Sustainability, social responsibility, and corporate governance: ESG is a cross‑cutting issue. The regulatory requirements in the area of ESG affect all business areas of companies and have an impact on all aspects of corporate activity – throughout the entire value chain. They address, among other things, the development and design of products and services, (supply chain) management, sales, financing, and sustainability reporting and therefore also place new demands on the contractual relationships of market participants. Accordingly, we provide you with comprehensive advice in all areas of law that are linked to the ESG requirements. We provide you with preventative and reactive support for all challenges, right through to setting up and implementing an optimal ESG strategy. Our expertise also includes advising ministries, legislators, associations, and companies on the design and further development of the regulatory framework. The networking of our regulatory and civil law practice groups enables us to advise you as a company with the necessary foresight on the upcoming regulatory changes in the context of the Green Deal and their national implementation.
Our practice areas
Sustainable product design & procurement
- Ecodesign
- Reuse & Repair & Refurbish & Recycle
- Material flow management & material regulation
- Product liability consulting and product liability lawsuits
- Purchasing and awarding contracts according to sustainability criteria
- Market access and product authorisation
- Industrial property rights and contract drafting
Legislative practice and technical regulation in the area of sustainability
- Support, conceptualisation, and implementation of national and European legislative projects
- Standardisation and sustainability certification
Sustainable product advertising, competition and consumers
- Green claims compliance
- Green claims litigation
Climate and environmental protection
- Renewable energies & fuels
- Hydrogen (derivatives)
- Carbon Capture & Storage/Utilisation
- Battery technologies
- Climate action
- Renaturation, biodiversity, and avoidance/minimisation of environmental damage
Financing the green transition
- National grants and subsidies
- EU funding programmes
- Taxonomy
Social responsibility
- Human rights compliance and contract management in companies and supply chains
- Labour protection and conditions
- Anti‑discrimination
Reporting and risk management
- Sustainable supply chains
- Sustainability reporting (CSRD, taxonomy, CSDDD)
- Structuring reporting obligations in compliance management systems
- Sustainability data management
Corporate and M&A
- Sustainability corporate governance
- ESG/EHS due diligence
Litigation and ESG compliance
- Support and management of summary proceedings
- Competition law proceedings and class actions
- Commercial litigation
- Class action defence
- Human rights, Union, constitutional, and administrative law proceedings
- Management of claims for information in EIR and FOIA proceedings
- Authorisation, market surveillance, objection, criminal,, and administrative offence proceedings
- ESG/EHS compliance management systems
- Handling compliance cases and internal investigations
Clients
We advise and represent companies and industry associations, including in the automotive, textile, electrical/electronic equipment, and chemical industries, the energy and hydrogen sectors and the construction industry. We also have a strong focus on supporting federal and state authorities, standardisation organisations, development banks, and research institutions.