The Guidelines build on current social, environmental, and technological issues facing businesses following the last update in 2011.

By Paul A. Davies, Michael D. Green, and James Bee

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) released updated Guidelines for Responsible Business Conduct on 8 June 2023 (the OECD Guidelines).

Background to the OECD Guidelines

The OECD Guidelines, introduced in 1976, set out voluntary principles and standards to ensure multinational companies embed due diligence practices, to enhance sustainable development and address adverse social and environmental impacts. Currently, 51 countries adhere to the OECD Guidelines, including the majority of EU Member States.

On June 22, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its opinion in Arizona v. Navajo Nation, No. 21-1484, limiting the federal government’s obligation to affirmatively secure water for federally recognized Indian tribes. The Supreme Court held that the 1868 treaty establishing the Navajo Reservation (the “Treaty”) “did not require the United States to take…

The Environmental Law Institute will host its seventh annual Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Reform conference on Thursday, June 29, 2023 from 8:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. ET.

In this webinar, panelists will discuss challenges and accomplishments since the implementation of the 2016 Lautenberg Amendments and where the TSCA stands today. Topics will include risk…

Food Labeling: USDA Announces Antibiotic Sampling Project and Industry Guidance to Verify Animal-Raising Claims
On June 14, 2023, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that the department’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) and Agricultural Research Service (ARS) will take actions to verify animal-rising claims, like “raised without antibiotics,” “grass-fed,” and “free-range.”  According to…

United States District Court Judge P. Kevin Castel issued an opinion on June 22, 2023, imposing sanctions and other penalties on the attorneys who relied on the artificial intelligence application, ChatGPT, in citing to fake cases in pleadings submitted to the court earlier this year.

Judge Castel’s thirty-four page opinion details the missteps of the…