Environmental Law

The EU's Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation has banned the destruction of unsold apparel and footwear from July 2026, forcing retailers to pivot from recycling and disposal to donation, resale and reuse strategies. With mandatory public reporting on unsold stock disposal and stricter policing of environmental marketing claims now in force, consumer-facing businesses across Ireland and the EU face a fundamental shift in how they manage inventory, report waste, and communicate sustainability creden

The European Commission has published its final Delegated Regulation establishing a common rating scheme for data centres, introducing electronic sustainability labels for facilities with at least 500 kW of IT power demand. The regulation incorporates significant changes from the draft version, particularly around nuclear energy consumption indicators, and will require data centre operators to understand complex conditionality requirements for energy procurement arrangements.

Ireland moves forward with legislation to implement the EU Deforestation Regulation, introducing supply chain due diligence requirements for commodities like cattle, cocoa, coffee, and wood. The draft bill aims to ensure products placed on the Irish market are certified as deforestation-free, with enforcement beginning in December 2026.