The NOVA BHRE Blog

The EU Empowering Consumers Directive (EmpCo), which aims to protect consumers from misleading sustainability claims and amends the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive (UCPT), enters into application on 27 September 2026. This blog explores the Directive’s key reforms, including new bans on greenwashing practices, stricter requirements for sustainability labels and environmental claims, and enhanced protections against practices that undermine product durability and repairability. It further considers the implications of these rules for businesses, particularly in relation to human rights and environmental due diligence, and highlights practical measures companies should take to prepare for compliance.

Brazil is currently considering the introduction of its first import restriction regime specifically targeting goods produced with forced or child labour. This blog post examines the Brazilian framework proposal, giving particular attention is given to the legal mechanisms that are expected to render the regime effective in practice.

On 12 March 2026, the Paris Judicial Court (34th Civil Chamber) issued a landmark judgment in the developing case law on the French Duty of Vigilance Law.

The Yves Rocher ruling builds on the approach developed in the La Poste litigation, following the injunction issued by the Paris Judicial Court on 5 December 2023 and upheld by the Paris Court of Appeal on 17 June 2025. It also takes the case law a significant step further: for the first time, a French parent company was held civilly liable and ordered to compensate harm resulting from shortcomings in its vigilance plan. While La Poste clarified what an adequate vigilance plan should contain, Yves Rocher addresses the consequences of failing to meet those requirements.

In this blog post, we examine the main lessons that can be drawn from the Yves Rocher decision and consider what its implications are for civil liability under the French Duty of Vigilance Law.

Em 25 de junho de 2026, o Tribunal Judiciário de Paris proferiu a primeira decisão de mérito a aplicar expressamente a Lei Francesa sobre o Dever de Vigilância aos riscos climáticos. Em um contexto de enfraquecimento do quadro europeu de sustentabilidade após as alterações e propostas de simplificação introduzidas pelo pacote Omnibus, a decisão esclareceu a relevância das emissões de escopo 3 no âmbito das obrigações decorrentes da Lei Francesa sobre o dever de vigilância, reconhecendo a centralidade dos riscos climáticos na lei, enquanto mantendo limites importantes à intervenção judicial.