NLJ serves up a triple helping of ESG (environmental, social and governance) articles this week, starting with Teja Pisk on the Financial Conduct Authority’s anti-greenwashing rule, in force on 31 May
Pisk, senior associate at Stevens & Bolton, explains what is required and why businesses need to act now, writing: ‘Those treading the line with their sustainability claims or ESG credentials may find themselves suddenly on the wrong side of new legislation and exposed to potential legal action.’
Álvaro Nistal, counsel, and Tim Smyth, senior associate, both Arnold & Porter, take an in-depth look at the implications of the UK’s exit from the Energy Charter Treaty. They look at what this means for foreign investors in the UK and UK investors abroad, what this means for the UK’s policy towards investor-state-dispute-settlement mechanisms more generally, and more.
Matthew Kay, partner and head of Vario, Pinsent Masons, and Mike Harvey, head of responsible business at Pinsent Masons, look at the opportunities for general counsel and their lawyers to ensure ESG ‘is at the heart of their strategy’, using examples such as Cadbury building a model village for its workers—‘so it’s clearly not a new phenomenon to recognise the link between happy and well-supported people and business success’.
Kay and Harvey champion the ‘S’ in ESG, and urge businesses to put their words into action.
