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ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance)

We help you identify risks and opportunities arising from the increasing focus on ESG

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Today’s companies are moving towards more sustainable business models that respect people and the planet. This means placing environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals at the centre of corporate strategy.

Driven by the expectations of investors, customers and regulators, as well as the desire to act responsibly, ESG now impacts every aspect of economic and business policy, from clean energy, sustainable finance and green urban planning to responsible tax.

As an ESG law firm, with in-depth expertise across multiple sectors, we can advise clients on all areas of ESG-related law. Whether they are multinationals or startups, we help address issues such as future mobility, climate change, ESG due diligence and risk assessments, corporate digital responsibility, sustainable supply chains, whistleblowingESG funds and green real estate finance.

Thanks to our integrated, multidisciplinary approach, we can anticipate the rapidly evolving ESG landscape and identify risks and opportunities. Our teams of lawyers around the world develop innovative solutions that enable clients to keep one step ahead of emerging ESG regulations and stakeholder expectations.

By working with CMS, our clients can rise to the challenge of ESG and become more resilient and compliant in the face of climate change, technological disruption, urbanisation and social concerns.

Please contact any of our ESG lawyers to find out how we can help you.

Doing business responsibly

At CMS, we are committed to running our business ethically and sustainably. We are diverse, supportive and inclusive, taking our corporate social responsibility seriously and creating a culture of sustainability in which all our people, whatever their background, can maximise their potential and thrive.

Doing business sustainably

While our insight helps you audit ESG risks, it also helps you focus on new opportunities and markets in this area while securing a more sustainable future for us all. Whether you are looking at how you run your own business sustainably, adapting your products and services or taking advantage of new market opportunities, CMS has experts with the right expertise.

A cross-practice team of regulatory specialists monitors key guidance, consultations and regulations across multiple jurisdictions to ensure an organisation is anticipating, not just responding to, the legislative landscape around ESG. With new regulatory obligations for many, preparation and an eye to the future is key.

Companies are under increasing pressure to conduct their business in a more ethical, sustainable and climate friendly way. Failure to comply with ESG criteria can have significant legal, reputational and financial consequences and CMS can advise on what the risks are, and how to mitigate them It’s not just about compliance – sustainable organisations are also likely to be more resilient to future disruption.

Learn more about ESG

Our areas of specialisation within ESG

Highlighted experience

  • Environmental

    UK’s first zero-carbon industrial cluster

    on the UK’s most advanced carbon capture project in the UK’s first zero-carbon industrial cluster. BP, Eni, Equinor, Shell and Total have formed a consortium and assumed leadership of the Net Zero Teesside Project.

  • Environmental

    Aviva Investors

    on the launch of Aviva Investors’ GBP 425m flagship climate transition fund investing into climate transition focused real estate, infrastructure and forestry assets in the UK and Europe, through a range of specialist Luxembourg funds.

  • Environmental

    Volkswagen

    on the establishment of a joint venture with Enel X, Enel Group’s advanced energy solutions division, to build an extensive e-mobility charging network in Italy. The joint venture will build and operate a high-power charging network in Italy between 2021 and 2025.

  • Environmental

    Mowi ASA

     a world-leading Norwegian food company in the seafood sector with a new EUR 1.8 billion sustainability-linked facility.

  • Social

    Ion Beam Applications

    represented this leading worldwide manufacturer of complex medical systems aimed at fighting cancer on a public procurement tender regarding maintenance service.

  • Social

    Primark

    on the establishment of its business across the CEE region (establishing working regulations and polices, drafting employment contracts, setting up recruitment and payroll processes, data protection, and on all day-to-day employment issue).

  • Social

    Royal Library

    on the procurement of a collective national library system for all libraries in the Netherlands, which included setting up a foundation and drafting agreements.

  • Social

    The World Bank

    on the existing legal framework in Bolivia regarding digital identity.

  • Governance

    An internationally leading supplier of integral lighting solutions

    on posting workers to multiple jurisdictions and creating a matrix indicating risks related to regulations governing expatriate issues.

  • Governance

    International manufacturer

    on Greenhouse gas (GHG) and non-financial reporting obligations at EU and UK levels. Advice included Article 8 of the Energy Efficiency Directive, ESOS and CRC.

  • Governance

    A leading global airline

    on a compliance assessment project of organisational structures around the globe.

  • Governance

    An Australian medical device company

    on anti-bribery and regulatory risks advice across multiple jurisdictions in Europe and Asia.

Case studies

In February 2021, the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), successfully issued the first green bond in its Green Bond Framework. 

The EUR 200m bond was issued through a private placement with the French development finance institution, Agence Française de Dévelopement (AFD). The DBSA green bond issuance will be applied to projects that contribute to climate mitigation and/or adaptation, that are aligned to South Africa’s National Development Plan’ (NDP) objective of an “environmentally sustainable and equitable transition to a low carbon economy” and that are aligned to the Sustainable Development Goals. This is a sizeable and highly innovative matter with significant corporate law elements. 

Green bonds aim to raise funds for environmentally aligned sustainable development projects and could thus play an important role in aiding the African continent in the mitigation of, and adaptation to, climate change risks. Our work on green bonds, green funds and sustainable finance disclosure requirements is market leading and is helping to shape the response of institutions to these business critical requirements, and helping to export the leading experience of Europe to the USA, Asia and Africa.

With more and more green bonds and sustainability-linked bonds being issued around the world, sustainable finance actively contributes to the transition to a low-carbon economy. 

Marc–Etienne Sébire, Partner at CMS 

Sustainable finance is an area of strength for the firm, including work on green funds, green bonds and sustainable finance disclosure requirements. 

Legal 500, Global Green Guide 2022

The Edge Amsterdam-West is a large office building under construction in Amsterdam. 

The office complex uses smart technology to create adaptable and intelligent work spaces that use significantly less electricity than comparable buildings. It has been labeled ‘the smartest building in the world’ by the media given it’s green credentials and use of technology. CMS advised Korean investor Hana Alternative Asset Management (HAAM) on the EUR 250m acquisition and development of Edge-Amsterdam West. A full service team combined its sector and technical 
experts to deliver a one-stop-shop for all their legal needs. This included:

  • property law
  • financing
  • planinng and zoning
  • insurance
  • intellectual property law
  • acting as notary for completion
  • lease law
  • development/ construction law
  • energy law

Events

  • International
    26 Mar 2025

    CMS Annual Tax Con­fer­ence 2025

  • International
    21 Mar 2025

    EU Competition Law Briefing

  • Optical fibres dinamic flying from deep on technology background
    International
    03 Mar 2025

    CMS at Mobile World Congress

  • Scenic of panorama view of sunrise skyline and cityscape with light tail on road into metropolis, Bangkok, Thailand
    International
    27 Feb 2025

    Cross-Border Financial Services 2025 webinar series

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We provide future-facing legal advice to help your organisation thrive. Combining local market knowledge and a global perspective, and with lawyers in locations worldwide, your organisation benefits from the expertise it needs, even across borders.

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