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With the general election leading straight into a summer recess, it’s been a quiet spell in the legislative world.
So, while the Labour government begins to identify its key policies, the focus has fallen on Scotland and Europe.
Scotland has passed the landmark Circular Economy Bill, addressing issues from household waste management to business practices and enforcement. A Circular Economy Strategy must be published by the Scottish parliament every five years. The bill also includes powers to require suppliers of goods to charge for single-use items, such as disposable cups and single-use vapes; new enforcement measures on household waste disposal and recycling; and, significantly, setting local authority targets to reduce carbon emissions and waste and to increase re-use, repair, refurbishment and recycling.
The EU’s Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive is now in force. It creates a corporate due diligence duty to encourage sustainable and responsible corporate behaviour in companies’ operations and across their global value chains. New rules compel companies to identify and address adverse impacts of their actions on human rights and the environment inside and outside Europe. Where a violation is identified, companies must take measures to prevent, mitigate, end or minimise the adverse impacts from their own operations, and those of subsidiaries and business partners in their supply chain. It is a highly ambitious piece of law, with member states having two years to implement its provisions.
In a significant step for Europe’s ecosystems, the Nature Restoration Law has been approved. It creates a target to restore at least 20% of EU land and sea areas by 2030, with a commitment to restoring all ecosystems in need by 2050. It’s the first continent-wide law on nature restoration and a key element of the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030. The regulation seeks to enable the long-term and sustained recovery of biodiverse and resilient nature; contribute to achieving the EU’s climate mitigation and climate adaptation objectives; and meet international commitments.
The new Labour government has set out its agenda in the King’s Speech as part of the state opening of parliament.
The King’s Speech marked a significant shift in the UK government’s approach to environmental and sustainability issues, signalling a renewed commitment to addressing major environmental problems and promoting green initiatives. Sir Keir Starmer’s government unveiled a package of bills to tackle environmental challenges and address pressing climate concerns.
These include the Water (Special Measures) Bill, to strengthen the power of water regulators; the Sustainable Aviation Fuel (Revenue Support Mechanism) Bill, which increases investment in lower-emission aviation fuels; and the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, which will speed up and streamline the planning process and allow some development on green belt land.
Also announced was the bill to establish Great British Energy, a publicly owned clean power company focused on renewable investments. The company will be based in Scotland and aims to transition the UK away from oil and gas. At the time of writing, this was the only bill from the speech to have begun its passage through parliament.
Bristol-based beer importer Budweiser Budvar UK has paid over £400,000 to a charity for recycling failures over 18 years. The money was paid as part of an ‘enforcement undertaking’, which is an alternative to prosecution. The amount covered fees saved by the company through non-compliance with packaging recycling and recovery requirements, a penalty of 30%, plus the costs incurred from an Environment Agency investigation.
Lastly, in case law, Eco-Sud v Minister of Environment, Solid Waste and Climate Change sets a precedent for environmental justice in Mauritius, ensuring that NGOs can play a vital role in protecting the environment.
Neil Howe PIEMA is head of writing at Barbour EHS
