On 23 September, the European Commission took a step towards consumers’ convenience and minimising the environmental footprint associated with the production and disposal of chargers. A proposal to amend the Radio Equipment Directive 2014/54/EU (RED) aims to make a single charger for mobile devices mandatory. Although the number of mobile phone chargers had

Oliver Rieche
European Commission unveils CLP and REACH revision roadmaps
On 4 May 2021, the European Commission (“the Commission”) published two important roadmaps to revise two of the main instruments comprising the existing EU chemicals legislation, these being the Classification, Labelling and Packaging Regulation (“CLP”) and the EU Regulation on the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (“REACH”). The roadmaps can be accessed here. These revisions form part of the EU’s Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability (“the Chemicals Strategy”) to achieve the EU Green Deal’s zero pollution ambition for a toxic-free environment.
The draft revisions are expected to take until 2022 to be published, with the objective to improve the protection of people and the environment against hazardous chemicals in line with the Green Deal’s ambitions. Equally, the EU wishes to seize this opportunity to cement its status as a global leader in chemicals production and use. However, questions remain as to the exact scope of the revision plan for both of these pieces of legislation. A brief overview of the plans for both is set out below.
Continue Reading European Commission unveils CLP and REACH revision roadmaps
ESG Update: At a glance summary of proposed Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive
In our previous ESG Update blog, we described what the then anticipated new EU-wide Sustainable Corporate Governance requirements might look like.
On 21 April, The European Commission published a draft of the proposed new Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). It will completely replace and significantly expand the scope of the current EU Non-Financial Reporting Directive. This short blog summarises its key features.
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Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) Update: Towards new European laws and guidance on Sustainable Corporate Governance
In our “What to expect in 2021” blog, one cross-sectoral EU initiative we flagged was forthcoming Commission proposals for far-reaching new EU-wide Sustainable Corporate Governance requirements.
Here are some more details of what that might entail.
Background
Recent studies have suggested that companies performing well on ESG factors outperform their peers and that…
EU EHS and Product Compliance laws: what to look out for in 2021
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
UK unveils post-Brexit Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS)
The UK has published its plans for the UK ETS starting in 2021. In the UK, this will replace the EU ETS, which the UK is set to leave at the end 2020 with the termination of the Brexit transition period. It is part of the UK government’s plan to drive domestic and international action…