The Plan aims to “simplify, accelerate and align incentives to preserve the competitiveness and attractiveness of the EU as an investment location for the net-zero industry”.
On 1 February 2023, the European Commission...more
2/10/2023
/ Climate Change ,
Electricity ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Policies ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Industrial Space ,
Manufacturers ,
Net Zero ,
Regulatory Standards ,
Supply Chain
The EU’s latest initiative to enhance ESG disclosures will expand the requirements of earlier initiatives and bring considerably more companies within its scope.
On 5 January 2023, the Corporate Sustainability Reporting...more
Navigating a global patchwork of ESG regulation and enforcement while preparing for greenwashing claims and other ESG litigation will likely be among the main concerns for companies in 2023.
Both anticipated and less...more
1/6/2023
/ Board of Directors ,
C-Suite Executives ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Enforcement Priorities ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Global Economy ,
Global Market ,
Greenwashing ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Shareholder Activism ,
Supply Chain ,
UK ,
Wage and Hour
Latham lawyers highlight key takeaways and developments in the sustainability space from the second half of the year.
...more
12/22/2022
/ Antitrust Provisions ,
Climate Change ,
Consultation ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) ,
Forced Labor ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Investment Funds ,
Sustainability
The CBAM would seek to mitigate carbon leakage through the imposition of a levy on carbon-intensive imports into the EU, while free allowances under EU ETS would be phased out.
On 13 December 2022, negotiators from the...more
The Council’s position includes a number of differences from the European Commission’s original proposal, including in relation to the requirement to diligence the broader value chain.
On 30 November 2022, the European...more
The European Securities and Markets Authority proposes to restrict ESG- and sustainability-related terms in the naming of funds, with an eye on the US and UK fund naming regimes.
On 18 November 2022, the European...more
Human rights due diligence standards are being negotiated at the international level, which may complement or complicate national and regional regulations.
Latham & Watkins is pleased to introduce a series of Clients...more
From 2024 at the earliest, more European and global companies will need to disclose their ESG activities in greater detail.
On 10 November 2022, the European Parliament adopted a final version of the Corporate...more
11/18/2022
/ Corporate Counsel ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
EU Directive ,
European Commission ,
European Parliament ,
Financial Reporting ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Business Practices
The proposal highlights the growing global focus on companies’ human rights obligations not just towards employees but also towards workers in their supply chains.
On 14 September 2022, the European Commission (the...more
9/16/2022
/ Due Diligence ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Exports ,
Forced Labor ,
Human Rights ,
Manufacturers ,
Member State ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Supply Chain ,
Sustainable Business Practices
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
The call highlights the challenges in developing alignment between global ESG reporting standards.
The European Central Bank (ECB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), two of the world’s leading public financial...more
8/22/2022
/ Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
European Central Bank ,
IFRS ,
IMF ,
International Regulatory Standards ,
Net Zero ,
Regulatory Standards ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Sustainable Finance ,
Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD)
EU Parliament and Council reach agreement on CSRD -
European Parliament and European Council | 21 June 2022 -
The European Parliament and European Council reached a provisional political agreement on the terms of the...more
8/18/2022
/ Antitrust Provisions ,
Blocked Mergers ,
Corporate Governance ,
Due Diligence ,
EU ,
EU Directive ,
European Commission ,
European Parliament ,
Exemptions ,
Natural Gas ,
Nuclear Power ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Business Practices ,
Sustainable Finance ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
Companies should be prepared for increasing demand to factor ESG into their value chains as well as new mandates from government authorities.
Latham & Watkins is pleased to introduce a series of Clients Alerts on ESG and...more
6/28/2022
/ Climate Change ,
Compliance ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Human Rights ,
International Trade ,
Supply Chain ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Business Practices ,
UK
The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive expands the existing sustainability reporting requirements and brings more companies under its scope.
On 21 June 2022, the European Parliament and European Council reached...more
6/24/2022
/ Audits ,
Certification Requirements ,
Compliance ,
Compliance Dates ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
EU Directive ,
European Council ,
European Parliament ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Business Practices
The consultations invite stakeholders’ views on the Environmental Liability Directive and the Waste Framework Directive.
In May 2022, the European Commission (Commission) issued public consultations in relation to the...more
The proposed taxonomy for green and transition activities is aligned with increasing global demand for clear and consistent classification of sustainable finance activities.
In May 2022, the Green Finance Industry...more
A series of early-stage working papers provide insight into how a proposed EU legislation might expand companies’ ESG reporting obligations.
On 21 April 2021, the European Commission adopted the Corporate Sustainability...more
The Call for Evidence is one of a number of measures the EU is taking as it aims to strengthen the reliability of ESG ratings.
On 4 April 2022, the European Commission (Commission) published a call for evidence (Call for...more
In-scope companies would have to publicly identify “actual and potential” adverse impacts of their operations on the environment and/or human rights.
On 23 February 2022, the European Commission (the Commission)...more
Dealmakers should continue to weigh the impact of ESG issues on M&A deals as ESG standards evolve.
Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues have become increasingly important for corporates in recent years,...more
1/11/2022
/ Acquisitions ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Data Privacy ,
Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) ,
Due Diligence ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Green Finance ,
Human Rights ,
IFRS ,
Indemnification Clauses ,
Mergers ,
Modern Slavery Act ,
Private Equity ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Representations and Warranties ,
Supply Chain ,
Sustainability ,
UK
Truly Green? CMA Continues to Evolve Guidance and Metrics for Companies’ Environmental Claims -
The Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA’s) Green Claims Code (the Code) and final guidance (the Guidance) on...more
12/22/2021
/ Climate Change ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
EU ,
Green Marketing ,
Net Zero ,
New Guidance ,
Regulation Technical Standards (RTS) ,
Sustainability ,
Taxonomy ,
UK ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)
The triggering of the CCM under the UK ETS and ongoing consultations under UK Reach signal speedbumps in the transition process.
On 30 November 2021, the UK government’s Department of Business, Energy and Industrial...more
12/16/2021
/ Cap-and-Trade ,
Climate Change ,
Consultation ,
Emissions Trading System ,
Environmental Policies ,
EU ,
EU ETS ,
Fuel Supply ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Oil & Gas ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Toxic Chemicals ,
UK ,
UK Brexit
The SBTi’s standard aims to clarify the target for net zero emissions, whilst the Common Ground Taxonomy indicates China-EU cooperation on sustainable finance issues.
Last month, the Science Based Targets initiative...more
11/17/2021
/ China ,
Climate Change ,
Consultation ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Green Finance ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Greenwashing ,
Net Zero ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Finance ,
Taxonomy ,
Working Groups
Green shoots emerge as PE firms consider new ways to incorporate ESG into dealmaking.
Market sentiment and the increasing importance of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) to firms’ competitiveness across the...more
10/7/2021
/ Climate Change ,
Consultation ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Due Diligence ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Reporting ,
General Partnerships ,
Limited Partnerships ,
Private Equity ,
Private Equity Funds ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
SFDR ,
Sustainable Business Practices ,
UK