The raise of environmental awareness is directly linked with tighter regulations and an increase of environmental responsibility of businesses, regardless of size.
Considering the emerging liability risks, the environmental compliance may prove essential in multiple areas of the business process, such as in planning and implementation of energy and infrastructure projects, in project development and commercial and industrial plant permitting, as well as in day-to-day operations or corporate transactions.
Our team provides assistance on environmental liability and compliance for businesses operating in diverse industries: real estate, retail, industrial production, FMCG, cellulose industry, oil industry, household appliances producers, food and beverages, pharma, energy and other domains.
Our specialist lawyers offer focused, practical and relevant advice covering a wide area of environmental matters, to ensure environmental compliance throughout the entire lifecycle of a project:
■ waste management assistance in connection with all types of waste (packaging, batteries and accumulators, electrical and electronic equipment waste, hazardous substances, and others as the case may be), including review of contracts with service suppliers, liability transfer for managing specific types of wastes, environmental monitoring, and incorporation of waste management organizations;
■ advising on general regulatory compliance, including payment obligations to the Environmental Fund or monitoring and reporting obligations;
■ liability and risks assessment in relation to activities that are conducted within areas under specific regulatory regimes (protected or contaminated areas, sites impacted by historical pollution), or that are subject to other particular regulations (g. implying storage, transportation and disposal of hazardous substances, emission trading);
■ assistance and representation pending control procedures performed by the authorities, as well as in disputes arising from challenges before the courts of law in connection with the measures/sanctions imposed by the authorities;
■ solutions for mitigating risks such as training of key personnel to understand and manage day to day compliance and unforeseen incidents;
■ environmental implications throughout all phases of business transactions, where it is crucial to reflect in the contract environmental risk issues that have been identified during the due diligence process and to efficiently settle any post-completion disagreements between the transaction parties.
■ advising on required regulatory documents having in view the particularities of each project and the specifics of that business, as well as assisting during the permitting process and analysing the validity of environmental authorisations;
■ assistance in relation to the obligations entailed by the development of the project, as these may result for instance from waste management, site contamination or changes performed to the project;
■ advising on the permitting procedures that need to be pursued for obtaining the relevant environmental authorisations, including SEVESO permitting, water management authorization, Natura 2000 permit, WEEE / batteries and accumulators producer’s registration, other regulatory acts as the case may be; our advice may also concern sanitary – veterinary and food safety, transport, forestry, nuclear, and agriculture permitting;