The European Union’s 2022 Textiles Strategy represents a landmark effort to create a circular, sustainable, and fully transparent textiles industry. A core feature of this strategy is the requirement for manufacturers, brands, and retailers to disclose the origins of textile fibers and provide detailed information on chemicals used during production. This regulatory shift responds to […]
Australia’s National Plastics Plan, released in November 2023, marks a significant regulatory advance in the country’s efforts to reduce plastic waste and promote circular economy practices. At its core, the Plan imposes mandatory upstream reporting requirements on producers, importers, and users of plastic packaging materials. The goal is to create full transparency across the plastics […]
The rise of the gig economy has challenged economists and policymakers alike. Its energy is unmistakable, but its contours remain stubbornly hard to define. Ride-hailing apps and digital freelance platforms now shape the livelihoods of millions, but how many? In which sectors? And how are incomes distributed across these new arrangements? These are not idle […]
The US Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Climate Rule, finalized in September 2023, represents a landmark development in the federal government’s efforts to integrate climate risk and sustainability into its procurement practices. The rule mandates that major federal contractors—defined as entities with more than $50 million in annual federal obligations—disclose their Scope 1, 2, and 3 […]
The EU Conflict Minerals Regulation, which came into full effect on January 1, 2021, marked a critical step in the European Union’s efforts to prevent the financing of armed groups through the trade of tin, tantalum, tungsten, and gold (commonly referred to as 3TG minerals). The regulation imposes mandatory due diligence obligations on EU importers […]
Natural disasters strike with force, but their economic effects unfold in ways that are anything but random. For those tasked with disaster-risk financing—whether in government, insurance, or international agencies—the challenge is to anticipate where losses will fall, how fiscal liabilities will accumulate, and what kind of targeted support will be needed when crisis hits. This […]
Environmental regulation is rarely straightforward. While the public often imagines pollution control as a matter of setting limits and issuing fines, those closer to the process know it is fundamentally a challenge of information—of knowing who is responsible, how much they emit, and what actions are most likely to produce meaningful improvements. In this context, […]
The final rule issued under the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Supply Chain Cybersecurity framework, effective January 2022, has reshaped how telecommunications providers manage vendor risk across critical infrastructure. Developed in response to growing threats against US communications networks, this rule compels telecom carriers to systematically assess the cybersecurity posture of their hardware […]
Japan’s 2022 amendment to the Act on Promotion of Transparency in Public Procurement marked a significant shift toward ensuring accountability and sustainability in the construction sector. Effective from April 2023, the amendment introduced new requirements for the disclosure of sources of construction materials in all public works projects. This reform was driven by increasing public […]
The global race to foster world-class biotechnology clusters is as much a matter of geography as it is of science. Policymakers and investors routinely ask where the next “Silicon Valley for biotech” will arise, but behind the aspirational talk, there is a practical need: how can we systematically identify, compare, and monitor emerging clusters of […]
Canada’s 2022 Critical Minerals Strategy represents a pivotal move to position the country as a global leader in the responsible sourcing and production of materials essential for clean energy technologies. As the global demand for electric vehicles and renewable energy storage solutions surges, the strategy focuses on strengthening the transparency, security, and sustainability of battery […]
Digital advertising has moved from the margins to the mainstream of marketing strategy, transforming not only how brands engage with consumers but also the structure of entire advertising industries. For policymakers and economists, the challenge is to look beyond anecdotes of viral campaigns and record-breaking online sales, and instead ground analysis in consistent, sector-specific data. […]
The 2023 impact report on the EU Conflict Timber Regulation (EUTR), which has been in force since March 2013, offers valuable insights into the progress and remaining challenges of improving transparency across wood and paper product supply chains. Over the past decade, the regulation has served as the EU’s principal tool for preventing illegally harvested […]
The introduction of the US “Right to Repair” Act in August 2022 has sparked a significant shift in the practices of electronics manufacturers regarding the transparency of spare-parts availability. Although the proposed legislation has yet to be enacted at the federal level, its influence is already visible across various sectors. The Act aims to require […]
The business of fighting money laundering is defined as much by the need for structure as by the unpredictability of risk. For financial crime units and regulators, deciding where to look—who, exactly, to prioritize for checks and audits—has never been straightforward. There are only so many investigators and so much time, yet the diversity and […]
Australia’s Modern Slavery Act, enacted in 2018, established a mandatory reporting framework requiring large entities to disclose the steps they have taken to address modern slavery risks within their operations and supply chains. The publication of the first updates to the Modern Slavery Transparency Register in December 2023 marks a significant milestone in the evolution […]