Green Policies, Regulations & Standards

Greece’s Law 4014/2011 overhauls environmental permitting by introducing impact-based project categories, streamlined EIA procedures, and a National Electronic Environmental Registry. Developers must obtain permits based on comprehensive Environmental Impact Studies and comply with permit conditions, while authorities must process applications transparently and on time. Despite implementation challenges, the law remains the central legal framework for EIAs and project-level environmental approvals in Greece.

Canada’s green procurement approach is a powerful demand-side lever: it makes federal purchasing and operations a driver of low-carbon markets, influencing supplier requirements through contracts and shaping broader decarbonization norms.

Spain’s Law 7/2021 on Climate Change and Energy Transition sets the national framework to achieve Paris Agreement goals, with targets of at least a 23 percent GHG reduction by 2030 versus 1990 and climate neutrality by 2050. It integrates climate objectives into energy, transport, finance, planning, and public procurement. Large companies above certain turnover or employment thresholds must calculate and register their carbon footprint in a national registry and may face additional sector-specific obligations. The law is fully in force and is being implemented through detailed regulations, making it a core reference for corporate climate strategy and compliance in Spain.

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.

Greece’s Law 4688/2020 regulates special forms of tourism, including diving tourism, and provides rules affecting tourism infrastructure such as marinas and tourism ports. In-scope operators must obtain the required licences and comply with activity-specific operational and safety conditions, including requirements for designated “accessible” dive sites implemented through further acts. The law is in force and shapes permitting and compliance for regulated tourism activities, with sanctions possible for unlicensed operation or breaches of conditions.

Poland’s National Adaptation Strategy (SPA2020/NAS2020) sets the policy framework for reducing climate vulnerability with a perspective to 2030, promoting integration of adaptation into sectors such as water, health, agriculture, biodiversity, and key economic activities. While not a binding legal act, it shapes public planning, infrastructure priorities, and the risk expectations applied in projects and financing. Organisations exposed to flooding, heat, water stress, or supply-chain disruption increasingly treat the strategy as an upstream signal for future permitting, resilience requirements, and investment screening.

The Bundes-Immissionsschutzgesetz (BImSchG) sets Germany’s core rules for controlling air pollution, noise, industrial emissions, and environmental impacts of facilities. This article outlines obligations for operators, permitting rules, and compliance mechanisms.

The Swiss Emissions Trading System operates under Switzerland’s CO₂ Act, requiring regulated installations and aviation to monitor, report, and surrender allowances equivalent to their emissions. Linked to the EU ETS since 2020, participants may receive free allocation or buy allowances via auctions or secondary markets. The scheme is mandatory for covered entities, with certain exemptions for small emitters and sectors subject to alternative obligations. Non-compliance may result in fines, administrative sanctions, and enforcement actions by Swiss environmental authorities. Recent legislative reforms approved in 2024 (effective 1 January 2025) strengthen climate targets and enhance alignment with the EU ETS framework.

Italy’s Legislative Decree 46/2014 implements the Industrial Emissions Directive, requiring large industrial installations to operate under Integrated Environmental Authorisations and apply Best Available Techniques. Operators must monitor and report emissions and update permits when BAT conclusions change. Non-compliance can result in fines, permit suspension, or criminal liability. The decree is central to industrial pollution control in Italy.

Switzerland’s CO₂ Act is the core of national climate policy and establishes binding greenhouse gas reduction targets through a hybrid regulatory model. It combines a high carbon levy on fossil heating fuels, a Swiss Emissions Trading System linked to the EU ETS, and sector-specific obligations for buildings, transport and industry. The carbon levy creates a strong and predictable price signal, with revenues largely redistributed or reinvested in climate programmes. ETS-covered installations are generally exempt from the levy but must comply with strict monitoring and allowance surrender rules, exposing them indirectly to rising EU climate ambition. The Act also imposes fuel-compensation duties and efficiency target agreements for large emitters. While structurally stable, the law evolves through parliamentary revisions and public referendums, making political dynamics a key compliance factor.