Sustainability Management: The Role of the Legal Department

Abstract

In recent years we have observed a rising internal and external pressure on companies to improve their sustainability-related performances; companies responded with an exponential increase in sustainability reporting and planning activities, across all sectors. As a result of this increased demand in terms of commitment, in-house counsel are often asked to take the lead in managing sustainability within the company. Compliance with current regulations in the ESG areas (Environment, Social and Corporate Governance) represents the common ground between sustainability management and legal department activities: furthermore in-house counsels have a privileged position in order to lead and drive real change and move beyond mere compliance with regulatory requirements. The aim of this paper is to analyze the growing interconnections between the legal department and sustainability management and to discuss how the in-house counsel can play a coordinating and leadership role across different departments for the definition of a sustainability plan and the disclosure of the company's activities.