Sustainability

Climate change and sustainability are set to be defining issues of this decade. CMS is committed to addressing our own impact on the environment and approach to sustainability, as well as advising clients with their related legal needs.

The shift to a sustainable energy sector and the decarbonisation of existing energy systems, a growing market for sustainable investments, increased focus on ESG criteria in urban planning, tax reforms and sustainability incentives to reach climate goals – these are just a few of the developments that are shaping the business environment.

Our teams are helping clients to navigate this rapidly evolving legal and regulatory landscape and advising on first-of-their-kind deals.

To find out how CMS can support you and your business with sustainability click here >>

Recent Articles

  •  
    07.03.2023
    United Kingdom

    The new era of data re­port­ing leg­al re­quire­ments to re­duce food waste for a cir­cu­lar eco­nomy

    The emerging duties of data collection and reporting reflect a trend that is expected to be extended to food waste in the drive for sustainability and a circular economy. Although there are numerous individual projects addressing food waste there is currently little composite information on waste disposal within the food waste industry. As initially flagged by the Dimbleby National Food Strategy (NFS), the Westminster government is now addressing measures to gather data to better understand food waste systems and practices. Government is calling on industry to assist in gathering information...
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  •  
    07.03.2023
    International

    New glob­al agree­ment on the pro­tec­tion and sus­tain­able use of re­sources and biod­iversity in the high seas

    On 4 March 2023, at an inter-governmental conference in New York, negotiations between the representatives of more than 100 countries culminated in the adoption of an international agreement on the conservation and the sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction, also referred to as the UN Treaty of the High Seas (the “Treaty”). The unedited draft is available on the UN website.BackgroundThe Treaty takes the form of a new implementing agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (“UNCLOS”). UNCLOS is the main...
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  •  
    06.03.2023
    Germany

    Re­new­able en­er­gies: EU rules for re­new­able hy­dro­gen

    European Commission proposes Delegated Acts to define renewable hydrogen.The two so-called Delegated Acts (DAs) submitted by the Commission on 13 February 2023 serve to implement the requirements of Art. 27 (3) and Art. 25 (2), 28 (5) of the Renewable Energy Directive 2018/2001 (RED II). They are part of the still rudimentary EU legal framework for renewable hydrogen and define the conditions for counting fuels towards the Member States' renewable energy targets.The background for this is the EU's REPowerEU target to produce and import 10 million tons of renewable hydrogen in 2030. According to...
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  •  
    06.03.2023
    Poland

    Gre­en­wash­ing - new guidelines and first pro­ceed­ings

    PL
    Promoting products or services using slogans related to their positive environmental impact is becoming an increasingly prominent marketing technique in the public space. International initiatives such as the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals and climate neutrality policies are among the reasons for the growing popularity of so-called 'green claims'. More and more consumers also expect businesses to pay attention to their company's environmental impact and are taking these claims into account when making purchasing decisions.New marketing strategies can carry the risk of so-called 'greenwashing',...
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  •  
    02.03.2023
    United Kingdom

    New NEC4 amend­ments pub­lished: with sus­tain­ab­il­ity and new work­ing prac­tices in mind

    NEC has issued a third set of amendments for its NEC4 suite of contracts. The latest amendments take account of user feedback, the drive for sustainability, and changes to working practices following the outbreak of COVID-19. In this Law-Now, we outline the key changes that have been introduced and comment on their effectiveness.  Secondary Option X29 - Sustainability In July 2022, NEC published a separate Secondary Option relating to climate change, numbered X29. This was primarily designed to encourage green working practices in a bid to achieve climate change and biodiversity targets. For...
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  •  
    01.03.2023
    Germany

    Re­form of the Emis­sions Trad­ing Sys­tem (ETS) in the EU

    Free (emission) allowances for companies in the EU will gradually be phased out in 2026 and disappear completely from 2034.The Emissions Trading System (ETS) in the EU is considered to be a central tool of European climate policy on the way to the targeted climate neutrality in Europe. The ETS determines the price of European greenhouse gas emissions and therefore ultimately leads to such emissions being reduced because it sets a systematic incentive for affected companies to specifically drive forward climate-friendly investments. The ETS is an integral part of "Fit for 55 in 2030" through which...
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ESG – En­vir­on­ment­al, so­cial and gov­ernance

We help you identi­fy risks and op­por­tun­it­ies arising from the in­creas­ing...

COP - The Con­fer­ence of the Parties

It is the UN­FCC plat­form for in­ter­na­tion­al co­oper­a­tion on the cli­mate crisis