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31 May 2024 / Teja Pisk
Issue: 8073 / Categories: Features , Commercial , Environment , Company
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Anti-greenwashing rules: climate compliance

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The FCA’s new anti-greenwashing rule has come into force. Businesses need to act—right now—writes Teja Pisk
  • The FCA’s new greenwashing measures aim to protect consumers and improve trust in sustainable investment products and services.
  • Firms must act now or risk ramifications under civil, criminal or regulatory enforcement proceedings—and stay on top of future legislative changes.

In keeping with growing consumer interest in sustainability, the number of products and services claiming to be sustainable and environmentally friendly has increased exponentially in recent years.

This boom in ‘green’ branding has fuelled concerns that organisations are ‘greenwashing’, ie, making false, misleading or unsubstantiated claims about the environmental benefits or impact of their business, products or services.

Changing at pace

The UK’s environmental, social and governance (ESG) legal and regulatory landscape has historically been relatively fragmented (greenwashing, for example, still has no legal definition), but that is now changing at pace, with an array of new ESG-related legislation and regulation that businesses must comply with.

One such development has come from the Financial

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Walkers—Muriel Marseille

Walkers—Muriel Marseille

Ashurst's Chief Risk Officer joins Walkers

Excello Law—John Osborne

Excello Law—John Osborne

Northern family lawyer John Osborne joins Excello

mfg Solicitors—Rebecca Rogers, Kennedy Langley & Victoria Griffiths

mfg Solicitors—Rebecca Rogers, Kennedy Langley & Victoria Griffiths

Trio of promotions announced at Kidderminster law firm mfg Solicitors

NEWS
A sole director can conspire with their own company for the purposes of the tort of unlawful means conspiracy, the High Court has ruled in a judgment with potentially wide implications for business disputes
The Court of Appeal has reinforced that domicile depends on intention rather than residence alone, in a significant post-Brexit ruling on cross-border financial remedy claims
The Chancery Division's long history comes to an end this autumn as it is reborn as the Business and Property Division, prompting questions over whether the shake-up is really necessary
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) continues to show that failing to disclose regulatory issues can attract harsher consequences than the original misconduct itself
Rejecting a generous settlement can prove an expensive mistake, as two recent high-profile cases demonstrate
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