The Commission is also consulting on proposed targeted amendments to the Taxonomy Climate Delegated Act and on the Taxonomy Disclosures Delegated Act.

By Paul A. DaviesMichael D. Green, and James Bee

On 5 April 2023 the European Commission opened a consultation on its proposal for four additional environmental objectives under the EU Taxonomy Regulation[1] (the Taxonomy), including: (i) sustainable use and protection of water and marine resources; (ii) transition to a circular economy; (iii) pollution prevention and control; and (iv) protection and restoration of biodiversity and ecosystems.

The Commission is seeking feedback on technical screening criteria (TSC) for economic activities that may substantially contribute to one or more of those four environmental objectives. The TSC do not only identify the technical requirements that an activity must meet to be considered to make a substantial contribution to one of these areas, they also specify the conditions by which the activities can be considered to not do any significant harm to the remaining areas.

The Commission has already adopted TSC related to the economic activities of two other environmental objectives: climate change mitigation and climate change adaptation.

The Commission is also proposing amendments to the Taxonomy Climate Delegated Act, introducing additional activities that may be considered to substantially contribute to climate change mitigation or climate change adaptation, as well as the Taxonomy Disclosures Delegated Act.

The consultation seeks feedback on its “measures-based approach” to classifying industrial activities, as well as “Do No Significant Harm” criteria.

By Paul A. Davies, Farhana Sharmeen, Michael D. Green, and James Bee

The Green Finance Industry Taskforce (GFIT) was convened by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and includes representatives from financial institutions, corporates, and financial industry associations, among other stakeholders. The industry-led group aims to accelerate the development of green finance in Singapore through four initiatives:

  1. Developing a taxonomy
  2. Enhancing environmental risk management practices of financial institutions
  3. Improving disclosures
  4. Fostering green finance solutions

The Final Report recommends five themes that financial institutions should incorporate into their net zero transition strategies.

By Paul A. Davies, Michael D. Green, and James Bee

On 1 November 2022, the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ) issued its Final Report on the Fundamentals, Recommendations, and Guidance for Financial Institution Net Zero Transition Plans (the Report). The Report sets out a framework for transition planning, identifying financing strategies for financial institutions to effectively transition to net zero, and makes recommendations for implementing these strategies.