Environmental, Social and Governance ("ESG") factors have fast risen to the top of the board agenda with companies increasingly aware that a failure to address these matters can be detrimental to their businesses, both financially and reputationally.
Investor pressure, internal governance and workplace issues, and the proliferation of a myriad of reporting frameworks, standards and requirements across the globe in relation to sustainability and ESG reporting makes this a complex area for boards and companies to manage. Clifford Chance truly understands the ESG agenda and are on hand to help you navigate the fast-changing landscape of international and regional polices and regulations, frameworks and mechanisms as they relate to all aspects of ESG.
How can we help you?
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Environment
Almost every day new stories appear on how climate change and environmental degradation is affecting our planet, from wild fires in California to ice melting in the Arctic. As a result, climate change and the green economy have become front-of-mind for businesses and society alike and organisations are increasingly being held to account for their actions. As well as presenting great opportunities for business, failure to consider climate targets and address emissions, and an increasing array of other environmental challenges can lead to significant shareholder exit, stranded assets, and stakeholder criticism.
We have been involved in many first-of-a-kind and award-winning matters across the full spectrum of environmental issues, including green and blue financing, renewable energy, carbon off-setting and net zero strategies, and waste and pollution.
Social risks concern the impact that companies have on society and in particular how a company manages relationships with the people it affects, including employees, suppliers, customers, and the communities in which it operates. Businesses able to demonstrate a positive impact strengthen their market position. On the other hand, an aggrieved employee with a whistleblowing compliant leaked to the media revealing a mismatch between stated values and treatment of global labour supply chains can undermine hard-won ESG credentials in moments.
We have deep expertise across the full spectrum of social risks such as diversity and inclusion, human rights, supply chain, working conditions and corruption. This is an especially pertinent area as businesses consider their return to work in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic and we would be happy to discuss your concerns with you.
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Governance
In the current business climate, the ability of boards and other key decision makers to have visibility of, and to take accountability for, the full range of risks, opportunities and threats means that organisational governance has never been so scrutinised. Coupled with this, investors and wider society are increasingly of the view that corporations must have a defined purpose and set of values beyond profit generation which guides governance, decision-making and long-term strategy.
We advise clients across the full-spectrum of governance-related risks and governance compliance issues and would welcome the opportunity to discuss how we can assist you in this space.
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ESG Board
We have established an ESG Board to draw together our ESG work and ensure each of our clients benefits from our collective experience. The ESG Board is chaired by our Senior Partner, Jeroen Ouwehand, who is supported by a group of cross-disciplinary partners who bring together the Firm's relevant expertise across regions, client types, sectors and practice areas.
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Responsible Business
As a leader in our field, we are rightly held to high standards in all we do. Responsible Business is integral to our overall firm strategy. It guides how we conduct our core business, how we develop and support our people, how we foster closer collaboration with our clients, and how we create long-term, sustainable value for all our stakeholders.
Clifford Chance experts look at the interplay between climate priorities and financial regulation; corporate disclosure of climate risks; the rapid growth of retail and institutional demand for environmental, social and governance (ESG) investment strategies; and the renewed urgency of efforts to address the racial wealth gap in financial services.
The new Biden Administration, COP26, a renewed push from China on climate change and a focus on how we build back better post COVID-19 means that 2021 is going to be the year of ESG – environmental, social and governance issues. Here we explore some of the key trends to watch.
On 21 April 2021 the European Commission adopted a package of measures to help improve the flow of money towards sustainable activities across the European Uni...
BanksMining & metalsOil & gasPower & energy networksRenewablesPrivate fundsPublic funds exchange traded fundsGroup insurancePrivate equityInfrastructure investorsReal estateCorporate & Investment Grade lendingDebt capital marketsEquity capital markets & equity linked productsClimate changeEnergy & the environmentEnvironmental auditing & due diligenceInsurance regulatoryBusiness & human rightsCorporate governance & directors' responsibilitiesEuropeEuropean Union (EU)ESG: European Commission Proposes Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive
The European Commission has published a proposal for a Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) as part of a package of measures aiming to direct ca...
With COP26 (the United Nations climate change talks) fast approaching, the U.S. has announced its new Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the landma...
Environmental, Social and Governance ("ESG") factors have fast risen to the top of the board agenda across all sectors, with increasing awareness tha...
Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) considerations are important to businesses for the opportunities they bring, and for the reputational and economic r...
Environmental, Social and Governance ("ESG") factors have fast risen to the top of the board agenda across all sectors, with increasing awareness tha...
Central banks, financial regulators and governments around the world are focusing on the risks that climate change poses to the global economy. There are a num...
Environmental, Social and Governance ("ESG") initiatives are at the forefront of today's market economy as government and corporate leaders are urgin...
BanksCorporate governance & directors' responsibilitiesEnergy & the environmentClimate changeEnvironmental operational permitting & reportingBusiness & human rightsFinancial services & marketsInternationalESG: Trends to watch in 2021
The new Biden Administration, COP26, a renewed push from China on climate change and a focus on how we build back better post COVID-19 means that 2021 is going...
BanksConsumer goodsConsumer business servicesRetailMining & metalsOil & gasPower & energy networksRenewablesHedge fundsChemicalsMedical devices healthcare equipmentPharmaceuticalsAerospace & defenceAutomotiveCapital goodsMaterialsPrivate equityInfrastructure investorsEUEU Public policyFree movement issues (goods, services, capital & persons)Litigation in the EU courtsRegulated industriesTradeClimate changeEnergy & the environmentEnvironmental auditing & due diligenceEnvironmental liability review, structuring & insuranceEnvironmental litigation & dispute resolution & claim managementLegislative, regulatory advice & complianceAdministrative & public lawBusiness & human rightsCommercial & corporate litigationEmployment litigationInsurance litigationRisk management & complianceCorporate governance & directors' responsibilitiesInternational tradeInsurance regulatory [M&A corporate]IPOsPrivate equityLegislative process & legislative draftingPublic consultationsReal estate litigationCorporate complianceCriminal investigations & prosecutionAustriaBelgiumCyprusDenmarkFinlandFranceGermanyGreeceIrelandItalyLuxembourg (Grand Duchy of)MaltaNetherlandsPortugalSpainSwedenUnited KingdomEuropean Union (EU)BulgariaCzech RepublicCroatiaEstoniaHungaryLatviaLithuaniaPolandRomaniaSlovakiaSloveniaESG: Sustainable Corporate Governance and New Due Diligence Duties in Europe
The European Union is currently consulting on sustainable corporate governance in the context of the European Green Deal.
In this extract from a recent Cliffo...
Environmental, Social and Governance ("ESG") factors have fast risen to the top of the board agenda across all sectors, with increasing awareness tha...
What are the key recent developments?
ESG is without doubt one of the key themes for the investment management industry for 2020 and beyond. Regulators across ...
On 9 and 10 November the UK Government and regulators made a number of coordinated announcements about the UK's plans for climate regulation and commitment to ...
ESG is making the headlines, one way or another, on a daily basis. Compared with Europe, Asia has generally experienced relatively low and inconsistent regulat...
ESG – Environmental, Social and Governance issues – are a major challenge for boards and board members as public scrutiny grows.
In this briefing, our experts...
Investors are increasingly considering the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) credentials of publicly listed issuers when making investments. This has ...
ESG – ‘Environmental, Social and Governance’ issues – sometimes referred to as sustainable or responsible business issues are of increasing importance to busin...
Clifford Chance named Law Firm of the Year at the Environmental Finance Bond Awards 2021
The firm has been recognised for its track record of advising on the most innovative and cutting-edge sustainability bond transactions. Over the past year we have led the way on COVID-19 response bonds and other ESG related transactions while reinforcing our commitment to environment related work by launching our ESG taskforce, to help our clients navigate and accelerate the global shift towards more sustainable businesses and societies.
ESG is an increasingly well understood framework adopted by organisations globally to help them map objectives to promote sustainability their own practices. The concepts that are integral to ESG are embedded in our Responsible Business strategy.
Through the activities highlighted in our Responsible Business Report, we demonstrate our commitment to sustainable growth and how it has endured during a period of uncertainty, disruption and change.
Clifford Chance senior partner to lead global ESG push
We have established a global taskforce, chaired by senior partner Jeroen Ouwehand to focus on helping organisations to navigate and bring about the accelerating global shift towards more sustainable businesses and societies.
The ESG Board, which brings together representatives from across Clifford Chance's practices and markets, will bring together the firm's market-leading ESG work, fast-tracking the development of best practice.
