At the time of the publication of this blogpost on February 1, 2025, Mexico, Canada, and China have not yet responded to the imposition of tariffs. Stay tuned for updates and insights and practical tips for trade between the United States and these three countries as the situation develops. President Trump signed executive orders today, February 1, 2025, imposing the long-anticipated tariffs he has called for on Canada, Mexico, and China since early in his 2024 Presidential…
On 22 January 2025 Regulation (EU) 2025/40 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 December 2024 on packaging and packaging waste (“PPWR”) was published in the Official Journal of the Union. PPWR obligations will apply on a gradual basis with the first obligations applicable from 12 August 2026. PPWR represents another step towards the goal of a sustainable Europe and is an integral part of the European Green Deal and the EU Circular…
Following the first year of reporting under Canada’s Fighting Against Forced Labour and Child Labour in Supply Chains Act (the “Supply Chains Act”), Public Safety Canada has presented its inaugural annual report to Parliament and published updated guidance on the reporting requirements. As we look ahead to the upcoming year, it is important for companies to assess their reporting obligations and maintain their current momentum in preparation for the next reporting period. On November 15, 2024, Public…
On July 25, 2024 the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) came into force. Generally, the directive imposes new due diligence obligations on large companies operating in the EU. The legislator requires them to identify, prevent, mitigate, and remediate human rights violations and environmental impacts throughout their entire “chain of actions”. The member states shall transpose the CSDDD into national law by July 26, 2026. As businesses are trying to navigate through this evolving regulatory…
We are excited to launch Nearshoring Quick Chats, a collection of short conversations to guide you through the opportunities and challenges of nearshoring in Mexico. Our lawyers will discuss the main implications and challenges in the legal sphere around this trend, brought around by the ongoing geopolitical events. Many of our clients look to expand or move supply chain operations to more economical jurisdictions (while staying close to critical markets). For companies that focus on the…
In October 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) released a final rule imposing a one-time reporting requirement that will require certain companies to assess their supply chain to determine if they have manufactured or imported per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (“PFAS”) or imported any articles containing PFAS dating back to 2011. This PFAS Reporting Rule is just the latest regulatory development related to PFAS, which are a group of thousands of synthetic chemicals that have…
The EU economy is linked to millions of workers worldwide through global supply chains. This imposes both a responsibility and an opportunity for EU companies to positively impact workers’ rights and environmental standards. In early 2023, Germany took a step towards responsible supply chains with the new Act on Supply Chain Due Diligence (Lieferkettensorgfaltspflichtengesetz “), as covered in our earlier post. Tomorrow, (Friday, 9 February 2024) the EU Member States will vote in the COREPER…
On December 20, 2023, Public Safety Canada launched its online filing portal and issued guidance with respect to the novel annual supply chain transparency reporting requirement pursuant to the Fighting against Forced Labour and Child Labour in Supply Chains Act (the Act), which comes into force on January 1, 2024 (Guidance). The Guidance provides information on the format and filing process for the annual report, the substance of the annual report and the interpretation of the Act. The first reports are due…
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…
On July 17, 2023, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) urged Chinese companies to disclose certain business links they may have to Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities. The companies may face compliance risk and supply chain disruptions if they operate in the Xinjiang region of China or do business with companies that operate in the area known for its Uyghur population, the SEC said in new guidance. The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (“UFLPA”),…