Sustainability Measures meaning

In this issue: Air emissions and climate change Energy efficiency of products Energy for environmental lawyers ESG and sustainability Hazardous substances and chemicals Marine Nature, biodiversity and habitat conservation Waste Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Air emissions and climate change Defra opens consultation on industrial emissions permitting reforms The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has begun consulting on plans to modernise England’s environmental permitting regime for industrial emissions. The package aims to foster innovation, adopt agile standards, secure proportionate and coherent regulation, boost regulator effectiveness and efficiency, and deliver a transparent system. Suggested measures include a new registration route for low-risk installations, flexible site permits setting overall emissions caps, and faster approvals for time‑limited technology trials. The proposals reflect the Corry Review’s critique of regulatory inefficiency. The Environment Agency intends to roll out changes that could cut permit queues from months to days and lower...

In this issue: Air emissions and climate change Energy for environmental lawyers Environmental disputes and proceedings Environmental permits and consents Environmental taxes, reliefs and incentives ESG and sustainability Hazardous substances and chemicals Marine Nature, biodiversity and habitat conservation Waste Waste producer responsibility regimes Water, flooding and drainage Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Air emissions and climate change DESNZ releases quarterly waste data reporting template for the UK ETS. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has issued a template for quarterly waste data submissions under the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (UK ETS). It is designed for waste operators to use when sending quarterly data reports to their regulator during the voluntary monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) period. See: LNB News 19/02/2026 50. AFME responds to European Commission consultation on climate resilience legislative framework. The Association for Financial Markets in Europe (AFME) has provided...

In this issue: Equity capital markets Corporate governance Public company takeovers (Offers) Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Dates for your diary Trackers New Q&As Useful information Equity capital markets FCA publishes consultations and policy statement aimed at capital markets reform The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has unveiled a suite of measures intended to reinforce the UK’s capital markets. These include: a consultation on proposed rules to create the new Public Offers and Admissions to Trading Regime (POATRs), which will replace the current UK Prospectus Regulation; a consultation setting out proposals for a new activity of operating a public offer platform; and a consultation on derivatives trading obligations designed to improve secondary market regulation, cut systemic risk and minimise disruption for firms. The package also contains policy statement PS24/9, Payment Optionality for Investment Research. See: LNB News 26/07/2024 25. FCA publishes updated checklists and forms following implementation of UK...

Introduction to the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement This Practice Note summarises the key features of the UK‑EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) that affect trade in goods between the UK and the EU. It covers customs and export duties and other charges, and outlines the preferential rules of origin operating between the parties. It also considers import and export restrictions and licensing, customs valuation, trade remedies and tariff rate quotas. Further topics include sanitary and phytosanitary measures, technical barriers to trade, and measures on customs and trade facilitation. On 24 December 2020, UK and EU negotiators concluded an accord shaping their future relationship. The UK–EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement is a wide‑ranging instrument arising from the UK’s departure from the EU’s internal market (Brexit) and extends beyond trade in goods and services. It also covers a range of other Brexit‑related matters, including: investment competition state aid tax transparency air and road transport energy and sustainability fisheries data...

Section 7 of the Bribery Act 2010 (BA 2010) introduced a corporate criminal offence of failing to prevent bribery. A defence is available where a commercial organisation can show it had adequate procedures in place to prevent it. The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has published guidance on the procedures organisations should adopt to prevent bribery, framed around six principles. These principles are not prescriptive; they are designed to be flexible and outcome-focused. Bribery prevention measures should be proportionate to the organisation’s risk exposure. Once established, they should be monitored, reviewed and evaluated, a point reinforced by MoJ principle 6—Monitoring and review. This How to guide sets out some of the ways organisations can monitor, review and evaluate their anti-bribery and corruption procedures. Importance of monitoring systems Effective monitoring and review are vital to the long-term sustainability of an organisation’s anti-bribery and corruption programme and to its capacity to demonstrate adequate operating procedures. Principle 6 of the MoJ guidance provides that organisations should monitor and review procedures intended to...

This Practice Note sets out the applicable product governance obligations under the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (Directive 2014/65/EU) (MiFID II) that firms must observe and comply with when designing, approving, marketing and overseeing the ongoing management of products throughout their entire lifecycle. It also summarises the relevant delegated acts adopted by the European Commission—particularly Articles 9 and 10 of Directive (EU) 2017/593 (the MiFID II Delegated Directive)—as well as the guidelines issued by the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA). Background to MiFID II and product governance The recast Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (Directive 2014/65/EU) (MiFID II), together with the Markets in Financial Instruments Regulation (Regulation (EU) 600/2014) (MiFIR) (collectively, the MiFID II framework), entered into force on 2 July 2014. The bulk of the framework’s provisions largely applied from 3 January 2018. MiFID II establishes a suite of product governance requirements so that firms manufacture and distribute products in a manner that ensures they act in clients’ best interests across every stage of the lifecycle...