Conference Chairperson & Opening Remarks

Stephen Barry, Partner, Eversheds Sutherland LLP

Eco-design for Sustainable Products Regulation 2025

Speaker: Wafa Memon, BL, The Law Library

• Overview of the Eco-design for Sustainable Products Regulation and its 2025 implementation
• Key design requirements: durability, reusability, recyclability, and energy efficiency
• Impact on industries, including electronics, textiles, and packaging
• Integration with the Circular Economy Action Plan
• Challenges and opportunities for businesses adapting to the new standards

Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence: A New Era of Accountability

Speaker: Jay Sattin, Partner, Mason Hayes and Curran

• Requirements for companies to assess and address environmental and human rights impacts
• The role of supply chain transparency in ensuring corporate responsibility
• Legal implications for non-compliance and the potential for litigation
• Integration with existing sustainability reporting frameworks (e.g., CSRD)
• Strategies for businesses to effectively implement due diligence processes

Challenges and Innovations in Environmental Redress and Sanctions

Speaker: Eimear Dooley BL, The Law Library

• Exploring new approaches to environmental sanctions and redress mechanisms
• Addressing strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs)
• Enhancing access to justice under the Aarhus Convention
• Redress for greenwashing and false environmental claims
• Balancing corporate accountability with sustainable investment and green finance

The Waste Framework Directive: Moving Towards a Circular Economy

Speaker: Tom Flynn SC, The Law Library

• Updates to the Waste Framework Directive focusing on textiles and food sectors
• Extended producer responsibility and its impact on waste management
• Strategies to reduce, reuse, and recycle: Moving up the waste hierarchy
• Integration with the EU’s Circular Economy Action Plan and Green Deal
• Future challenges in achieving zero waste in the EU

Climate Litigation and Green Finance: Shaping the Legal Landscape

Speaker: Mona Costelloe, Partner, Litigation & Dispute Resolution, ByrneWallace

• The growing trend of public interest in environmental and climate litigation
• Examining the impact of the EU’s Green Finance initiatives on legal practices
• Legal challenges in green public procurement and sustainable investment
• Remedies for non-compliance in climate-related financial disclosures
• The evolving role of courts in enforcing climate and environmental laws

Water Action Plan 2024: The 3rd River Basin Management Plan for Ireland 2022-2027

Speaker: Eiven Curran BL, The Law Library

• Overview
• Water Framework Directive (WFD) requirements
• The 2024 Action Plan
• Issues and shortcomings
• Nature Restoration Law (Regulation 2024/1991)and the WFD
• Conclusion

Planning Bill and Offshore Wind

Speaker: Alison Hardiman, PhD, Partner Consultant at Philip Lee

The Wildlife (Amendment) Act 2023

Speaker: James Morris, Senior Associate, Dispute Resolution & Litigation, Eversheds Sutherland LLP

Strategic Environmental Assessment and Appropriate Assessment

Speaker: Fionna O'Regan BL, The Law Library