Centre for Private and Commercial Law Hosts Sustainability Workshop
On 20th June 2023, Southampton Law School’s Centre for Private and Commercial Law hosted Re-positioning the Commercial Legal Framework for a Sustainable World, a workshop exploring the current issues facing sustainability in commercial law.
Building a sustainable and greener future, one that facilitates a “just transition” to a net zero market economy, requires an evaluation of the legal and policy frameworks that govern stakeholders’ conduct, incentives and legal obligations. This workshop was a ‘pre-project’ discussion to identify and evaluate net zero-driven endeavours engaged across diverse legal frameworks regulating trade, industry and consumers, including company law, maritime law, competition law and consumer protection rules.
The event brought together academics from the Law School and industry professionals to think broadly about the benefits and challenges – actual and potential – of embedding sustainability within the breadth of commercial law, and included the following talks:
- Prof Brenda Hannigan (Southampton Law School) Sustainability Disclosure Overload
- Prof Sarah Nield, Southampton Law School “Housing and Net Zero: The role and views of UK Finance.”
- Mr Grant Hunter (Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO)) ‘“The 4th Way – improving supply chain efficiency through collaboration, digitalisation and contractualisation”
- Dr Liang Zhao (Southampton Law School) Decarbonisation in shipping and good faith for targets”
- Ms Wanjie Lin (Cleary Gottlieb Steen Hamilton), Brussells ‘“Sustainability and antitrust – Current issues with net zero agreements and joint shareholder action”
- Dr Ivano Alogna (British Institute of International and Comparative Law) “Comparative Perspectives on Corporate Climate Litigation”
- Dr Stephanie Law (Southampton Law School) “The Framework of Climate-washing Litigation before National Courts”
- Dr Michail Risvas (Southampton Law School) “Sustainability, the Green Energy Transition and International Investment Treaty and Commercial Arbitration”
The workshop was funded by the Faculty of Social Science Research Investment and Support Building Sustainable and Green Futures grant, University of Southampton.