ESG Governance, Compliance & Reporting

ESG Governance, Compliance & Reporting

ESG Governance, Compliance & Reporting

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Overview

Embedding robust ESG governance, compliance and reporting principles is rarely linear. Every organization’s journey is different.

We understand where clients need to go and how they can get there safely, responsibly and sustainably.

Our pragmatic approach tailors advice to a client's industry, commercial goals and operational factors. We shape ESG policies and commitments, compliance procedures and reporting structures to create the foundation for success.

  • Risk governance and compliance frameworks and policies (including those related to human rights/social risks)
  • Policies, procedures and commitments related to responsible and sustainable business
  • Directors duties and remuneration
  • Due diligence and risk assessment
  • Grievance mechanisms (including those related to labor and employment and responsible and sustainable business)
  • Complaints and compensation processes
  • Board committee composition, succession planning and diversity
  • M&A expert reporting and impact statements
  • Corporate governance under US securities laws and exchange listing requirements, including SEC ESG disclosure requirements

  • Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR)
  • UK Corporate Governance Code and other statutory corporate governance obligations
  • Cybersecurity and human capital management matters
  • FCA CP22/20 on sustainability disclosure requirements and investment labels
  • Bribery and corruption
  • Anti-money laundering
  • Sanctions
  • Antitrust legislation compliance and corporate collaboration on sustainability objectives
  • Compliance investigations
  • Labor and employment

  • Reporting under the Listing Rules and the Companies Act 2006
  • ESG reporting under Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) and EU Taxonomy
  • Stakeholder reporting and engagement
  • Institutional investor guidance
  • Shareholder activism
Robert J. Endicott

Robert J. Endicott

Partner and Leader, Securities and Corporate Governance, St. Louis

+1 314 259 2447
Catherine Turner
+44 (0) 20 3400 4943
Robert J. Endicott

Robert J. Endicott

Partner and Leader, Securities and Corporate Governance, St. Louis

+1 314 259 2447
Roland Montfort
+33 (0) 1 44 17 76 80
Catherine Turner
+44 (0) 20 3400 4943

Meet The Team

Robert J. Endicott

Robert J. Endicott

Partner and Leader, Securities and Corporate Governance, St. Louis

+1 314 259 2447
Roland Montfort
+33 (0) 1 44 17 76 80
Catherine Turner
+44 (0) 20 3400 4943

Related Practice Areas

  • Securities & Corporate Governance

Experience

Major water utility company

Advised a major water infrastructure company on the drafting of their ESG report and policy. We also advised on their sustainability achievements regarding energy, waste, water usage and greenhouse gases.

We further reviewed the company’s corporate disclosures to allow for the implementation of their ESG policy. This is a continuous work in progress for our client and is based on stakeholder engagement and the company’s learning from its own operations, its suppliers and its customers.

Public and private companies' ESG advisory matters

We regularly advise public and private companies on a range of ESG advisory matters including corporate governance codes, directors’ duties, disclosure requirements, stakeholder engagement and director remuneration and incentivization. We will also often advise and provide board training on ESG reporting requirements for public companies which has involved advising on best practice for TCFD reporting and the new diversity listing rules. We are regularly involved in commenting on governance approaches, policies, and procedures such as committee terms of reference and disclosure policies.

AGM Preparation

We assist a number of companies in preparing for their AGMs. This involves advising on resolutions expected of institutional investors and the increasing ESG focus of the voting guidelines of their proxy advisers.

ESG risk including modern slavery and human trafficking reporting

Advising companies on their ESG risk including modern slavery and human trafficking reporting requirements in line with the Modern Slavery Act 2025. This includes advising on the requirements for drafting a Transparency statement under section 54, reviewing and drafting modern slavery policies and training  materials, and advising on supply chain due diligence to ensure that supply chains are compliant with statutory obligations.

California SB 54 compliance

Advising numerous companies on compliance with California SB 54, which requires packaging and plastic food ware producers to join a producers responsibility organization (PRO), and requires the following by 2032:

  • 25% source reduction in plastic single-use packaging and plastic food ware;
  • 100% of all single-use packaging and plastic food ware is recyclable or compostable; and
  • 65% of plastic single-use packaging and plastic food ware is being recycled.

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EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR): New Timeline and Guidance for Compliance

The EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) imposes strict conditions on operators and traders who intend to place products composed of certain commodities (i.e. cattle, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, rubber, soy and wood) on the EU market. They need to prove that these products do not originate from plot of lands that have been recently deforested or that these products have not contributed to forest degradation. In turn, this requirement obliges operators and traders to conduct very precise supply chain due diligence and to file due diligence statements. The same applies to exports from the EU. The EUDR has been designed and enacted to limit the EU market’s impact on global deforestation and to reduce the EU’s contribution to greenhouse gases. In recent months, the Commission has been under pressure to postpone the application of the EUDR.
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Welcome to the Corporate Briefing, where we review the latest developments in UK corporate law that you need to know about. In this month’s issue we discuss: FCA consultation on changes to National Storage Mechanism filing requirements The FCA has published a consultation paper proposing changes to the data requirements for regulated information on the National Storage Mechanism. Wates Principles report on quality of reporting The FRC’s latest report on the application of the Wates Corporate Governance Principles has found that approximately 30% of in-scope large private companies applied the principles in 2021/22. Register of members was determinative despite a transfer made by forgery or without authority This case highlights how crucial the register of members is in determining who the members of the company are – and, in turn, the validity of shareholder resolutions.  Restrictive covenants must be reasonable This High Court judgement is a good reminder that, to be enforceable, restrictive covenants must be reasonable – in terms of their length, the scope of the restricted business activity and their geographical extent.

Related Insights

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The EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) imposes strict conditions on operators and traders who intend to place products composed of certain commodities (i.e. cattle, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, rubber, soy and wood) on the EU market. They need to prove that these products do not originate from plot of lands that have been recently deforested or that these products have not contributed to forest degradation. In turn, this requirement obliges operators and traders to conduct very precise supply chain due diligence and to file due diligence statements. The same applies to exports from the EU. The EUDR has been designed and enacted to limit the EU market’s impact on global deforestation and to reduce the EU’s contribution to greenhouse gases. In recent months, the Commission has been under pressure to postpone the application of the EUDR.
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Dec 13, 2024
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Oct 01, 2024
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Welcome to the Corporate Briefing, where we review the latest developments in UK corporate law that you need to know about. In this month’s issue we discuss: FRC Annual Review of Corporate Reporting 2023/24 The Financial Reporting Council has published its latest review of corporate reporting. The quality of reporting has been maintained across FTSE 350 companies but there is some evidence of a widening gap in reporting quality between companies in the FTSE 350 and other companies.  Boardroom Bellwether 2024 Annual Survey The Boardroom Bellwether annual survey has found that British boards are sceptical about stock exchange recovery and UK competitiveness remains a concern. Updated guidance on payment practices and performance The Department of Business and Trade has published updated guidance for companies required to report their payment practices and performance. FCA annual report The FCA annual report contains highlights from 2023/24 and progress towards achieving its three year strategy. Takeover Panel annual report  The Takeover Panel published its annual report for the year ending 31 March 2024 which offers a comprehensive analysis of M&A activity and regulatory actions. LSE Dividend Procedure Timetable The dividend procedure timetable for 2025 has been published.
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The Illinois General Assembly and Governor JB Pritzker have been busy in 2024, enacting significant changes to existing statutes like the Illinois Human Rights Act (the “IHRA”), the Personnel Records Review Act (the “PRRA”), and the Right to Privacy in the Workplace Act (the “RPWA”), and enacting new laws that will impact employers across the state. Employers should become familiar with these changes, and ensure their policies and practices are up to code.  
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Sep 02, 2024
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