ESG Evolve one year on: RPC brings consumer brand and retail leaders together through ESG Evolve Network

RPC is marking one year since the launch of ESG Evolve, a whitepaper and practical toolkit for navigating evolving ESG risk, regulation and opportunity, with the ESG Evolve Network bringing together General Counsel, Heads of Legal and sustainability leaders from across the Consumer Brands and Retail sector.

Launched in 2025, ESG Evolve was developed through conversations with senior in-house legal and sustainability leaders across the Consumer Brands and Retail sector, alongside RPC's experience advising leading global brands. The resulting white paper and toolkit explores the practical challenges businesses face as ESG expectations, regulation and scrutiny continue to grow.

Over the past year, ESG Evolve has evolved into an ongoing conversation with sector leaders, bringing together insight, practical resources and peer discussion around the sustainability, social, and governance issues creating the greatest challenges for consumer brands and retail businesses.

The ESG Evolve Network, established this summer, is a natural continuation of that work – providing an intimate, peer-level forum for leaders to share experiences and challenges in the fast-changing ESG landscape.

The group has experienced first-hand how difficult it can be for businesses to keep up with ever-changing ESG requirements, particularly those operating across multiple markets. RPC's research found that legal teams are increasingly asked to navigate these issues but are not always brought into conversations early enough to have a say in how decisions are made.

And keeping ahead of the rules is becoming harder. Participants in the whitepaper's research were initially fairly confident about their ability to stay on top of regulatory change, but with businesses grappling this summer to prepare for significant new EU rules on packaging and green claims, this confidence may be shifting. New rules around chemicals, PFAS and microplastics are likely to create further challenges.

Kelly Thomson, Partner and ESG Practice Lead, commented: "Expectations around ESG are moving quickly, and businesses are having to think beyond commitments to how they can demonstrate progress in practice. One year on from launching ESG Evolve, we're seeing greater scrutiny, more complex regulation and a growing role for legal teams in navigating these challenges. We are focused on helping businesses stay ahead of the change, rather than simply reacting to it."

Sophie Tuson, Senior Associate and Environment and Climate Change Lead, added: "The ESG Evolve Network gives us a valuable opportunity to hear first-hand how businesses are responding to the ESG challenges on their agendas. The intimate group of senior leaders allows for open, constructive conversations, with members able to test ideas and learn from how others are approaching similar issues."

Ciara Cullen, Partner and Consumer Brands and Retail Sector Lead, said: "The Consumer Brands and Retail sector continues to be at the heart of ESG change. ESG Evolve was designed to help leaders bridge the gap between setting ambitious ESG goals and delivering meaningful change in practice. Now, the Network provides a trusted space to connect, collaborate and stay ahead of the issues that matter most to the sector."

Find out more about ESG Evolve here.