Impact & Sustainability

Impact & Sustainability or more broadly, Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG), considerations are redefining corporate strategies in an era where sustainability and responsible business practices are not just valued but expected for resiliency. Companies are increasingly held accountable not only for their financial performance, but also for their impact on society and the environment. This shift is reshaping how companies strategize, operate, report, and engage with stakeholders. At Seyfarth, we understand that navigating this landscape can be complex, and we guide our clients through every step of this transformative journey.

HOW WE HELP

Our approach offers a framework of thinking about the ESG landscape in a way that integrates business advice, compliance, and litigation mitigation. We take into account where an organization sits in the ecosystem to understand its relationship with other organizations and stakeholders that may have different ESG priorities and pressures. This approach helps organizations balance decision-making on ESG areas with their business goals, values, actions, and their strategic commitments to enhance ESG-related areas, including, practices, metrics and regulatory reporting. We recognize that a proactive approach to addressing ESG matters relevant to the business is crucial for growth, resilience, and risk management.

At Seyfarth, our rich history and depth of experience excels across the entire spectrum of ESG issues, with notable strengths in the social and governance realms. Co-chaired by a business advisor and a securities litigator, our multidisciplinary attorneys collaborate effectively with each other and our clients to inform, contextualize, and equip our clients to navigate the nuances of the “E”, the “S”, with the “G” as the overlay. To do so, we provide comprehensive guidance on current ESG trends and demands, while ensuring effective oversight, reporting, and the development of impactful practices and policies.

Our services include a range from addressing specific issues to helping organizations contextualize and understand their impact footprint and adding strategic organization and governance to an ESG program:

Impact Footprint & Gap Analysis. Beginning with a thorough understanding and definition of your Impact & Sustainability goals, we assess your existing activities, pinpoint gaps, and set priorities tailored to your industry and business requirements.  

Governance Enhancement & Risk Management. Our team specializes in strengthening governance structures, managing ESG risks, filling governance gaps, devising stakeholder engagement strategies, and providing expert support in navigating regulatory and litigation landscapes.

Sustainable Program Design, Implementation & Auditing. ESG issues are pervasive across the business, and touch such areas as employee benefits and executive compensation, supply chain, sourcing, labor and employment, contracting, representations and warranties, and even AI. Our practice serves as the connective tissue to provide a sustainability perspective to these areas and others. These services can be targeted to such matters as assessing compliance with state or international modern slavery legislation, fiduciary governance of ESG investing, or broader to considerations for supplier survey responses and supplier diversity.  

Compliance & Reporting Advice. We assist in bridging disclosure gaps, enhancing reporting processes, and supporting comprehensive reporting consistent with or leveraging a number of disclosure frameworks or regulations, including SASB standards, EU CSRD, SEC regulations, to name a few. This includes targeted disclosures in areas like pay equity, SEC human capital requirements, and human rights, as well as climate-related reporting. We also advise on anticipated ESG regulations to prepare our clients for meeting future regulatory requirements.

Litigation. Seyfarth has a deep bench of litigators experienced in all aspects of civil and regulatory disputes. We marry that experience with our Impact & Sustainability expertise to provide unparalleled and winning litigation strategies. Our litigators are credentialed and skilled advisors who analyze ESG-related lawsuits with an understanding of an organization’s impact and sustainability or ESG program. 

Policy Development & Integration. Our services extend to developing policies, standards, and codes of conduct, tailored to your organization's goals. We focus on addressing risks, identifying synergies, and analyzing environmentally sensitive practices, with an integrated approach to Impact & Sustainability.

ESG Education & Organizational Training. We look beyond the headlines to focus on the substance and address ESG specific to where an organization’s industry and where it sits in the ecosystem—to foster a culture of sustainability and resiliency. Here, we offer educational programs on Impact & Sustainability, keep you abreast of the latest developments, and provide specialized training for boards and legal teams.