The Purpose Hub - Quarterly Update

The Environment Act 2021 - the UK’s post-Brexit environmental protection framework

The Environment Act sets out the UK's post-Brexit environmental protection framework against the backdrop of the closing of COP26 and an increasing focus on the role that the planning system can play in tackling the climate crisis. The Act can broadly be divided into two 'thematic halves'. Our article explores one aspect of each.

Richard Leedham on growing public appetite for group litigation

Partner and Head of Commercial Litigation, Richard Leedham, recently spoke with Portland on findings from their Class Action Report 2021.

Asset managers and the FCA's new rules on climate-related disclosures

Following its June 2021 consultation, and in line with the UK Government's Green Finance Strategy, the FCA has published a Policy Statement setting out new rules requiring FCA-authorised asset managers (among others) to disclose how they take climate-related risks and opportunities into account in managing investments.

Greenwashing - Is your business doing sustainable advertising correctly?

As pressure to curb climate change grows, consumers are increasingly looking to reduce their negative impact on the planet. Responding to this consumer shift, brands are looking at ways to promote the green credentials of their products or services.

Everyone's Invited: #MeToo for Gen Z

Earlier this year, a website called Everyone's Invited gained national attention when it started posting anonymous testimonies of sexual violence in schools. Within days, some of the country's most prestigious institutions had stories of sexual harassment between students covered in the newspapers, groups of students wrote open letters to Head Teachers and several schools instigated independent reviews into their own safeguarding practices. What does the Everyone's Invited campaign tell us about changing attitudes to sexual harassment, the reporting of complaints and the use of media (and social media) campaigns to raise attention?

Putting purpose at the heart of corporate governance – the British Academy's recommendations

In 2019 as part of its 'Future of the Corporation' work, the British Academy concluded that "the purpose of business is to solve the problems of people and planet profitably, and not profit from causing problems."

Hammock Financial Services Ltd – Spotlight Piece

We had the pleasure of speaking to Manoj Varsani (CEO) and Marco Ferrari (COO), co-founders of Hammock Financial Services Ltd, a property finance start-up that works with landlords to provide bespoke banking, bookkeeping and property tax statement software.