On June 23, 2021, Brussels-based Judith Bussé spoke at the International Consumer Product Health and Safety’s (ICPHSO) North American Workshop. ICPHSO is an international, neutral forum for product safety stakeholders to learn, network and share information.

In her presentation, Judith explored new EU Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) related measures and their practical consequences for product design, particularly focusing on product safety and the entire product life cycle as well as considerations of environmental justice.

Judith provided insights into European regulators’ efforts to devise a comprehensive set of environmental, social and governance (ESG) disclosure metrics, which will involve both new obligations of disclosure as well as substantive obligations to address ESG issues connected to companies’ businesses. She addressed their implementation, and the likely effects for both companies domiciled in the EU as well as companies registered elsewhere. Besides companies operating within the EU, the so-called “Brussels effect” might imply that the new ESG-framework in the EU would even affect companies without any business in the EU.

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