UK Product Compliance & Sustainability

Why choose our UK Product Compliance & Sustainability lawyers?

Our work has an ever-increasing focus on environmental and sustainability matters, the circular economy, recycling obligations and the elimination of waste across supply chains.  

Our clients include household names in consumer goods, life sciences, manufacturing, food and beverage and retail. As their trusted partner, we advise and represent them by finding pragmatic and commercial solutions across the entire spectrum of product and sustainability laws, including those relating to:

• product safety;
• manufacturing, product compliance and substance restrictions;
• packaging, waste, the circular economy and producer responsibility obligations;
• plastics and single-use products;
• green and sustainability claims;
• sustainable collaboration and green agreements;
• supply chain management, diligence, corporate disclosures and reporting;
• chemicals (UK REACH), pesticides, biocides and labelling;
• cosmetics; 
• medical devices;
• eco-design;
• environmental stewardship, compliance and operational issues (including PFAS); 
• novel products and foods; and
• carbon reduction, emissions and energy use.

Our services include:

• Pre-launch and design-stage reviews: Identifying applicable requirements (including labelling, packaging, testing, etc.) and standards and assessing relevant legislation in relation to placing regulated products on the market.
• Regulatory interventions: Assisting clients in responding to interventions by UK and international regulators.
• Recalls and corrective actions: Helping clients coordinate large-scale product recalls including by advising on the relevant requirements across multiple jurisdictions, minimising potential liabilities and working in tandem with our clients' other advisors (such as PR consultants and technical experts).
• Product safety and regulatory risks: Advising clients on potential product safety issues and regulatory risks including in relation to preparing for possible regulatory interventions and litigation, obtaining technical expertise and devising strategies around engagement with regulatory authorities.
• Risk assessment: Advising clients on how to assess the risks associated with their products.
• Liability allocation: Providing advice in relation to the apportionment of liabilities across supply-chains including through both contractual and statutory mechanisms while ensuring that potentially valuable commercial relationships are maintained where possible.
• Product claims: Helping our clients respond to consumer claims, including cross-jurisdictional claims in relation to international product lines. Where possible, we assist in resolving consumer claims in their early stages, both to minimise cost, but to ensure that reputational issues are less likely to arise.