Can carbon-neutral fossil fuels can gain credibility and scale up through voluntary efforts, or will market adoption have to be compelled through mandatory regulation?
Key takeaways
1. Fossil fuel producers are looking for interim solutions during the green energy transition
2. Use of the carbon-neutral label is susceptible to being seen as ‘greenwashing’
3. A
On the back of unfortunate geopolitical developments this year, which have drastically changed the path to a carbon-neutral economy, we are pleased to present “Energy transition – An evolving journey” – a thought leadership campaign containing practical insights on the trends, opportunities and challenges in the energy industry going forward.
Please see link to the
The European Commission is currently seeking public comment as part of its review of the Restriction of Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (Directive 2011/65/EU) (the RoHS Directive).
The aim of the RoHS Directive is to reduce the risk to human and environmental health by restricting the use of certain hazardous substances in
Last year, the European Commission published its proposal to expand the EU emissions trading scheme (“EU ETS”). The expansion of the EU ETS forms a central part of the Commission’s “Fit for 55” package, which seeks to revise EU climate, energy and transport-related legislation to align it with the wider 2030 and 2050 climate ambitions
The European Banking Authority (“EBA”) recently published final rules for lenders on how they must publish data on environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) risks, and how these risks may affect their balance sheets. The watchdog hopes that the proposed rules will help to “address shortcomings of institutions’ current ESG disclosures at EU level by setting
The European Commission recently opened a public consultation on the “sustainable consumption of goods – promoting repair and reuse”. The Commission is looking to amend the Sale of Goods Directive and possibly introduce a separate new legislative proposal on the right to repair. The initiative follows the New Consumer Agenda and the Circular Economy Action
The European Commission has recently adopted its new, “EU Strategic Framework on Health and Safety at Work 2021-2027” (COM/2021/323, available here), bringing new health and safety priorities and actions for a fast changing post-pandemic workplace.
The post-pandemic working landscape has significantly changed, fuelled recently by green and digital evolution and influenced by economic and
In accordance with its initiatives under the European Green Deal, the Commission is currently seeking public feedback on both its proposed update to the EU Industrial Emissions Directive (‘IED’) and for the proposed implementation of the EU Zero Pollution Action Plan.
Introduced in 2019, the European Green Deal sets out the Commission’s ambitious strategy to addressing climate-related and environmental challenges across various industry sectors. Amongst other things, it commits the EU to revising existing measures to address pollution from large industrial installations, to ensure EU permitting laws are consistent with EU policies on climate, energy and circular economy. The EU is also committing to adopt a zero pollution action plan to meet the Commission’s zero pollution ambition.
Alongside the Zero Pollution Action Plan and the revision of measures to address pollution from large industrial installations, the third headline action on zero pollution is the chemical strategy for sustainability (published in October 2020). The publication of the chemical strategy was the first step towards achieving what the EU terms a ‘toxic-free environment’. The EU strategies on biodiversity, climate neutrality, and Farm to Fork are also key in achieving the zero pollution ambitions under the European Green Deal.Continue Reading EU Green Deal: European Commission proposes changes to the EU Industrial Emissions Directive and a Zero Pollution Action Plan
2021 is shaping up to be a very busy year for those who are affected by EU laws relating to Environment, Health & Safety, ESG and product compliance matters.
Important developments are expected this year across a number of the EU’s flagship Green Deal policy initiatives, but there are many other significant initiatives to watch out for.
Reed Smith’s EMEA EHS & Product Compliance team will be keeping a close eye on them all for you and writing more detailed pieces on developments as they occur throughout the year.
In the meantime, in this short blog we provide just a snapshot of what you can expect to see during 2021:Continue Reading EU EHS and Product Compliance laws: what to look out for in 2021
The UK Government has published new guidance on the UKCA product-marking framework which replaces the current EU CE marking regime in Great Britain (i.e. England, Wales and Scotland), from 1 January 2021. The guidance is in line with expectations and brings helpful clarity for manufacturers and other affected stakeholders, albeit also bringing with it