Environment and climate change

A&O Shearman’s market-leading environment and climate change practice advises on environmental and sustainability issues impacting businesses across all sectors and jurisdictions.

We provide strategic transaction advice on due diligence, contractual negotiations and M&A, while helping organizations with specialist issues on governance, risk management, regulatory compliance, reporting and disclosure, supply chain, carbon markets, chemicals and waste.

Practical, scalable strategies

We closely track environmental, climate, sustainability and trade regulatory developments, helping clients apply this effectively in a local, regional and international context.

In a constantly evolving regulatory landscape, organizations need legal advisers to help provide clarity and mitigate risk. Our team advises on complex regulatory, policy and systemic challenges, helping our clients to develop practical, scalable environment and climate strategies across their core markets. 

Representative matters 

• Numerous global clients on their climate transition plans, SBTi climate targets and reporting compliance under the applicable sustainability frameworks. This includes advising boards and board members on risk mitigation.
• Numerous corporates on their compliance with emissions legislation including emissions permit restrictions; controls on greenhouse gas emissions; offsetting; the allocation of carbon allowances; trading under many mandatory emissions trading schemes.
• Several multinational companies on the CBAM proposals and the implications for their products and markets including an analysis of the equivalent carbon pricing mechanisms required for the purposes of the draft CBAM Regulation.
• The developer of a voluntary carbon credit platform on the development of the trading methodology, terms of trade and terms of use for the platform and related issues concerning the regulatory status of the voluntary credits. 

• A diversified international food and retail group with ongoing support on numerous supply chain sustainability issues, including in very sensitive jurisdictions.
• Numerous multinational corporates on the management of supply chain risks including compliance with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and carrying out human rights due diligence.
• Numerous industrial and chemical companies on a variety of EHS compliance issues including contaminated land risks, REACH, PFAS, waste, the management of hazardous substances and site permitting. 
• Numerous large corporates on waste-related issues under European law including the definition of waste; the restrictions on the transfrontier shipment of waste; liability for waste disposal/spills and arrangements for the safe handling, treatment and recovery of waste.