Environmental Law Institute and Partners Receive Innovation in Collaboration Award

September 2019

(Washington, D.C.): The Environmental Law Institute, Latham & Watkins, and China’s Policy Research Center for Environment and Economy (PRCEE) received top marks at this year’s Financial Times Innovative Lawyers Europe Awards for their involvement with the China International Business Dialogue on Environmental Governance (CIBDEG). Recognized for their standout performance, the trio ranked first for “Collaboration” in launching CIBDEG, a working group facilitating engagement between multinational companies and Chinese authorities regarding best practices in environmental regulation. The awards stem from the Financial Times Innovative Lawyers Report 2019, an annual ranking of innovative law firms, legal service providers, and lawyers. Rankings for collaboration are based on originality, leadership, and impact.

ELI is also pleased to announce that Paul Davies, a Partner at Latham & Watkins’ London office who worked with ELI and PRCEE on the CIBDEG project, was named among Europe’s “Top 10 Innovative Individuals” for being “at the forefront for environmental law in Europe and Asia” and actively collaborating with environmental consultancies to “promote knowledge sharing” and to develop innovative products.

“CIBDEG is founded on the belief that a transparent, consistent, fair, and effective regulatory system will benefit all stakeholders,” commented ELI President Scott Fulton. “We’re honored to have this recognition by the Financial Times, and are encouraged that the open exchange of ideas through CIBDEG will assist regulators in drafting regulations that are informed by industry best practices and effective in achieving both environmental and economic development goals.”

CIBDEG’s mission is to provide information and analysis to the Chinese government relating to current industry best practices for achieving high levels of environmental performance, the current landscape and practice of environmental regulations in the United States and Europe, and the concerns of multinational companies conducting business in China. Moreover, it aims to inform multinational businesses as to the direction of Chinese environmental regulation and key government enforcement priorities in order to prepare for compliance with new regulations.

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