Resource Listings

ESG, which stands for Environmental, Social and Governance, refers to a stance or an approach to projects, including financial investments.
In this article, this approach is applied to legal and regulatory framework and how it can impact a companies process when they create financial products. This resource was produced in May 2019.

As a Chief Legal Officer (CLO), how do you mobilize corporate stakeholders around Environmental Sustainability and Governance (ESG) issues? The United Nations Global Compact’s Sustainable Development Goal 16 offers a framework to articulate key ESG goals within and outside your organization.

On March 4, 2021, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced the creation of a Climate and ESG Task Force in the Division of Enforcement. According to the SEC, the Task Force will develop initiatives to proactively identify ESG-related misconduct in the form of gaps or misstatements of issuer disclosure by means of the Division’s resources, including the collection of tips and whistleblower complaints and the use of data mining and analysis. The Division of Enforcement’s new Climate and ESG Task Force will use data analysis to mine and evaluate registrant information for possible violations.

In Case You Missed It, the Law Department Management Network's February 2021 Legal Quick Hit was titled "How to Develop and Advance an Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) Program." You can view this quick checklist, developed by Seyfarth Shaw LLP, to get a brief snapshot into the program.

New Zealand – in a world first – introduced a bill requiring companies in the financial sector to disclose the impact of climate change on their businesses and how they plan to manage climate-related risks and opportunities. This resource takes a look at how the climate impact disclosure bill could impact businesses based in Australia.

This piece highlights the increasing pressure within Australia on companies to address the issue of climate change. In particular, it highlighted the amount of landmark climate change cases that have been issued in recent months to compel the government or specific directors and officers to compel action on climate change. Indeed, Australia is the second most active jurisdiction for climate change litigation, with the United States being first.

This article has an update for the Shareholder Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Resolutions in Australia following their previous update in September 2020. Describing some of the recent changes and developments, their conclusion was that the increasing number of ESG resolutions demonstrates that activities are making full use of their ability to requisition shareholder resolutions.

While the focus on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) issues is not new, the importance of reporting and treating ESG as a key component of your business and governance processes has increased in recent years. This article will identify what ESG means from an in-house counsel perspective and steps for developing your company’s ESG program.

Increased focus on sustainability and environmental stewardship is changing the legal and regulatory landscape affecting the fashion and textiles industry, providing new challenges for textile and garment manufacturers, distributors, and retailers. This Top Ten provides a list of tips for sustainability professionals to navigate compliance issues throughout their supply chain.

This article provides an analysis on the Joint Standing Committee on Northern Australia’s report, entitled Never Again: Inquiry into the destruction of 46,000 year old caves at the Juukan Gorge in the Pilbara region of Western Australia – Interim Report (released on 9 December 2020).

This article provides an overview of the Carbon Capture, Use and Storage Development Fund, which was launched on 1 March 2021 in order to support the growth of carbon capture, use, and storage opportunities in Australia.

This article from September 2020 provides an overview of 2020 regulatory developments, the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, and the growing importance of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) factors in asset management.

Despite concerns early in 2020 that the pandemic would impact the growth of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives, the opposite proved to be the case with political and investor momentum aligning and ESG initiatives surging in the climate of “building back better”. This growth will likely accelerate in 2021, particularly as leading economies and financial centres in the US, China, the EU, and the UK make political and legislative commitments focused on ESG and investors double down on their ESG demands.

This second instalment of Latham’s annual 10 Things to Look Out For blog post highlights ESG-related developments and trends to anticipate in 2021.

This resource is a summary of the Opening Plenary of the Virtual Global General Counsel Summit 2021, titled "Championing Trust in Business in a Brave New World". It contains takeaways distilled from that session's discussion.

Law firms and their client companies have been adjusting their long-term growth strategies to more fully address environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) issues, particularly to help organizations improve their own sustainability and communicate their societal impact. Learn how to incorporate these values and systems into your work.

Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) strategy is fast becoming a norm within corporations, although how those strategies are being implemented and managed may vary as numerous leaders with different roles within the C-suite may become involved.

In this multi-jurisdictional guide, explore an overview of key legal issues, rules and developments regarding renewable energy across a range of jurisdictions.

A new era in environmental law in Victoria will be introduced when significant amendments to the Environment Protection Act 2017 come into force on 1 July 2021. It heralds a renewed focus on risk identification and management and new obligations to minimise impacts on human health as well as the environment.

Keep learning with an ACC-curated selection of resources on hot topics.

The Fair Work Ombudsman has posted the following information sheet on their website https://www.fairwork.gov.au/how-we-will-help/templates-and-guides/fact-sheets/rights-and-obligations/employment-conditions-during-natural-disasters-and-emergencies but it is important for especially larger employers to understand that these are the minimum requirements and there are opportunities to provide other sorts of assistance as well.

Explore ACC's selection of global, regional, and country-focused resources to help in-house counsel navigate legal, business and career issues arising from the COVID-19 (coronavirus / 2019-nCov) crisis.

Learn the key features of the proposal adopted on February 23, 2022 by European Commission (“Commission”) for a Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive.

In this article, learn five best practices that shareholders, customers, and ESG rating agencies focus on when assessing a company’s ESG fitness as it relates to data privacy and security, and the steps companies can take now to improve their compliance posture in this important area.

Companies of all sizes are engaged in an effort to make Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors a part of their businesses in both vision and practice. The impact of personnel policies and practices extend far beyond the “S” portion of ESG. This resource outlines five personnel policies and practices to consider when assessing company ESG priorities and goals.

As organizations try to find ways to reduce carbon emissions and adopt more sustainable practices, template employment contracts are probably not the first place you would think to look. This article considers what changes you could make to template employment contracts to help meet your sustainability commitments.

ESG considerations can play a key role in the restructurings of distressed businesses. This article examines what should be the ESG playbook for companies or insolvency practitioners implementing a restructuring.

In this resource, Beveridge & Diamond covers the recent proposed rules on climate-related disclosures voted on by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

In this resource, Beveridge & Diamond outlines ten strategic considerations in responding to a 114 request.

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) proposed climate disclosure rule, approved by a 3–1 vote on March 21, 2022, is the agency’s most significant regulatory undertaking in more than a decade. In this resource, learn more about how the decision can impact all domestic registrants and foreign private issuers.