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

  •  
    13/03/2024
    International

    After EU Commission's first decision on Carbon Contracts for Difference, Germany initiates bidding of EUR 4bn

    The European Commission approved the first Carbon Contracts for Difference (CCfD) scheme under the new Guidelines on State aid for climate, environmental protection and energy 2022 (CEEAG).Following the Commission's decision, on 12 March 2024 the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection (BMWK) initiated the first bidding process with a total volume of EUR 4bn. With this funding scheme, Germany is taking a pioneering role in Europe and internationally in the field of state aid for climate protection. Concept of contracts for differenceA contract for difference entitles...
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  •  
    06/03/2024
    Slovakia

    Implementation of Temporary Crisis and Transition Framework in Slovakia: Gateway for State Aid Subsidies to Investors Involved in Green Transition

    The European Commission adopted the Temporary Crisis Framework and then the Temporary Crisis and Transition Framework (TCTF) to mitigate the economic consequences caused by Russia's invasion and ongoing war with Ukraine. To this extent, the TCTF establishes a framework for several state aid mechanisms that allow EU member states to help companies tackle the aftermath of the energy crisis. But this is not all. The TCTF goes one step further and introduces state aid mechanisms to support the green transition. The goal of this article is to present the state aid scheme that is about to be implemented...
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  •  
    26/02/2024
    Europe

    The CBAM – what is it and how will it affect the market?

    PL
    Regulation (EU) 2023/956 establishing a carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) entered into force on 17 May 2023. The implementation of the CBAM has been divided into a transitional period (from 1 October 2023 to 31 December 2025) and a target period (starting 1 January 2026).Why has the CBAM been introduced?With the establishment of the scheme for greenhouse gas emission allowance trading (EU ETS) in 2005, which covers, among other things, energy intensive installations, the European Union has set a course of action to reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions. However, the ever-rising costs...
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  •  
    22/02/2024
    United Kingdom

    MEES - why are local authorities failing to enforce?

    The UK government has a continued drive and commitment to reach net zero emissions by 2050. Yet the risk of MEES enforcement is low. Against a hotly discussed political backdrop, why is it that local authorities are continually failing to enforce the MEES regulations? Left alone, the existing approach serves to undermine the UK’s net zero strategy.In the second MEES article in our data-driven series, we examine possible reasons for this complacency; the barriers local authorities are dealing with, the impact of their own property portfolios and whether the existing model does enough to incentivise...
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  •  
    31/01/2024
    Poland

    Poland’s changes to waste management system in line with EU directives

    The recent past has been full of legislative changes regarding waste management, driven by the implementation of environmental and climate protection legislative packages, including the introduction of the ‘Fit for 55’ package. Each of the legislative proposals implements different EU objectives and requirements. In the following article, we take a closer look at the most important regulations changing the waste management system in Poland, which directly concern extended producer responsibility (EPR), single-use plastic packaging (SUP) and the deposit system.SUPThe first of the proposed...
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  •  
    19/01/2024
    Europe

    Greenwashing: Stricter EU rules on environmental marketing ban misleading and offsetting claims and introduce new information requirements for products, to protect consumers

    On 17 January 2024, the European Parliament voted to adopt the Directive on Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition (the ECGT Directive), which seeks to protect consumers from various misleading marketing practices relating to the environment or sustainability. In particular it bans the use of generic environmental advertising claims like ‘natural’, ‘environmentally friendly’ or ‘biodegradable’ without adequate substantiation, it restricts the use of sustainability labels to those based on official certification schemes or established by public authorities,...
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