<p>Filter Knowledge</p>

A regular briefing for the alternative asset management industry. 

A regular briefing for the alternative asset management industry. 

ESG and sustainability issues continue to be a priority for policy makers and regulators globally. The impact of the Ukraine conflict on energy policy and the recent publication of the IPCC's (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) "state of the union" report on the slender window we have to take action in order to meet our climate targets both highlight the scale of the global challenge we face on climate issues.

In pursuit of its commitment to prevent all avoidable plastic waste by the end of 2042, the UK Government has recently begun to impose a tax on the manufacture and import of significant volumes of plastic packaging which does not contain a minimum amount of recycled content. The aim of the tax is to increase demand for recycled plastics, creating an incentive to collect and recycle plastic waste and divert it away from landfill and incineration.

A regular briefing for the alternative asset management industry. 

With real estate finance (REF) and real estate development finance markets increasingly looking to integrate sustainability within their financing offerings, the Loan Market Association has published a guide on the application of the Sustainability Linked Loan Principles (SLLP) to real estate finance (REF) and real estate development finance transactions.

A regular briefing for the alternative asset management industry. 

Our ESG timeline sets out recent and expected UK and EU legal and regulatory developments relating to ESG and wider sustainable business topics. The timeline can be filtered according to your business type or the relevant ESG theme.

The European Commission recently unveiled its long-awaited proposal for a directive on corporate sustainability due diligence, which is designed to tackle human rights and environmental impacts across value chains (the "CSDD").

A regular briefing for the alternative asset management industry. 

The long-awaited Environment Act was finally passed into law in November 2021, nearly three years after a bill was first proposed to govern environmental matters after the UK's departure from the EU. The Act's passage was accompanied by a degree of fanfare, with ministers describing it as "the most ambitious environmental programme of any country on earth".

A regular briefing for the alternative asset management industry. 

The Alpha and Omega of Regulation (via Omicron)?

Having said goodbye to another year of headlines dominated by COVID-19, with a Christmas and New Year overshadowed by a mixture of good and bad news about Omicron, it's not yet clear what degree of optimism about the year ahead is justified. At the very least, it is to be hoped that the World Health Organisation will not find it has to exhaust the Greek alphabet in naming any future new variants of concern.

On 17 December 2021, the FCA published two policy statements confirming final rules and guidance to promote improved climate-related financial disclosures. Such measures are aimed at helping to inform market pricing and support business decision-making, with the ultimate goal of assisting consumers in making more informed investment decisions.

The Business and Human Rights Resource Centre recently produced a report calling into question the quality and utility of the now ubiquitous social audit reporting (Social Audit Liability: Hard Law Strategies to Redress Weak Social Assurances) (the "Report").

Discrimination by association occurs where an employee is discriminated against, not because of a protected characteristic they have, but because of a characteristic of someone they associate with, for example a disabled spouse or child. This case shows how far the protection can potentially extend.

A regular briefing for the alternative asset management industry. 

Briefing updated on 16 November 2021

Sunday 31 October 2021 marked the official start of the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26). World leaders, climate negotiators, members of the press and media, and representatives of observer organisations descended on Glasgow to join an event which many believe to be the world’s best last chance to get runaway climate change under control.

COP26 has so far consistently delivered important "side deals" and the fourth day of the summit was no exception. On Thursday, when the focus was on the energy transition, more than 40 countries agreed to move away from coal-fired energy over the next two decades.