Green Policies, Regulations & Standards

Greece’s Law 4403/2016 transposes the EU Non-Financial Reporting Directive and requires large public-interest entities to publish an annual non-financial statement. The report must cover environmental, social, and employee matters, human rights, anti-corruption, and diversity, and may follow a recognised reporting framework. It applies to large listed companies, banks, insurers, and other PIEs above specific thresholds and must be published together with financial statements. While Greece prepares CSRD transposition, Law 4403/2016 continues to define the baseline ESG-disclosure obligations.

Greece’s Law 4933/2022 establishes a national system for climate-crisis management and civil protection. It requires public authorities and critical infrastructure operators to conduct climate risk assessments, prepare emergency plans, and coordinate responses. The law enhances adaptation, early warning, and operational readiness. Non-compliance can lead to sanctions and liability in the event of failures.

The Railway Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reporting Regulations require railway companies operating in Canada to measure and report greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions annually as part of Canada’s federal Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP). Under CEPA, the federal government periodically publishes a Notice in the Canada Gazette specifying which facilities and sectors must report emissions data. Railways that meet the reporting criteria, typically facilities that emit above the federal GHG threshold, must quantify their emissions using prescribed methodologies and submit reports through the federal reporting system. The program supports national climate planning, transparency in emissions data, and contributions to Canada’s GHG inventory, informing policy and accountability efforts. Rail sector progress is also monitored through industry programs and reporting frameworks, but the statutory reporting requirement arises through the GHGRP Notice mechanism.

The Paris Agreement is the world’s central climate treaty, requiring countries to submit national climate plans, report emissions, and strengthen action every five years. This article outlines obligations, current status, flexibilities, penalties, and real-world examples.

Royal Decree 646/2020 sets the compliance baseline for landfill disposal in Spain. It focuses on preventing environmental impacts through stricter acceptance controls, operational monitoring, and long-term obligations after closure.

Greece’s Law 4710/2020 establishes the national electric mobility framework, requiring EV-ready buildings, public-sector fleet electrification, and deployment of charging infrastructure. Developers, authorities, and operators must comply with technical and planning rules, with penalties for non-compliance. The law supports Greece’s transport decarbonisation goals and is central to low-emission mobility policy.

National Instrument 51-107 was a proposed Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) climate-related disclosure rule intended to standardize climate risk reporting for publicly listed issuers. It would have required disclosure on governance oversight, strategy, risk management processes, and metrics/targets related to climate change. However, the CSA announced in April 2025 that work on NI 51-107 is paused, and it is not in force. As a result, there is no current mandatory climate disclosure regime under NI 51-107, but issuers in Canada remain subject to existing securities obligations to disclose material risks, including climate-related risks where material. The proposal continues to inform voluntary best practices despite its paused status.

The Global Framework on Chemicals, or GFC, is a voluntary international framework for the sound management of chemicals and waste throughout their lifecycle. It was adopted in September 2023 at the fifth International Conference on Chemicals Management in Bonn and sets five strategic objectives and 28 targets to guide governments, companies, civil society and international organisations on chemical safety, waste prevention, product transparency, risk reduction, governance and capacity building.

The Basel Plastic Waste Amendments expanded the Basel Convention’s control system for cross-border plastic waste movements. Adopted by the Conference of the Parties in May 2019 and effective from 1 January 2021, the amendments changed Annexes II, VIII and IX of the Basel Convention to clarify which plastic wastes are hazardous, which require prior informed consent, and which may move more freely when clean, sorted and destined for environmentally sound recycling. The amendments are important because they make plastic waste trade a regulated environmental compliance issue, not just a commercial recycling transaction. They affect exporters, importers, recyclers, brokers, packaging companies, waste managers, customs authorities and companies making circular economy or recycled content claims.

The Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships, commonly known as the Hong Kong Convention or HKC, is an International Maritime Organization treaty that sets global rules for safe and environmentally sound ship recycling. Adopted in May 2009, it entered into force on 26 June 2025, creating mandatory requirements for ships, shipowners, flag states, recycling states and ship recycling facilities. Its purpose is to ensure that ships, when recycled, do not pose unnecessary risks to human health, worker safety or the environment. The HKC is important for sustainability because ship recycling can involve asbestos, PCBs, ozone-depleting substances, heavy metals, oils, sludge, contaminated paints and other hazardous materials. It turns shipbreaking from an informal end-of-life disposal activity into a regulated lifecycle compliance process.