A 2022 Interagency Sea Level Rise Technical Report, authored by various governmental agencies, found that global mean sea levels could rise between one and seven feet by 2100. This would me significant impacts to the more...more
On May 2, 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the release of the Draft National Strategy to Prevent Plastic Pollution (Draft Strategy) for public comment. 88 Fed. Reg. 27502. EPA states in its April...more
On the eve of Earth Day, the Biden Administration announced a new “White House Interagency Policy Committee (“IPC”) on Plastic Pollution and a Circular Economy.” The IPC is tasked with coordinating federal efforts on plastic...more
California’s SB 54, or the Plastic Producer Responsibility Act, represents a substantial expansion of the increasingly popular form of legislation focused on extended producer responsibility (EPR) for plastic recycling. While...more
Americans have been “recycling” since colonial times. However, it wasn’t until the 1960s that Americans began viewing recycling ― often provided alongside rubbish removal ― a more formal solution to problems posed by consumer...more
California is an epicenter of environmental policymaking and often a harbinger of laws and regulations adopted throughout the country, and there’s no reason to think this will change in 2023. Beveridge & Diamond closely...more
In an ambitious step toward New York state’s climate goals, the New York State Climate Action Council approved a Scoping Plan on December 19, 2022, which sets forth a series of recommended policies and actions. The 445-page...more
On November 21, 2022, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) published a Science & Tech Spotlight on biorecycling of plastics. Biological recycling, or biorecycling, is an emerging technology that uses microbes, such...more
The new requirements under the German Packaging Act (Verpackungsgesetz, VerpackG) present a challenge and an opportunity for companies that have to re-design their operational processes to comply with the new requirements. If...more
Companies should consider taking proactive measures to avoid being blindsided by future microplastic-related laws. California’s adoption of the Statewide Microplastics Strategy is the first attempt by a U.S. state to...more
What is green finance? The term “green finance” refers to financial products and services provided for project investment and financing, project operation and risk management in sectors such as environmental protection,...more
The amount of money invested in Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) funds has increased exponentially in the past year, and as banks and investors increasingly turn their attention to ESG factors, companies are also...more
The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (“ISRI”) submitted August 17th comments on China’s proposed revisions to its solid waste law (“Law”). The country is proposing to revise its Law for the stated purpose of...more