On 2 October 2024, after months of speculation, the EU Commission announced a proposal for a further 12 months of âphasing-inâ time for the implementation of the EU Deforestation Regulation (âEUDRâ), as well as the publication of its long-awaited guidelines and updated FAQs relating to the EUDR (see press release here). The announcement of the extension comes after multiple global stakeholders, including German chancellor Olaf Scholz, called for implementation to be delayed amidst concerns about…
On 9 December 2023, the UK Government published further details regarding its Forest Risk Commodities (FRC) regime, introduced through the Environment Act 2021. The FRC regime aims to tackle deforestation by making it illegal for larger businesses operating in the UK to use key forest risk commodities produced on land illegally occupied or used, with in-scope businesses required to undertake due diligence and report on this exercise annually. Secondary legislation to implement these requirements in…
Baker McKenzie’s Import and Trade Remedies Blog published “European Parliament Adopts New Due Diligence Requirements to Tackle Deforestation and Forest Degradation.” This blog post covers new requirements for companies to undertake due diligence into the source of a wide range of commodities, including cattle, cocoa, coffee, palm-oil, rubber, soya and wood, to ensure that they have not been obtained as a result of deforestation. To comply with the new regulations, businesses will need to ensure…
The Annual Compliance Conference begins next week and attracts over 6,000 in-house senior legal and compliance professionals from across the world. This leading compliance conference will be held across five weeks from 6 September â 6 October 2022 We will be virtually delivering our cutting-edge insights and guidance on key global compliance, investigations and ethics issues. Our global experts will provide practical insights and analysis on significant developments:⢠anti-bribery⢠corruption and economic crime⢠customs and FTAs⢠ESG, supply chain…
Baker McKenzie’s Import and Trade Remedies Blog published “Update to UKCA marking transition,” covering the UK’s proposed measures to ease the transition to the new UK Conformity Assessed (UKCA) regime that will replace the EUâs CE marking regime for the Great Britain market (England, Scotland and Wales) in respect of most types of CE marked products from the start of 2023. The additional flexibility that these measures provide will no doubt be welcomed by many…
The UKâs Plastic Packaging Tax (âPPTâ) that has taken effect on 1 April 2022 and applies to plastic packaging in the UK that contains less than 30% recycled plastic content at a rate of ÂŁ200 per metric tonne. You can access our recent webinar on PPT here. The tax is aimed at encouraging the use of more sustainable plastic packaging, increasing the use of recycled plastic and helping to reduce plastic waste. The PPT has been promoted…
On 23 February 2022, the EU Commission published its proposal for a directive on corporate sustainability due diligence obligations, which aims to foster sustainable and responsible corporate behaviour throughout global value chains. Scope The new due diligence rules will apply to: all EU limited liability companies with 500+ employees and EUR 150 million+ in net turnover worldwide (“Group 1”); and other limited liability companies operating in defined high impact sectors (e.g. the textile, mining and…
Baker McKenzie’s Import and Trade Remedies Blog has published a new post on the United Kingdom’s Plastic Packaging Tax (“PPT”) that will take effect on 1 April 2022. This tax will be payable by manufacturers and importers of plastic packaging containing less than 30% recycled plastic content. Downstream businesses that buy plastic packaging on which the tax should have already been paid may be found jointly and severally liable for any unpaid tax. With that,…
On 15 September, during the 2021 State of the Union Address, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the European Commission’s intention to introduce a ban on the import of products made with forced labour into the EU market. In her Address, the Commission President noted that there are “25 million peopleâŚwho are threatened or coerced into forced labour” and that “doing business around the worldâŚcan never be done at the expense of people’s…
On 12 July the European Commission and the European External Actions Service (EEAS) published guidance on âdue diligence for EU businesses to address the risk of forced labour in their operations and supply chainsâ. The non-binding guidance seeks to provide European companies with practical advice on the implementation of effective human rights due diligence practices to address forced labour risks in their supply chains. It also provides an overview of international standards and principles on responsible business…