The UK’s Plastic Packaging Tax is due to take effect from 1 April 2022 and will be payable by manufacturers and importers of plastic packaging containing less than 30% recycled plastic content at a rate of £200 per metric tonne where certain thresholds are met.
Join us for our 19th Annual Global Trade and Supply Chain Webinar Series entitled, “International Trade Developments in a Challenging New World,” which includes the latest international trade developments. This year, in a variety of sessions, our panels of experts will cover the key developments and latest trends on sanctions, export controls and Foreign Investment Review regimes. On the inbound side, there will be sessions on opportunities and compliance challenges arising out of FTAs, hot topics on Customs valuation, trends in customs audits and supply chain compliance challenges and logistics.
The UK Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) has published its response to the recent call for evidence on product safety in the UK (“Response”). In line with the government’s aim to capitalise on Brexit opportunities, the Response emphasises that the UK now has a genuine opportunity to “think boldly” about how to regulate product safety. One concern that is not addressed in detail in the Response is the risk that divergence from the EU product safety and regulatory regime could actually make the UK less attractive for business and in fact discourage innovation within the UK.
On 17 November 2021 the EU published a draft Regulation seeking to introduce new due diligence requirements aimed at tackling deforestation and forest degradation.
On 15 September, during the 2021 State of the Union Address, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the European Commission’s intention to introduce a ban on the import of products made with forced labour into the EU market. In her Address, the Commission President noted that there are “25 million people…who are threatened or coerced into forced labour” and that “doing business around the world…can never be done at the expense of people’s dignity and freedom”.
On 14 July 2021, the European Commission adopted a proposal for a new Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, which will require importers to report the embedded emissions in certain carbon-intensive products and buy certificates to account for these emissions.
On 12 July the European Commission and the European External Actions Service (EEAS) published guidance on “due diligence for EU businesses to address the risk of forced labour in their operations and supply chains”. The non-binding guidance seeks to provide European companies with practical advice on the implementation of effective human rights due diligence practices to address forced labour risks in their supply chains.
On 12 July, the European Commission and the European External Actions Service published guidance on “due diligence for EU businesses to address the risk of forced labor in their operations and supply chains.” The non-binding guidance seeks to provide European companies with practical advice on the implementation of effective human rights due diligence practices to address forced labor risks in their supply chains.
On 1 July 2021, the majority of the provisions in the UK’s Ecodesign for Energy-Related Products and Energy Information Regulations 2021 came into force ensuring the UK’s Ecodesign regime remains aligned to the EU’s regime post-Brexit. It introduces tighter rules for how much energy white goods, such as washing machines, can use and sets out new ‘right to repair’ rules which impose a legal obligation on manufacturers to make spare parts and repair and maintenance information for particular appliances available in order to facilitate repairs. Manufacturers will have to incorporate ‘reparability’ into their designs and processes to ensure compliance with the new rules.
On 12 July the European Commission and the European External Actions Service (EEAS) published guidance on “due diligence for EU businesses to address the risk of forced labour in their operations and supply chains”. The non-binding guidance seeks to provide European companies with practical advice on the implementation of effective human rights due diligence practices to address forced labour risks in their supply chains. It also provides an overview of international standards and principles on responsible business conduct and due diligence relevant to combatting forced labour, including the OECD Due Diligence Guidance For Responsible Business Conduct (the OECD Guidelines), the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) fundamental conventions.