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After April 2017, all large UK companies will be required to report on their payment practices and performance. This new requirement is one of a number of ways in which the government is trying to tackle the problem of late payment for small and medium enterprises.

Potentially significant increases to fines are expected, as Courts are told to impose sentences that have a “real economic impact” on offenders.

Under new rules, which have just come into force, large organisations operating within the United Kingdom will now need to make a public statement outlining how they keep their supply chains free from slavery and human trafficking.

The European Court has issued landmark judgment on substances in products.

As first reported in our legal briefing 'Mandatory Carbon Reporting' of July 2012, there is an increasing trend by legislators at both UK and EU level towards compulsory corporate reporting and disclosure on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) matters.

On 1 June 2007, after years of hard fought political lobbying, the EU's Regulation on the Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) finally came into force. Viewed by many as the most complex piece of EU legislation to date, REACH changes how chemicals will be made, imported and used within the EU.

The UK Bribery Act will have a significant impact on many foreign companies when it comes into force in July 2011 because of its extra-territorial reach. A foreign company which carries on any "part of a business" in the UK could be prosecuted under the Bribery Act for failing to prevent bribery committed by any of its employees, agents or other representatives, even if the bribery takes place outside the UK and involves non-UK persons.

At Travers Smith, diversity and creating an inclusive workplace is valuable to us and to our clients. 

Asset owners, as well as intermediaries in the financial services sector, are becoming increasingly proactive in their pursuit of sustainable finance strategies. This is often driven by a genuine desire to move towards more ethical and responsible investment; but increasingly, it is also a necessary commercial response to the demands of clients.

Sustainability is rising rapidly up the pensions agenda because of a mix of changing law, regulatory guidance, and growing demand from pension scheme members and other stakeholders.

Sustainable finance is of rapidly-growing importance as increasing regulatory pressures and demand from investors promote the incorporation of environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors in investment strategies.

Sustainability, CSR environmental, social and governance (ESG) and other responsible investment considerations are now firmly on the agenda for corporates as well as investors. Keeping abreast of the increasingly broad legal and regulatory framework governing these issues, as well as managing reputational risk, represents an enormous governance challenge for businesses.