Tag Archives: ‘environmental

Good ESG Guidance Available in a Matter of Days

As we work with a flood of businesses now considering their place in the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) space, the number one concern that we hear expressed is A Call for Comprehensive and Clearer ESG Disclosures. As I expressed in that blog post some weeks ago, today there is simply no regulatory guidance for … Continue Reading

Labor Department Will Not Enforce Anti ESG Rule

By Stuart Kaplow on April 11, 2021 Posted in Environmental, ESG, GRESB, Sustainability

The U.S. Department of Labor has announced that it will not enforce recently published final rules by the prior Administration on “Financial Factors in Selecting Plan Investments” and “Fiduciary Duties Regarding Proxy Voting and Shareholder Rights.” This policy statement is in furtherance of the Biden Administration issued Executive Order 13990, entitled “Protecting Public Health and … Continue Reading

Companies are Preparing for ESG Disclosure Rules

By Stuart Kaplow on January 24, 2021 Posted in Climate Change, Codes and Regulations

Public companies in the U.S. find themselves at a dynamic time of emergent environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) disclosures. New appointees in the Biden Administration, from the SEC and the Labor Department to the top White House economic advisor, all signal mandatory ESG disclosures. The idea of ESG began in 2004 with a United Nations … Continue Reading

ESG Going the Way of the Dodo?

By Stuart Kaplow on August 23, 2020 Posted in Environmental, GRESB, Sustainability

Earlier this month the U.S. Department of Labor put another nail in the coffin of environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) disclosures. Media sources have reported that the Employee Benefits Security Administration in the Department of Labor sent letters to a group of Registered Investment Advisors requesting detailed information within 2 weeks about their use of … Continue Reading

EPDs are New and Untested but in Short Order will Dominate

By Stuart Kaplow on March 18, 2014 Posted in LEED, Sustainability

With respect to environmental product declarations.. on balance, it appears that LEED v4 has the bleeding edge materials disclosure 'stuff' just about right. And possibly of greatest import, many believe building product and material disclosure and optimization will, in short order, be a bigger business than LEED itself.… Continue Reading

EPDs are Among the Hottest Topics in Green Building

By Stuart Kaplow on March 16, 2014 Posted in LEED, Sustainability

An environmental product declaration (EPD) is a method of quantifying the environmental impacts of a product. It is analogous to the nutritional label on a box of cereal. All of this is new, in particular in the U.S. where EPDs are soon to be crucial in green building because LEED v4 and Green Globes both recognize EPDs.… Continue Reading

EPA Seeks Comment on Ecolabels and Product Environmental Performance Standards thru February 25th

By Stuart Kaplow on January 22, 2014 Posted in Federal, LEED

Against a backdrop in early 2014 where by many measures environmental progress in business appears to have plateaued, Environmental Product Declarations are among the hottest topics in sustainability.… Continue Reading

FTC Cracks Down on Environmental Marketing Claims

By Stuart Kaplow on November 5, 2013 Posted in Federal

The Federal Trade Commission announced six enforcement actions last week, including against companies that marketed supposedly biodegradable plastic rebar cap covers, plastic golf tees, and plastic shopping bags, as part of the agency's ramped up crackdown on environmental claims.… Continue Reading

FTC To Ramp Up Enforcement of Environmental Claims

By Stuart Kaplow on October 22, 2013 Posted in Federal

The Federal Trade Commission will begin to ramp up enforcement of environmental claims .. The coming crackdown on environmental claims follows an update of the FTC's Green Guides last year that set forth the commission's current views on environmental marketing to help business avoid making unfair or deceptive claims.… Continue Reading

Green Building Law Update

Environmental Law and Sustainability for Business