net zero goal by 2050 and what can be done to overcome these. ...more
At the end of 2023, the EU Parliament and the EU Council each adopted their positions on the EU Commission's proposal for a new Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation. The Commission's proposal had already given rise to a...more
2023 saw terms like “ESG,” “greenwashing,” and “circular economy” come into common use. We also saw a tsunami of other environmental, social, and governance (ESG)-related developments at the international, federal, and state...more
A new batteries regulation will impact the design, production and waste management of all types of batteries manufactured or sold in the European Union. The new rules extend producer responsibility and require due diligence...more
Brands continue to promote sustainable and eco-friendly qualities of their products and services, and regulators are sharpening their enforcement tools in response. Both the United States and European Union took steps in the...more
Solar panels, wind turbines, heat pumps and batteries are all made of metal and—unlike a barrel of oil or ton of coal—metals can be recycled. Countries heavily dependent on imports of crucial decarbonisation minerals are...more
On 15 February 2023, the EU Commission launched an infringement procedure against France by sending it a formal notice regarding its labelling requirements for the recycling of household products. Indeed, subject to...more
Just before the start of the year, the European Commission introduced a Proposal for a Regulation on Packaging and Packaging Waste (PPWR) which will repeal the existing Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive (PPWD) and...more
Mobile device manufacturers may be subject to regulations that aim to mitigate the environmental impact of such devices. On 31 August 2022, the European Commission published draft “ecodesign” regulations covering various...more
On 10 December 2020, the European Commission published a proposal for a new EU Regulation concerning batteries and waste batteries ("Battery Regulation"). The Battery Regulation is part of the European Green Deal and aims to...more
Se ha aprobado el PERTE en Economía Circular, que pretende cambiar la economía hacia un tratamiento circular de los productos que minimice el uso de las materias primas, permita la incorporación de materiales reciclados y...more
The German Federal Environment Agency (UBA) intends to fine Tesla in Germany millions of euros. The reason for this is Tesla’s apparent failure to comply with the applicable regulations on taking back and recycling batteries....more
Energy Blockchain’s Most Obvious Use Case is Not What You Think - "Instead, a select group of blockchain companies is finding success with a focus on certificates of origin, helping demonstrate the provenance of renewable...more
The European Commission (EC) has adopted a new set of eco-design requirements for ten categories of energy-consuming products, including refrigerators, washing machines, and televisions pursuant to the Ecodesign Directive...more