Environmental law primer: What every business leader should know 2025

Globally, corporates are facing costly legal challenges, reputational damage, and loss of investor confidence arising from the impact of their business practices on the environment.

For many businesses, a bolt-on or formulaic approach to ESG is failing to create the promised value and performance.

This highly interactive course is designed to challenge and reframe your environmental governance strategies for greater impact and advantage.

Participants will gain an overview of the key aspects of both South African and international environmental law, the foundational principles, enforcement, and compliance mechanisms. The course will provide insights into current and emerging trends and how to leverage these for business transformation.

Join us for a fifteen-hour course, which will be presented in two parts.

When and where?

This course will be presented in two parts, from August to November 2024:

Part 1: 18 to 19 August 2025, 9:00 to 12:00 SAST
Part 2: 8 to 10 September 2025, 9:00 to 12:00 SAST

This course will be held remotely, most likely on Zoom.

Outcomes

• Gain deeper insights into national and international environmental law, governance, and emerging trends.
• Demonstrate a foundational understanding of the principles, definitions, themes, trends, and practical application of sustainable development.
• Understand how environmental law and regulation can be harnessed to optimise, mediate, avert, and remedy environmental challenges.
• Develop the know-how to positively influence and lead changes in business culture, policies, management, and operational systems.
• Gain an understanding of how environmental law leverages the transition to sustainability.
• Confidently collaborate with government agencies and civil society in building sustainable development solutions.
• Develop an environmental leadership mind-set.
• Inspire a systemic approach to return on investment and business value.
• Gain critical insights into a broader context, and identify trends for quality planning and decision-making.
• Shift from reactive compliance to integration of environmentalism into business practice.
• Convincingly articulate the imperative for the adoption of sustainable business practices to all stakeholders.
• Gain new perspectives regarding the advantages of the triple bottom line.

Who will benefit from this course?

Mid-level and senior business managers

Presenter

Jennifer Kamerman is an environmental lawyer who holds a B.A. LLB. LLM (Environmental Law) from the University of Cape Town.
After graduating with an LLB, Jennifer spent 17 years in the retail industry, gaining broad-based experience in commercial law, business organisation, leadership, management, and governance, at a senior level.
Since 2009, Jennifer has provided legal expertise to those seeking to effectively address threats to their environment. Jennifer is passionate about creating a platform for meaningful participation in environmental decision-making for communities who lack the know-how to navigate environmental law, policy, and regulation.

How much?

R7 200 per person.

Certificate

A certificate of attendance from UCT will be issued to those who attend the full course.

SIGN UP HERE: Environmental law primer: What every business leader should know | UCT Law at Work