Worldwide: Environmental Law

The European Commission has launched the Digital Product Passport Registry and testing environment, establishing critical infrastructure for businesses to register products under the EU's Ecodesign...

Have you ever thought of the lifecycle of your office chair? Funnily enough, it’s rather straight forward - once the raw materials are extracted and the chair is manufactured and distributed, it will be used for 5-10 years (if you are lucky), and then into the trash it goes. That’s just a small example of the traditional “take-make-waste” model which has been deemed as unsustainable and the transition to a circular economy has become increasingly urgent for Europe - a system designed to eliminate waste and keep resources in use for as long as possible.

Die EU-Verpackungsverordnung (PPWR) entfaltet seit August 2026 unmittelbare Rechtswirkungen in allen EU-Mitgliedstaaten. Die Europäische Kommission hat mit ihrer zweiten FAQ-Auflage wichtige Klarstellungen zur Rollenzuordnung, Erzeugerverantwortung bei Eigenmarken und Transportverpackungen sowie zum behördlichen Vollzug geliefert. Unternehmen müssen ihre Position in der Wertschöpfungskette präzise bestimmen und die damit verbundenen Compliance-Pflichten erfüllen.

Ireland's Minister for Agriculture has published the draft General Scheme of the Deforestation and Forest Degradation Bill 2026, establishing the national enforcement framework for the EU Deforestation Regulation.

Greenpeace Netherlands has filed a petition in Dutch court to compel global meat producer JBS to disclose detailed information about its greenhouse gas emissions, supply chain practices, and expansion plans. This legal action follows JBS's rejection of an earlier demand letter and could establish precedent for using Dutch evidence-gathering procedures to build climate cases against agricultural and other high-emission industries that have largely avoided climate litigation.

The European Commission's proposal to revise the EU Emission Trading System introduces a significant new element: the potential purchase of up to 260 million international carbon credits. This development, alongside parallel provisions in the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, signals a cautious but meaningful shift in how the EU approaches international carbon credits. Understanding these distinct treatment mechanisms has critical implications for ETS-covered operators, EU importers, and international tra

The European Union's new Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation fundamentally transforms packaging compliance across the EU by replacing the existing directive with a uniform, directly applicable framework.

The European Union's new Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation fundamentally transforms packaging compliance across the EU by replacing the existing directive with a uniform...

For years, Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) disclosures of companies (broadly referring to a company’s environmental impact, social practices and internal governance structure), were largely driven by reputational incentives and sustainable financing, showcasing a “green” or “responsible” corporate branding.