The Commission published guidance documents to the regulation and proposed to postpone its entry into application to 30 December 2025.
By Paul A. Davies, Michael D. Green, and James Bee
On 2 October 2024, the European Commission (Commission) adopted a proposal for a one-year delay to the implementation of the European Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), which was set to take effect from December 30, 2024. The Commission noted the proposal is a response to feedback from global partners and
The ESPR aims to make sustainable products the norm in the EU, replacing the current Ecodesign Directive and introducing broader measures for sustainability.
By Paul A. Davies, Cesare Milani, José María Alonso, Michael D. Green, James Bee, and Telmo Iriondo
On 18 July 2024, the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) entered into force. The ESPR forms part of a package of measures central to achieving the objectives of the European Commission’s 2020 Circular Economy
The draft represents the next step in transposing the CSRD into national law.
By Axel Schiemann and Dominik Schöneberger
On 24 July 2024, the German Federal Government adopted the governmental draft of the Act implementing the EU Directive on Sustainability Reporting (Directive (EU) 2022/2464 – CSRD) into German law (the Government Draft). The adoption of the Government Draft constitutes the next significant step in the legislative process after the German Ministry of Finance published the first draft implementing law on
The CSDDD is set to impose mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence obligations for in-scope companies.
By Paul A. Davies, Michael D. Green, and James Bee
On 5 July 2024, the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) was published in the Official Journal of the EU, marking a significant milestone in the growing regulatory environment in relation to companies being required to embed responsible business conduct into due diligence processes and policies.
Initially proposed in February 2022
The Standards provide a framework for all Chinese companies’ sustainability disclosures and the applicability extends beyond listed companies.
By Paul A. Davies, Farhana Sharmeen, Michael D. Green, James Bee, and Qingyi Pan
On May 27, 2024, China’s Ministry of Finance published the new Corporate Sustainability Disclosure Standards (Draft for Comment) (the Standards). The Standards set out the general provisions, disclosure objectives, and information quality requirements, which aim to lay the ground for China’s unified national sustainability disclosure standard system, expected to launch by 2030. The goal of the Standards is to promote transparent disclosure throughout the value chain and to enhance the competitiveness of Chinese companies globally.
Private capital providers, investors, asset managers, and financial institutions will likely continue to face a fragmented regulatory landscape on ESG matters.
By Betty M. Huber, Matthew Green, Henry Miller, Austin J. Pierce, Catherine G. Willis, and Sam Wong
Various US states have taken and continue to take action on ESG investing and other matters, with new variants emerging regularly. Some of the state bills, laws, and actions overlap thematically, and indeed some are based on
The Tribunal confirmed that States party to UNCLOS must take measures to prevent marine pollution caused by climate change, on top of their obligations under the Paris Agreement.
By Paul A. Davies, Sophie J. Lamb KC, Michael D. Green, and Stephanie Forrest
On 9 April 2024, the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea (ITLOS, or the Tribunal) issued a long-awaited advisory opinion on climate change and international law, concluding that States party to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) are subject to specific obligations to prevent, reduce, and control greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and their adverse effect on the marine environment.
For the first time, the Court has confirmed that the adverse impacts of climate change fall within the ambit of human rights protection under the European Convention of Human Rights, obliging States to implement effective mitigation measures.
By Paul A. Davies, Sophie J. Lamb KC, Michael D. Green, James Bee, and Stephanie Forrest
On 9 April 2024, the European Court of Human Rights delivered three Grand Chamber rulings in climate change-related cases. These three separate judgments
The Eighth Circuit is poised to determine the fate of the SEC’s final climate regulation, potentially by the end of the year.
By Paul A. Davies, Sarah E. Fortt, and Betty M. Huber
On March 21, 2024, the US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit was selected as the court that will hear challenges against the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC or Commission) over its final climate disclosures rules, which were adopted on March 6.[i]
The proposed regulation would ban forced labour-made products from the EU market, affecting companies’ supply chains and requiring compliance checks.
By Paul A. Davies, Michael D. Green, and James Bee
On 5 March 2024, the European Parliament and European Council announced that they had reached a provisional political agreement on the regulation (Regulation) that aims to prohibit any product manufactured using forced labour from being placed on or exported from the EU market.
The European Commission proposed the