Corporate Sustainability and the European Union

This chapter aims to provide an introduction to the policies and main regulations on corporate sustainability in the European Union. Starting from the importance that the principle of sustainability has gradually assumed within the European Union, the chapter analyzes the different stages in which the principle of sustainability has developed with regard to corporations, before examining the various initiatives and regulations that currently characterize the European normative framework. It focuses on the private law dimension of environmental legislation enacted at EU level, emphasizing the importance of private law instruments in implementing the principle of sustainability. It finally considers the reform proposals recently launched by the Commission, aimed at streamlining sustainability obligations for companies.