pieluk

22nd April 2025 – City University of London – 2:30PM – 7PM

Join us for 19th PIEL UK’s upcoming conference, where we’ll explore the Greenwashing, OMNIBUS regulation, and plastic governance.

We are aiming to present a range of perspectives at the conference to encourage a holistic analysis of emerging ESG.

Panel 1 Legal impacts and greenwashing under the OMNIBUS regulation

Key issues

• Strengthening and weakening corporate accountability through standardized ESG reporting
• Standardised reporting: Transparency vs. risk of oversimplification
• Greenwashing risks under OMNIBUS

Guiding questions

1. Can the OMNIBUS help penalize misleading sustainability claims?
2. Does it provide a real enforcement mechanism?
3. Are ESG certifications and third-party audits effective in preventing greenwashing?
4. Can the OMNIBUS enforce reliable, independent ESG audits?
5. Will the OMNIBUS provide a stronger legal basis for ESG lawsuits (civil litigation) and corporate responsibility?

Panel 2 Plastic governance, circular economy, and ESG reporting

Key issues

• Global regulatory efforts on plastic reduction, recycling and waste management
• Plastic life cycle impacts and ESG reports
• A future Global Plastics Treaty. Potential benefits and challenges of standardised international frameworks to plastic governance
• Greenwashing in plastics: overstating recycling efforts
• Legal gaps in circular economy implementation i.e.: lack of incentives for companies to invest in alternative materials

Guiding questions

1. Do ESG disclosures improve plastic waste tracking?
2. How can ESG reporting frameworks ensure real transparency in plastic-related corporate disclosures?
3. Are ESG certifications and third-party audits effective in preventing greenwashing?
4. Will international frameworks and ESG reporting lead to effective plastic reduction?
5. What is at stake, in regards to the global plastic treaty? Is a legally binding treaty a definitive answer? Stricter penalties or international standards?
6. Is the circular economy a feasible paradigm?

Panel 3 Strengthening ESG accountability

Key issues

• Moving beyond box-ticking to meaningful corporate sustainability
• How companies manipulate ESG metrics
• Legal v.s. Voluntary ESG commitments
• Supply chain transparency
• Role of financial institutions: investors as key players in ESG accountability

Guiding questions

1. Why does supply chain transparency matter in ESG?
2. How can ESG reporting frameworks ensure full supply chain transparency and prevent corporate greenwashing?
3. Are there any collateral costs to supply chain standards? Taking into consideration global south countries economies.
4. Are investors holding companies accountable?
5. Are sustainability-linked loans and green bonds effective measures?

Panel 4 Intergenerational impacts, SLAPS litigation and ESGs

Key issues

• Long-term consequences of greenwashing and legal battles in ESG
• The cost of greenwashing on future generations
• Youth advocacy and corporate accountability
• SLAPPS lawsuits

Guiding questions

1. Can stricter ESG rules lead to more lawsuits?
2. How can legal frameworks like OMNIBUS empower the next generations in ESG governance?
3. Is climate litigation an effective avenue to hold companies accountable?

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to learn about this critical and emerging field. Registration is now open.