Eversheds Sutherland’s latest Commercially Connected shorts highlights four developments across UK and EU commercial law. The UK government has published its response to the Joint Committee on Human Rights’ July 2025 report on forced labour in international supply chains. While the committee urged reforms including stronger Section 54 Modern Slavery Act reporting, mandatory human rights due diligence, an import ban on goods linked to forced labour, and a duty to prevent, the government deferred concrete policy choices pending an ongoing review of responsible business conduct under its Trade Strategy. The response notes potential strengthening of the Section 54 regime, references a National Baseline Assessment on the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, confirms the creation of the Office for Responsible Business Conduct to tackle supply chain harms, and flags a forthcoming Critical Minerals Strategy. It cautions that significant long-term reform will take time.
The edition’s Global Sustainability and ESG Insights for August and September 2025 tracks a wide agenda. Highlights include the Global Reporting Initiative’s work on new pollution standards, progress on the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, updates to the EU Waste Framework Directive, a delay to the EU Deforestation Regulation, and a new EU measure to reduce microplastic pollution. In the UK, key sustainability disclosure consultations have closed, draft Environmental Protection regulations for wet wipes containing plastic have been published, and the Welsh government is consulting on the future drinks container deposit return scheme.
On digital regulation, the UK’s Digital Regulation Cooperation Forum, comprising the CMA, ICO, Ofcom and FCA, reported on its Artificial Intelligence and Digital Hub pilot, which offered free, informal, cross-regulatory advice to innovators over one year. The pilot is deemed a success and will evolve into a Thematic Innovation Hub to provide joined-up regulatory insight on priority technologies. The first theme is agentic Artificial Intelligence, defined as systems capable of autonomous decision-making and initiating actions without direct human prompts. The DRCF has opened a call for views on agentic Artificial Intelligence and regulatory challenges, seeking input on the balance between regulation and adoption, sector-specific issues, risks, opportunities, and useful forms of regulatory support. Responses are due by 6 November 2025.
Rounding out the newsletter, the firm’s Updata quarterly compiles data, privacy, Artificial Intelligence and cybersecurity developments worldwide. Topics include new transparency guidelines under the EU Artificial Intelligence Act, the final GPAI Code of Practice, California’s Transparency in Frontier Artificial Intelligence Act, and national Artificial Intelligence laws in Italy. It also covers smart data laws such as EU Data Act implementation, EDPB guidance on data sharing, and the UK’s Data (Use and Access) Act 2025. Additional coverage spans increased cybersecurity scrutiny, new incident reporting in Italy, China and Hong Kong, major fines in Italy and Spain, a proposed UK ransomware payment ban, case law on pseudonymous data and the GDPR right of access, developments affecting children’s data and biometrics, progress on NIS2 and ENISA guidance, and ongoing consultations on the Digital Markets Act, Digital Services Act, and Chips Act 2.0.
