This publication surveys sustainability-related legal and policy developments across the globe over the last year. It seeks to provide decision-makers with a concise, practice-ready overview of where regulatory frameworks are...more
3/3/2026
/ Biodiversity ,
Climate Action Plan ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Energy Policy ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Global Market ,
Green Deal ,
New Legislation ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Renewable Energy ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Finance
Over five years ago, the European Green Deal promised to make climate neutrality Europe’s new industrial strategy. Introduced in 2019, it marked a fundamental, long-term shift in European policy priorities....more
3/3/2026
/ Climate Action Plan ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Green Bonds ,
Green Deal ,
Greenwashing ,
SFDR ,
Sustainable Finance ,
Taxonomy
In early 2024, the Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) requirement was adopted for certain developments in England. Introduced under the Environment Act 2021, BNG aims to restore habitats and biodiversity on planning sites. In doing...more
3/2/2026
/ Biodiversity ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Housing Developers ,
Infrastructure ,
New Legislation ,
Planning Approval Process ,
Real Estate Development ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Sustainability ,
UK ,
Urban Planning & Development
Law and clear policy signals are key drivers of the energy transition but they operate in markedly different ways across jurisdictions. ...more
2/27/2026
/ Australia ,
China ,
Clean Energy ,
Climate Action Plan ,
Climate Change ,
Coal Industry ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Energy Policy ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Geopolitical Risks ,
Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) ,
National Security ,
Supply Chain ,
United States
The FCA has issued a lengthy consultation paper setting out its proposed new regime for ESG ratings providers (FCA CP 25/34). From June 29, 2028, any firm wishing to provide ESG ratings in the UK will need FCA authorisation,...more
2/18/2026
/ Consultation ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
HM Treasury ,
New Legislation ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Sustainable Finance ,
UK
On December 9, 2025, the European Parliament and the Council concluded a deal in the trilogue negotiations on the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive...more
12/18/2025
/ Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Due Diligence ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
EU Directive ,
European Commission ,
Liability ,
Member State ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Supply Chain ,
Sustainability ,
Threshold Requirements
After months of negotiations in the European Parliament, there is finally some more clarity on where the EU is heading with the European Commission (EC)’s Sustainability Omnibus package, launched late February 2025. This...more
11/20/2025
/ Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) ,
Due Diligence ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
European Parliament ,
New Legislation ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Supply Chain ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Finance
What do businesses need to know, and how can they prepare?
Introduction -
On June 25, 2025, the UK government initiated a consultation (the Consultation) on the exposure draft of the UK Sustainability Reporting Standards...more
7/30/2025
/ Climate Change ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Financial Reporting ,
Investors ,
Popular ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Sustainability ,
UK
As the 2025 AGM and reporting season passes its peak, we have produced a note of our reflections on what we’ve seen in the market so far this year, and developments we’re expecting in the coming months.
The key themes...more
6/23/2025
/ Board of Directors ,
Capital Markets ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
FTSE ,
Global Market ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Remuneration ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Shareholders ,
Stakeholder Engagement ,
UK
The EU’s sustainability reporting and due diligence landscape is in flux following the European Commission’s adoption of its highly anticipated Sustainability Omnibus package in late February 2025.
In recent bulletins, we...more
5/16/2025
/ Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) ,
Due Diligence ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Popular ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) ,
Sustainability
On April 2, 2025, after weeks of speculation and heightened geopolitical tension, President Trump announced sweeping global tariffs on what he dubbed “Liberation Day”. The tariffs included a baseline universal tariff of 10%...more
The European Commission’s Omnibus package, published on February 26, 2025 (the Omnibus Package or the Package), proposes to simplify the EU’s sustainability laws. At the same time, it has generated significant uncertainty for...more
3/31/2025
/ Business Entities ,
Corporate Governance ,
Due Diligence ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Supply Chain ,
Sustainability
The European Commission formally adopted its proposals for amending the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (“CSRD”) in late February 2025, as part of its highly anticipated sustainability Omnibus package. In this...more
3/10/2025
/ Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Sustainability
More competitiveness, more coherence and less administrative burden – these are key political priorities for the new European Commission (the Commission) which took office last December. One of the earliest moves under the...more
1/17/2025
/ Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Business Practices
This is an update to previous bulletins on the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CS3D) which we published in June and September 2024.
In a decisive move that marks a new chapter for corporate...more
12/17/2024
/ Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Due Diligence ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
EU Directive ,
Member State ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Business Practices
Sustainability reporting and disclosure can bring many benefits, including greater transparency and increased accountability. But unless coupled with, and closely tied to, the implementation of a clear business strategy for...more
Taxonomies will play a critical role in channelling investment towards sustainable activities. But while alignment between frameworks is critical , a one-size-fits-all approach can never be effective....more
3/7/2024
/ Business Strategies ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Global Market ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Investment ,
Investors ,
Net Zero ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Finance ,
Taxonomy ,
UK
The Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) new package of sustainability disclosure requirements (SDR) and investment labelling rules is a key pillar of the UK government’s efforts to introduce an economy-wide SDR regime. All...more
12/20/2023
/ Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Greenwashing ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Business Practices ,
UK
The Commission has launched a far reaching consultation and review of SFDR, long expected by the industry. This bulletin provides an overview, as well as giving thought as to what we might see in terms of SFDR 2.0....more
9/25/2023
/ Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) ,
Investment ,
Investment Management ,
Investors ,
Regulatory Reform ,
SFDR ,
Sustainable Finance ,
Taxonomy ,
UK
There are useful takeaways for EU and non-EU firms arising from the European Supervisory Authorities’ (ESA) latest thinking on greenwashing. In June 2023, the ESAs issued progress reports examining greenwashing risks and...more
7/27/2023
/ EIOPA ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
European Banking Authority (EBA) ,
European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) ,
European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs) ,
Greenwashing ,
Insurance Industry ,
SFDR ,
Sustainable Finance ,
Taxonomy
Environmental, social and governance (ESG) ratings are increasingly used by investors, lenders and regulators to assess the sustainability performance of companies. They can, for example, assess an entity’s exposure to, and...more
On 17 May 2023, the EU Regulation establishing a carbon border adjustment mechanism (the CBAM Regulation) came into force. The CBAM Regulation will become applicable in phases, with provisions applying from 1 October 2023, 31...more
In what was dubbed ‘Energy Security Day’, on 30 March 2023, the UK Government released an extensive suite of publications outlining plans to support the country’s legally binding net-zero target by 2050. This included the...more
On 27 January 2023, 11,317 individuals and 17 institutions from the Ogale community in Nigeria filed claims against Shell Plc (Shell) for its alleged role in oil spills in the Niger Delta....more
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has published a Discussion Paper (DP) (DP23/1) titled “Finance for positive sustainable change: governance, incentives and competence in regulated firms”, which explores a number of key...more