Ardea International

This Practice Note outlines the implications of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), also known as the Ruggie Principles, for lawyers and law firms. It explains what the UNGPs are, what they mean for lawyers and law firms and also references emerging guidance, as well as considering the challenges and opportunities the UNGPs present for law firms.

This Practice Note outlines International Standard ISO 14001:2015 on environmental management. It was produced in partnership with Ardea International and is part of a series of notes on environmental management. It explains what environmental management system (EMS) ISO 14001 is and sets out the key changes brought about by the revisions to ISO 14001 published in September 2015 (ISO 14001:2015).

This Practice Note explains what Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) governance is and explains what the implications are for boards. It starts by explaining what CSR is and what governance means ie the system by which companies are directed and controlled. The Practice Note then looks at board members and the fiduciary responsibility that they have for the effective management of social and environmental risks. It also sets out the in-house lawyer’s role and practical steps to develop a CSR governance framework. It was produced in partnership with Ardea International and is part of a series on corporate responsibility

This Practice Note highlights the professional responsibility of lawyers in relation to human rights due diligence, particularly in the context of the United Nations Guiding Principles on business and human rights (UNGPs), also known as the Ruggie Principles. It was produced in partnership with Ardea International. It outlines the scope of human rights diligence, including references to human rights due diligence in international agreements, and the potential for liability under international frameworks.

This Practice Note outlines mandatory human rights reporting requirements in the UK, EU and US. It was produced in partnership with Ardea International. It covers current and future human rights reporting requirements and considers supply change management issues, including under the Companies Act 2006 (Strategic Report and Directors’ Report) Regulations 2013, SI 2013/1970, Modern Slavery Act 2015, EU Directive on non-financial and diversity information, the EU Conflict Minerals Regulation, Section 1502 of the Dodd-Frank Act, and the California Transparency in Supply Chains Act of 2010. This Practice Note also links to related Brexit content.

This risk management guide, written for in-house lawyers in partnership with Ardea International, aims to provide a useful checklist when considering how to address the environmental risks relating to your organisation and to provide the tools to monitor compliance with the laws.

This guide, written for in-house lawyers, provides an insight into some of the mandatory reporting requirements for companies on non-financial issues, including the strategic report and the Financial Reporting Council’s (FRC) guidance on this, additional social, human rights requirements for quoted companies, greenhouse gas reporting requirements, Modern Slavery Act 2015 requirements and rules coming from Directive 2014/95/EU on disclosure of non-financial and diversity information. It also explains what a sustainability report is, sets out the different voluntary reporting frameworks available in summary format and highlights the benefits of assurances. This Practice Note also links to related Brexit content.

This Practice Note outlines domestic requirements for companies and limited liability partnerships (LLPs) to report on environmental impacts under the Companies Act 2006 and the Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR) requirements introduced through the Companies (Directors’ Report) and Limited Liability Partnerships (Energy and Carbon Report) Regulations 2018, SI 2018/1155. This includes requirements for the directors’ report; narrative reporting; mandatory greenhouse gas (GHG) reporting by quoted companies, large unquoted companies and large LLPs, and; requirements for the strategic report and under the UK Corporate Governance (UKCG) Code. It also covers environmental reporting in accordance with certain accounting standards. It was produced in partnership with Ardea International, and is part of a series of Practice Notes on environmental reporting. This Practice Note also links to related Brexit content.

This Practice Note explains what the terms ‘responsible business’; ‘corporate social responsibility’ (CSR), ‘sustainability’ and ‘environmental social governance’ (ESG) mean in the context of business. It sets out why in-house lawyers should understand these terms and how they can contribute to a company’s responsible business programme. It was produced in partnership with Ardea International and is part of a series on corporate responsibility. It provides examples of good business practice and some practical steps to develop responsible business.

This Practice Note outlines the use of sustainability indicators and goals. It covers the origin and history of sustainable development indicators (SDIs), SDIs in the UK and the sustainable development goals (SDGs), including what they are, how are they implemented and monitored, and what lawyers need to know about the SDGs.

This Practice Note outlines what sustainable procurement is and why lawyers should understand how to apply the principles of sustainable procurement (not to be confused with green public procurement) in the private sector. It provides a practical outline of the issues, including the benefits of taking sustainability into account in purchasing decisions, sustainability criteria in tenders and the use of standards in sustainable procurement.

This Practice Note outlines various voluntary frameworks and initiatives for reporting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. It includes guidance on voluntary GHG reporting and a summary of international reporting guidance and frameworks, such as the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG Protocol), Science Based Target Initiative (SBTi), Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), Climate Disclosure Standards Board (CDSB), Global Framework for Climate Risk Disclosure and Securities and Exchange Commission guidance on disclosure related to climate change.

This Checklist outlines key considerations when undertaking human rights due diligence as part of a corporate or other transaction. It was produced in partnership with Ardea International. It includes when human rights due diligence should be carried out, and key steps lawyers should take when assessing impacts, including reviewing documentation, requesting documents, raising questions and reporting on impacts and risks.