Yesterday, 10 December 2025, the Council’s presidency and European Parliament’s negotiators reached a provisional agreement to simplify the EU’s sustainability reporting and due diligence requirements. The provisional agreement must be now endorsed by the Council and the European Parliament, before it is formally adopted by the two institutions. However, further changes are unlikely and the
Business and Human Rights – mining sector and licence to operate: recent case studies
Under international standards such as the UN Guiding Principles and the OECD Guidelines, companies are expected to conduct human rights and environmental due diligence to identify, assess, mitigate and remediate any adverse human rights or environmental impacts that they cause, contribute to or are otherwise linked to. A failure to do so can expose a
The Next Era of Sustainability Leadership: CEO Survey Shows the Business Case is Now
Sustainability has undergone a profound transformation over the past two decades. What began as a moral movement—rooted in reputation management and risk mitigation—has increasingly become a strategic business imperative. The latest annual report published by the UN Global Compact and Accenture[1] underlines how the business case for sustainability leadership to be at the core of
Business and Human Rights: ICJ issues opinion on State obligations in respect of climate change
On 23 July 2025, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued a landmark advisory opinion at the request of the United Nations General Assembly, holding that States have a legal obligation to protect the environment, including to address climate change (the “Opinion“). The Opinion also recognised that a “clean, healthy and sustainable environment”
Business and Human Rights: UK’s new inquiry into forced labour in supply chains
Other authors: Kirsty Morris
The House of Commons’ Joint Committee on Human Rights (the “Committee“) has launched a new inquiry to examine the UK’s current framework in relation to forced labour in international supply chains1. The Committee is seeking to establish if the current framework is effective in managing the risk
European Commission Presents “Omnibus” Simplification Package with Amendments to CSRD, CSDDD, CBAM and Taxonomy
Other authors: Dušan Stojković
On 26 February 2025, the European Commission (“Commission”) published its “Omnibus I” or “Sustainability Omnibus” package as part of its mission to improve the competitiveness of the European Union. The Omnibus Package foresees changes to several EU instruments pertaining to sustainability reporting under the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (“CSRD”)
European Council greenlights new regulation on regulating ESG ratings agencies
On 19 November 2024, the Council of the European Union (“Council”) adopted a new regulation on environmental, social and governance (ESG) rating activities.1 The new regulation, which was presented by the European Commission on 13 June 2023, aims to make ESG rating activities in the EU more consistent, transparent and comparable.2 This will
Dutch Court of Appeal rules on Shell CO2 Emissions
Other contributor: Jan Buschfeld
On 12 November 2024, a Dutch appeals court ruled that Shell does not have to reduce its CO2 emissions by 45% by 2030 compared to 2019 levels, as previously ordered by the Hague District Court on 26 May 2021. Shell now has the right to adjust its own emissions reductions targets
The European Commission publishes FAQs on the implementation of the EU corporate sustainability reporting rules
On 7 August 2024, the European Commission published a set of frequently asked questions on the implementation of the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (Directive (EU) 2022/2464) (“CSRD“) and the interpretation of certain legal provisions in the Accounting Directive (Directive 2013/34/EU), the Transparency Directive (Directive 2004/109/EC) and the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (Regulation
NATIONAL CONTACT POINTS: WHAT ARE THEY AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?
Multinational companies are facing increased pressure to ensure that they have adequate ESG-related policies in place and (more importantly) that they are implementing those policies in practice within both their business and associated supply chains via appropriate systems and controls. Companies that are found not to have implemented or adhered to those policies face increased