Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) considerations are reshaping the global business landscape, driving a fundamental shift towards sustainability and accountability. These factors are increasingly influencing corporate strategies, investor decisions, and stakeholder expectations. For leaders and legal experts, robust ESG practices are not merely a compliance requirement but a strategic imperative that enhances corporate reputation, mitigates risks, and fosters long-term growth.

ESG legislation plays a key role in this landscape, ensuring businesses adhere to sustainable practices that promote environmental stewardship, social responsibility, and sound governance. These regulations are highly sector-specific: manufacturing may face rigorous environmental controls aimed at reducing carbon footprints, while the financial sector may focus on ethical investment practices and transparent governance.

Navigating these diverse regulatory demands is essential for legal compliance, maintaining a competitive edge, and securing investor confidence.

The expansion of ESG-related legislation in the UK and the EU is set to continue over the coming year (and beyond). Our ESG horizon scanner is designed to provide a high-level overview of the key upcoming developments, enabling businesses to anticipate and adapt to regulatory changes.

By leveraging the ESG timeline, companies can proactively manage compliance, align their strategies with emerging ESG standards, and stay ahead of the curve.

The concept of ESG is very wide and what it means, and which issues will be relevant, to a particular business, will vary. As such, please note that this timeline is not intended to provide an overview of every and all development(s) that could be considered to fall within the ambit of ESG. The timeline should be used for general information purposes only and is not intended to create any solicitor/client relationship or duty of care. It is not intended to provide legal or other professional advice and should not be relied upon as such. It does not provide an analysis of whether any of the developments apply in your particular circumstances. We would be pleased to discuss your particular circumstances with you. Please do reach out to your usual Taylor Wessing contact if you would like to discuss any aspect of this timeline.

Please do reach out to your usual Taylor Wessing contact if you would like to discuss any aspect of this horizon scanner.

The information contained within the timeline is up to date as of 31 July 2024. We intend to release updates to the timeline going forward. However, Taylor Wessing LLP has no obligation to update the timeline and accepts no responsibility or liability to any person in respect of anything done or not done by that person or any third party in reliance, whether sole or partial, upon the timeline.