FCA steps up its ESG focus with introduction of anti-greenwashing rule

0 Comments

The Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) and latterly the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) have been leading the UK regulatory charge with respect to policing claims relating to the sustainability characteristics of products and services. However, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) now appears to be picking up the baton. What is the anti-greenwashing rule? The FCA […]

How the UK’s ASA is leading the way on tackling greenwashing

0 Comments

As 2030 and 2050 edge closer – key milestones under the UK government’s net zero strategy – UK businesses and regulators are under increased pressure to ensure the information that businesses provide to stakeholders about the environmental impact of their products and services is accurate and not misleading. Overstating ‘sustainable’ or ‘green’ credentials now carries […]

BNP Paribas climate case could prompt wider litigation against banking sector

0 Comments

In February, three French NGOs, Friends of the Earth France, Notre Affaire à Tous and Oxfam France, launched proceedings in France against BNP Paribas, Europe’s largest bank, in connection with its financing of fossil fuel polluters and thus failing to comply with its obligations under the French corporate duty of vigilance law, which came into […]

ESG: a load of old greenwash?

0 Comments

Transition to net zero in the UK and in many other jurisdictions relies heavily upon consumer and investor pressure, combined with environmental social governance (ESG) disclosure requirements. While there are some sectors of the economy which are well placed to deliver in this regard, the development sector being one, there is a Wild West elsewhere, […]

“Greenwashing” – CMA investigations are not going away

0 Comments

With more businesses using sustainability as a marketing tool, in a bid to attract environmentally aware consumers or to secure investment in environmental, social and governance (ESG)-related funds, it was only a matter of time before “green” or “eco-friendly” claims would attract the regulators’ attention. In July 2022, the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) […]