Stay Ahead: Navigate Policies, Regulations & Standards with Confidence

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a global voluntary certification system developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). It evaluates buildings based on sustainability, energy efficiency, water use, materials, and indoor environmental quality. LEED v4 set higher performance thresholds, while LEED v5 introduces climate, equity, and resilience metrics aligned with net-zero goals. Projects earn certification (Certified, Silver, Gold, Platinum) based on points achieved. LEED is voluntary, but increasingly mandatory for public buildings in several regions. It helps reduce carbon emissions, improve occupant health, and enhance building value.

The Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD), created by the Financial Stability Board (FSB) in 2015, provides a global framework for companies to disclose climate-related risks and opportunities. It recommends reporting across four pillars: Governance, Strategy, Risk Management, and Metrics & Targets, to improve transparency and inform investors. While voluntary globally, TCFD-aligned reporting has become mandatory in several jurisdictions, including the UK, EU, Japan, and New Zealand. The framework is now integrated into the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) under IFRS S1 and S2, forming the foundation for global climate-related financial disclosure standards.

The Persistent Organic Pollutants (POP) Regulation (EU) 2019/1021 enforces the EU’s commitments under the Stockholm Convention, banning or restricting hazardous chemicals that persist in the environment. It requires Member States, manufacturers, and waste operators to prevent the production, marketing, or release of POPs and mandates safe waste disposal. The regulation ensures that substances like PCBs, dioxins, PFAS, and brominated flame retardants are strictly controlled. Managed by the European Commission (DG ENV) and ECHA, POP Regulation 2019/1021 is directly binding in all EU Member States, with strong enforcement mechanisms and periodic updates to include newly listed substances.

The Biocidal Products Regulation (BPR), Regulation (EU) No 528/2012, ensures that biocidal products placed on the EU market are safe, effective, and properly controlled. It applies to disinfectants, preservatives, pest control, and antifouling products. Under BPR, all active substances must be EU-approved, and all products must obtain authorization before sale. The Regulation replaces the Biocidal Products Directive (98/8/EC) and is enforced by national authorities with oversight by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA). It promotes harmonized safety standards, transparent labeling, and reduced animal testing, supporting the EU’s Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability.

BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method), established by the Building Research Establishment (BRE) in 1990, is a voluntary global sustainability certification for buildings and infrastructure. It assesses environmental, social, and economic performance across energy, water, materials, waste, health, and ecology categories. BREEAM provides independent, third-party verification and awards ratings from Pass to Outstanding. While voluntary, it is mandatory or incentivized in some countries for public or large-scale developments. BREEAM promotes climate-resilient, resource-efficient, and healthy built environments, supporting global net-zero and ESG goals.

The International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) was created in 2021 to deliver a global baseline of investor-focused sustainability-related disclosures. In June 2023 it released two standards—IFRS S1 and IFRS S2—covering general sustainability risks and climate-related disclosures, respectively. These standards aim for consistency, comparability and linkage with financial statements and are being adopted globally.

The CO₂ Performance Ladder is a Dutch-developed standard and certification scheme that helps organisations measure, manage and reduce CO₂ emissions and gain competitive advantage in public tenders. Originating in 2009 and owned by Foundation for Climate Friendly Procurement and Business (SKAO), it combines climate-reporting, procurement incentives and a continuous improvement model, widely used by suppliers and public authorities.

The Buy Clean California Act (AB 262) is a procurement law that limits the embodied carbon of key construction materials on state-funded projects. It requires contractors and manufacturers to provide third-party-verified Environmental Product Declarations and meet maximum global-warming-potential thresholds, leveraging public spending to reward cleaner production and drive industrial decarbonization across the state.

Ireland’s “Procurement guidance for public bodies: Reducing embodied carbon in construction” (June 2024) directs public-sector bodies to cut embodied carbon in cement and concrete by specifying low-carbon materials, seeking EN 15804 EPDs and applying whole-life-cycle greenhouse-gas assessments for higher-value projects. It applies to large contractors, material suppliers and design teams working on state-funded construction in Ireland.

The EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is a central pillar of EU rural and agricultural policy, providing financial support and guidelines to farmers and rural areas across all Member States. It aims to ensure food security, provide a fair standard of living for farmers, promote efficient and sustainable agriculture, and support vibrant rural communities. Under the current 2023-27 framework, CAP is built around ten key objectives that integrate economic viability of farms, environmental sustainability (climate action, biodiversity), social well-being, and territorial cohesion. Farmers and national authorities must implement measures via CAP Strategic Plans, and payments are conditional on meeting defined standards. While CAP is mandatory for Member States and farmers participating in subsidy schemes, there is growing pressure to reform it to better address climate change, environmental challenges, and fairness in subsidy distribution.