On July 13, 2026, the European Commission (“Commission”) adopted two new Regulations that will shape the implementation of the EU Deforestation Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2023/1115, “EUDR”). The EUDR will start applying to large and medium-sized operators and traders at the end of this year (i.e., December
Continue Reading Commission Adopts Measures to Shape Implementation of EU Deforestation Regulation Ahead of December 2026 Application
European Commission Seeks Public Input on CSDDD Guidelines: What to Watch
On June 12, 2026, the European Commission (“Commission”) launched its public consultation on guidelines (“Guidelines”) that will significantly shape the implementation of the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (“CSDDD;” more details about the CSDDD available here). The consultation, presented in the form of a detailed questionnaire, is open
Continue Reading European Commission Seeks Public Input on CSDDD Guidelines: What to WatchEuropean Commission Publishes “ESRS 2.0” for Public Consultation: Draft Closely Follows EFRAG’s Technical Advice with Additional Simplifications for Companies
The European Commission (“Commission”) has launched a four-week feedback period — open until June 3, 2026 — on a draft delegated act to revise the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (“ESRS 2.0”). Ultimately, EU companies in scope of the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (“CSRD”) will have to draft their annual
Continue Reading European Commission Publishes “ESRS 2.0” for Public Consultation: Draft Closely Follows EFRAG’s Technical Advice with Additional Simplifications for CompaniesEU CSDDD/CSRD Omnibus Published in Official Journal: Transposition, Delegated Acts, and Guidelines Are Next
On February 26, 2026, the European Union published Directive (EU) 2026/470 on the simplification of the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (“CSDDD”) and the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (“CSRD”) in its Official Journal, clearing the final step in the Omnibus I legislative process.
This blog post: (i) summarizes the substance
Continue Reading EU CSDDD/CSRD Omnibus Published in Official Journal: Transposition, Delegated Acts, and Guidelines Are NextThe CSRD/CSDDD Omnibus Endgame: Key Points for Companies
After months of uncertainty, the outlook for key EU sustainability laws is far clearer.
On November 13, 2025, the European Parliament adopted its negotiating position on the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (“CSRD”) and the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (“CSDDD”) Omnibus simplification. This follows the European Commission’s Omnibus proposal in
Continue Reading The CSRD/CSDDD Omnibus Endgame: Key Points for CompaniesEU Member States Agree on CSRD/CSDDD Omnibus Negotiating Mandate
On June 23, 2025 the Council of the EU, which represents the 27 EU Member States, agreed on its negotiating mandate for the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (“CSRD”) and Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (“CSDDD”) omnibus simplification.
This follows the European Commission’s omnibus proposal from February and is the next
Continue Reading EU Member States Agree on CSRD/CSDDD Omnibus Negotiating MandateEUDR Back on the Horizon: Preparing for December 2025 Compliance
After its 12-month deferral, the EU’s Deforestation Regulation (“EUDR”) is set to apply from December 30, 2025. Many companies are therefore refocusing EUDR compliance efforts. This blog provides an update on the rules and guidance and key, practical takeaways for companies.
The European Commission (“Commission”) recently provided new and updated
Continue Reading EUDR Back on the Horizon: Preparing for December 2025 ComplianceProvisional Agreement on the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD): Key Elements of the Deal
In the early hours of December 14, 2023, the Council of the EU (“Council”) and the European Parliament (“Parliament”) reached a provisional political agreement on the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (“CSDDD”). Described as a “historic breakthrough” by Lara Wolters, who has led this file for the Parliament, the CSDDD will require many companies in the EU and beyond to conduct environmental and human rights due diligence on their global operations and value chain, and oblige them to adopt a transition plan for climate change mitigation.
Given the CSDDD’s relevance for companies’ ongoing compliance planning on environmental and human rights matters, this blog aims to advise clients on the basic elements of the CSDDD agreement based on press releases from the Council, Parliament, and the European Commission (“Commission”), even if much uncertainty remains. Although a political agreement has been reached, the text of the agreement is not publicly available and a number of details of the legal text will need to be finalized in follow-up technical meetings. Covington will publish a more detailed alert on “how to prepare” for the CSDDD once the full text is available (likely in early 2024).
Continue Reading Provisional Agreement on the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD): Key Elements of the DealCOP28 Final Negotiations Recap: A Global Agreement to Transition Away from Fossil Fuels
What You Need to Know.
- After two days of intense negotiations, world leaders adopted a draft decision that sets out international climate priorities in response to the findings of the first Global Stocktake under the Paris Agreement. The decision covers several thematic areas, including mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions, adaptation and resilience in the face of climate change, financing and means of implementation and support for climate projects, and loss and damage funding for climate-vulnerable nations. The text of the draft decision can be found on the UNFCCC’s website here.
Calculating and Reporting Greenhouse Gas Emissions: A Primer on the GHG Protocol
Laws and regulations that require companies, both private and public, to disclose their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions continue to expand in the European Union and in the United States. Under the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), beginning in 2025, EU-based public companies and large EU-based private companies will be required to report all material Scope 1, 2, and 3 GHG emissions as set forth in the European Sustainability Reporting Standards. In the United States, California recently passed landmark climate-related disclosure legislation that will require U.S. companies that do business in California and have greater than $1 billion in annual revenues to file annual reports publicly disclosing their Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions beginning in 2026 and Scope 3 GHG emissions in 2027. This legislation is expected to be joined by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) proposed climate-related disclosure rule. Initially proposed in March 2022, if finalized, the SEC rule would require public companies to disclose their Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions and material Scope 3 emissions. And later this year, world policymakers, activists, and business leaders will convene at COP28 to discuss global progress towards achieving the net-zero GHG emissions targets set by the Paris Agreement.
The Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG Protocol) sits at the center of all these efforts. Established by the World Resources Institute and the World Business Counsel for Sustainable Development in 2001, the GHG Protocol establishes comprehensive standards for private and public entities to calculate and report their GHG emissions and track progress towards their emissions targets.
Continue Reading Calculating and Reporting Greenhouse Gas Emissions: A Primer on the GHG Protocol