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17 September 2021
Issue: 7948 / Categories: Legal News , Environment
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NLJ this week: The temptation (& risks) of greenwashing

Greenwashing is all the rage, it seems, with companies keen to maximise marketing of their environmentally conscious products and some taking it too far. It can be a dangerous game, if caught out, as Charles Russell Speechlys partner Caroline Greenwell and trainee Peter Carlyon explain in this week’s NLJ

In a fascinating article, they look at the extent and impact of greenwashing by companies, and the reputational damage that can ensue if they are found to have exaggerated their green credentials to the extent that they’re giving a false or misleading impression about their impact on the environment.

There is also regulatory action to consider. The EU is clamping down, as is the UK energy sector with minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan announcing an investigation into the marketing of ‘green’ electricity tariffs. Several companies have also faced legal action over their environmental claims.

The authors write: ‘Brands have always competed on price, but it is becoming clear that they will now increasingly compete on sustainability…The cost of greenwashing may ultimately prove more expensive than the environmental initiatives themselves.’

Issue: 7948 / Categories: Legal News , Environment
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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Jurit LLP—Caroline Williams

Jurit LLP—Caroline Williams

Private wealth and tax team welcomes cross-border specialist as consultant

HFW—Simon Petch

HFW—Simon Petch

Global shipping practice expands with experienced ship finance partner hire

Freeths—Richard Lockhart

Freeths—Richard Lockhart

Infrastructure specialist joins as partner in Glasgow office

NEWS
Talk of a reserved ‘Welsh seat’ on the Supreme Court is misplaced. In NLJ this week, Professor Graham Zellick KC explains that the Constitutional Reform Act treats ‘England and Wales’ as one jurisdiction, with no statutory Welsh slot
The government’s plan to curb jury trials has sparked ‘jury furore’. Writing in NLJ this week, David Locke, partner at Hill Dickinson, says the rationale is ‘grossly inadequate’
A year after the $1.5bn Bybit heist, crypto fraud is booming—but so is recovery. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Holloway, founder and CEO of M2 Recovery, warns that scams hit at least $14bn in 2025, fuelled by ‘pig butchering’ cons and AI deepfakes
After Woodcock confirmed no general duty to warn, debate turns to the criminal law. Writing in NLJ this week, Charles Davey of The Barrister Group urges revival of misprision or a modern equivalent
Family courts are tightening control of expert evidence. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Chris Pamplin says there is ‘no automatic right’ to call experts; attendance must be ‘necessary in the interests of justice’ under FPR Pt 25
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