Articles
The conundrum of sustainable e-waste management in developing countries: a case study of Bangladesh
NOOR ISRATH JAHAN
University of Chittagong, Bangladesh

E-waste is a valuable resource but a socio-environmental menace, especially for developing countries. Due to economic utility and reuse opportunities, developing countries often allow e-waste and Used Electronic and Electrical Equipment (UEEE) imports, but their unsafe handling endangers the environment and human health.This article presents a case study on Bangladesh, while reflecting on relevant international instruments. It concludes that Bangladesh should foster a green reuse channel for e-waste rather than impose complete bans.

A pyrrhic victory? R (on the application of Mathew Richards) v The Environment Agency. Interested Party : Walleys Quarry Ltd
[2025] EWHC 3219 (Admin)
DR TIM EVERETT
Trainer and researcher in Environmental Health and Housing Law
NEIL PARPWORTH
Leicester De Montfort Law School

Following on from their article on the first three rounds of this case, the authors now consider the outcome of the second application for judicial review relating to the regulator’s ongoing failure to deal effectively with H2S emissions from a waste site. As before, the applicant claimed a breach of the rights protected under Articles 2 and 8 of the ECHR, but the liquidation of the operator and the consequent ability to disclaim the permit significantly reduced the regulator’s powers.

PFAS under pressure: a landscape of regulatory initiatives in Europe
THOMAS DELILLE, MARIE ESCORNEBOUEU, FRANCESCA PUTTOCK and GERARD McELWEE
Squire Patton Boggs LLP
Paris and Brussels

The European Union is advancing an unprecedented generic restriction proposal targeting approximately 10,000 PFAS substances across all industries. In March 2026, ECHA’s RAC and SEAC Committees reached a critical milestone by issuing their opinions on the ban.The RAC broadly supports the restriction, arguing that extreme persistence justifies treating emissions as a proxy for risk. Conversely, the SEAC, in its draft opinion, highlighted major socio-economic data gaps and criticised the methodology used to evaluate use derogations.These uncertainties ultimately grant the European Commission significant political leeway as it drafts the final proposal. Diverging from the EU, the United Kingdom utilises a complex, substance-by-substance patchwork of regulatory regimes. However, the UK faces intense political pressure to accelerate its timelines and potentially align with evolving EU measures. Concurrently, this rise of regulatory pressure is having direct impacts at the sectoral level, with the emergence of voluntary phase-out schemes.

Case Commentaries

What do the new EU Sustainability Reporting and Due Diligence Laws mean for UK companies?DR ALEXANDRA VON WESTERNHAGEN
Keystone Law, London

The EU’s new Sustainability Omnibus has significantly reshaped the Corporate Sustainability Reporting regime and the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence framework. Most notably, the scope of the laws is much narrower and reporting standards have been simplified. Among other features, liability for damages is left to national law, and enforcement is administrative rather than criminal.The author concludes her survey with a consideration of what this all means in practice for UK companies.

Airline environmental claims: navigating the new era of regulatory scrutiny
RUPALI SHARMA, JENNA HILL and MICHAEL TAURIAN
Stephenson Harwood, London

In late 2025, 21 major airlines reached a landmark agreement with the EU Consumer Protection Cooperation Network to overhaul how they communicate their climate initiatives.The agreement marks a transition from ‘green’ as a marketing aspiration to ‘green’ as a strictly regulated legal requirement; it includes the airlines’ commitments to clarify usages such as ‘offsetting’ and ‘sustainable aviation fuel’ to provide transparent data, and to set out achievable steps and deadlines.

Strategic Issues – Scotland
PROFESSOR SARAH HENDRY
Dundee Law School and UNESCO Centre for Water Law, Policy and Science,
University of Dundee