Countries are preparing for a new round of negotiations on an ambitious legally binding international treaty to address plastics pollution across the entire life cycle of plastics per the UNEA 5.2 mandate in resolution 5/14....more
Add electric and hybrid vehicle batteries to the growing list of products subject to extended producer responsibility (EPR) mandates. On January 8, 2024, New Jersey enacted the Electric and Hybrid Vehicle Battery Management...more
On April 18, 2023, the Washington state legislature passed SB 5144: Providing for responsible environmental management of batteries (the Bill). It is now on the Governor’s desk for signature. The Bill creates an extended...more
Advertising claims about the environmental attributes of a product continue to become more important, and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is seeking to change how it regulates advertising. The FTC is seeking comment on a...more
On Wednesday, September 21, 2022, the U.S. Senate gave its advice and consent to the ratification of the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer by a bipartisan vote of 69-27. The...more
Background -
The European Commission (EC) is undertaking an aggressive overhaul and expansion of the Ecodesign Directive to allow for the future regulation of the environmental sustainability of a wider range of products...more
Today, the United Nations Environment Assembly adopted a broad negotiating mandate for a new legally binding international agreement on plastic pollution. Inger Andersen, the Executive Director of the United Nations...more
Parties to the Basel Convention are considering legally binding amendments to the Convention that would dramatically expand controls and trade bans governing international shipments of used products managed for reuse and...more
On January 1, 2021, new Basel Convention controls on international shipments of non-hazardous plastic waste will go into effect in countries around the world. As Parties to the Convention implement their obligations,...more
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) published on May 20 a request for information (RFI) pertaining to potential revisions to the current energy conservation standards for External Power Supplies (EPS). DOE is required to...more
As commercial fisheries across the United States continue to adjust operations in the face of new legal requirements, such as the shift from single-species to ecosystem-based management, one challenge in particular has...more
The New York State Legislature passed Governor Cuomo’s Restore Mother Nature Bond Act on April 1st as part of the state’s 2020-2021 budget. The Act, if approved by New York voters in November, will provide $3 billion for...more
Beginning in December 2019, the Ban Amendment to the Basel Convention will prohibit shipments of hazardous waste from OECD countries to non-OECD countries for disposal or recovery. While the Ban Amendment was originally...more
Governor Cuomo signed into law on Tuesday, July 10, 2018 the New York State Drug Take Back Act (“Act”). New York joins the State of Washington as the first two states to adopt statewide drug take back programs for unwanted...more
On October 31, Governor Dannel Malloy signed into law Connecticut’s bipartisan budget bill, which provides for a tax incentive plan to support brownfields remediation and reuse. The new plan, called the 7/7 Brownfields...more
On June 29, 2017, the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD or Task Force) released its Final Report providing recommendations on voluntary climate-related financial disclosures. The recommendations,...more
This month’s tracker reflects key initiatives from May 16, 2017 – June 15, 2017.
Latin America is moving full speed ahead to adopt and implement Climate Change Convention commitments, signaling that greenhouse gas ...more
On May 17, the European Union and seven EU member states ratified the Minamata Convention on Mercury, pushing past the 50-state threshold needed for its entry into force. The treaty – the most recent of the global...more
Notable regional developments abound: Argentina has adopted new hazardous wastes storage rules; Brazil's dangerous good transportation regulations will go into effect shortly; the Chilean Senate unanimously passed a consumer...more
Latin America continues it vigorous and progressive introduction of wide ranging environmental and sustainability issues. Some highlighted activity to reflect the range:
Sustainability. Signaling what may be a future...more
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC or Commission) Division of Corporate Finance issued a new statement adding some uncertainty to company obligations and enforcement exposure under the SEC conflict minerals rule...more
This month, Latin American countries sustain their pace issuing progressive environmental measures, and the Region continues to emerge as a global leader on sustainability issues.
Product recycling requirements matured...more
A flurry of activity on conflict minerals in recent months has added new uncertainty to the long-simmering debate over the future of U.S. conflict minerals reporting requirements. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission...more
This month’s tracker reflects key initiatives from January 16, 2017 – February 15, 2017.
The pace of environmental and sustainability initiatives continues at its breakneck pace in Latin America, notwithstanding summer...more
This month’s tracker reflects key initiatives from December 16, 2016 – January 15, 2017.
Greetings! While there was some slowdown in regulatory activity towards the end of the year, as usual, there were also some fairly...more
2/2/2017
/ Argentina ,
Brazil ,
Chile ,
Climate Change ,
Colombia ,
Energy Efficiency ,
Mexico ,
Paris Agreement ,
Peru ,
Plastic Bag Bans ,
Renewable Energy ,
Solid Waste