Research in the Surrey Centre for International and Environmental Law

• Closing the Earth-Space Loop: Law for Sustainable In-Space Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing (ISAM) and Re-entry. Surrey-Adelaide Partnership Funding ($10,000 AUD and £5,000 GBP). Professor Melissa de Zwart (Co-PI, Adelaide University) & Dr Feja Lesniewska (Co-PI) (April 2026-March 2027). 

• Institute of Advanced Studies, University of Surrey Fellowship Scheme 2026-2027 (£4979). Dr Joshua Gellers, University of North Florida will test the portability of shared legal principles, including standing, guardianship, precaution and stewardship, across different entities and spatial scales. Hosted by Dr Feja Lesniewska, (2026-2027). 

• Promoting Climate Justice for Marginalised Groups in the Global Plastics Crisis, ESRC Surrey Impact Accelerator Account (£20,00). Professor Rosalind Malcolm (PI) and Dr Matthew Peacock (Project Manager), (2026-2027). 

• The Role of Courts in Shaping Access to Asylum, EU Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme. Thekli Anastasiou, (ACCESS), University of Bologna.  Grant Agreement No 101078683, (2023-2028). 

• Building Collective Ownership of Single-Use Plastics in Youth Communities: case-studies from Kenya, Jamaica and Malawi. Global Challenges Research Fund, (c. £85,000). Professor Rosalind Malcolm, Dr Noreen O'Meara, Dr Itziar Castelló-Molina. 

• Circular Economy for Businesses in Ethiopia (CEBAT) (consultancy). German Federal Ministry for Economic Co-operation and Development, (c.€78,533). Professor Rosalind Malcolm, Dr Noreen O'Meara, Professor Belay Simane (Addis-Ababa University, Ethiopia) & Dr Francis Oremo (University of Nairobi).(2021-2022). 

• Fighting Fake News in Covid Times.  British Academy, (c. £70,000).  Dr Itziar Castelló-Molina (PI), Dr Noreen O'Meara (CI), Collaborators - Dr Marie Joachim (Essca School of Management - CI) and Dr Elanor Colleoni (Universitá IULM - CI). (2021-22). 

• Mission Sustainable: A Life-Cycle Approach to Making Human-Space Activities Sustainable workshop. Institute of Advanced Studies, University of Surrey (£1,995). Dr Feja Lesniewska (PI). (December 2025-July 2026).   

• Providing climate justice for marginalised groups in the implementation of the UN Global Plastics Treaty in Brazil', ESRC UK/Brazil Global Talent Exchange, (£20,317). Dr Matthew Peacock (UK Lead) & Dr Carla Elliff (International co-lead). Grant ref: ES/Z504543/1. (2024-2025).   

• Rethinking Plastics Pollution Post-Pandemic  University Global Partnership Network. Noreen O'Meara (PI), trilateral project involving the Universities of Surrey, São Paulo and Wollongong. (2020–2022). 

• STOP Single-Use Plastics: using stories to improve the governance of plastics pollution. IAA (ESRC/Surrey Impact Acceleration Account, (c.£20,000). Professor Rosalind Malcolm (PI), Dr Noreen O'Meara, Dr Itziar Castelló-Molina, Dr Matthew Peacock. (2022-23). 

• Testing Tools: Eliminating Plastics Waste. Global Challenges Research Fund, (c. £15,000). Prof Rosalind Malcolm (PI), Dr Noreen O'Meara (CI) and Dr Itziar Castelló-Molina (CI). 

• The Wicked Problem of Plastics and the Discourse Surrounding its Governance. Global Challenges Research Fund / AHRC, (£60,000; and extension funding). Professor Rosalind Malcolm (UK PI) & Professor Nicholas Oguge (Kenya PI). (2020-2022). 

Aristova, E & Hsin. L. “Measuring the effectiveness of home state regulatory models on corporate behaviour” in Irene Pietropaoli & Andreas Rühmkorf (eds), Comparing national supply chain laws for human rights: From the UN Guiding Principles to corporate practices (Edward Elgar, 2026) (forthcoming).  

Aristova, E and Grušić U, ‘Private International Law’, in Kysar, D and Lim, E (eds), The Oxford Handbook of Climate Change and Private Law (OUP 2026). 

Aristova E, Ahmad H, Chambers R, Puig S. Introduction to the Symposium on the Challenges and Prospects of Novel Types of Business and Human Rights Litigation. AJIL Unbound. 2026.120:129-131. 

Hsin, L. & Lim, E. “Intermediaries – the Data Linchpin of Human Rights Due Diligence” in Deborah A. DeMott & Tan Cheng Han, Research Handbook on Agency and Intermediaries (Edward Elgar, 2026). 

Lesniewska, F. Tapping into public procurement to fund a transition to a circular construction economy in Europe: opportunities and challenges. In Bowman. M and Mai. L, (ds) A Research Agenda for Law, Finance and the Environment, (Edward Elgar, 2026) pp 251-268. 

Lesniewska, F., & Voorter, J. (2026). Operationalising Circularity: Legal, Technical, and Governance Dimensions of Digital Product Passports in EU Construction Procurement. Journal for European Environmental & Planning Law, 23(1-2), 125-153. 

Pouikli, K., Lesniewska, F., & Oliveira, H. (2026). Ecodesigning the Future: Legal Frontiers in the EU’s Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation. Journal for European Environmental & Planning Law, 23(1-2), 5-21. 

Smith, J. (2026). Minding the Standing Gap: The Case for Adopting a Surveillance-Style Approach to Counter-Extremism Cases Before the European Court of Human Rights. Democracy and Security, 1-18.

• Aristova, E., Strategic Business and Human Rights Litigation: It is a Marathon, not a Sprint. Business and Human Rights Journal. 2025.10(2-3):379-395. 
• Aristova, E., ‘In a Rain of Dust: Death, Deceit, and the Lawyer Who Busted Big Asbestos’ by David Kinley. Transnational Legal Theory. 16(4): 824–841.  
• Hsin, L. “Chapter 5: Role of Law and Business Models” in Sebastian Smart (ed), Business, Human Rights, Technology, and Transitional Justice in Latin America: Tracing Connections (Palgrave, 2025). 
• Lesniewska, F. (2025). Polar Opposites?  Pragmatic  vs  Aesthetics  Based  Approaches  to  Polar  Law  Research,  Research Handbook on Polar Law; Climate Change and the Polar Aesthetics, Law, Environment and Development Journal 21.1.
• Lesniewska, F., ‘Making a case for radical circular economy legal research’ in Josephine van Zeben and Chris Hilson (eds), Research Agenda for Environmental Law, (Edward Elgar, 2025).
• Lesniewska, F., and Kleppa Stærfeldt, L. ‘Article 9 Illegal Traffic’ in Alberto Quintavalla and Leonie Reins (eds) The Basel Convention: A Commentary on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal (Edward Elgar, forthcoming). 
• Lesniewska, F., Digital Product Passports: Gateway or Gatekeeper for a Sustainable Circular Economy?, blog post based on a paper for the SMART Network Symposium, Sustainability is (Still) Possible! Governing Market Actors for a Safe and Just Space, 18-19 September 2025, at the University of Turin.
• Lindner, A., Steenmans, K., Scotford, E. and Malcolm, R. (2025), 'Preventing the ‘wasting’ of waste: The expanding horizons of waste law.' Review of European, Comparative & International Environmental Law (RECIEL) (Editorial).  
• Malcolm, R. and Pointing, J., Statutory Nuisance: Law and Practice (2025) (3^rd ed, Oxford University Press). 
• Malcolm, R., (2025) ‘Complexity in managing plastics’, Cambridge Prisms: Plastics, pp. 1–7. doi:10.1017/plc.2025.10020 (Letter). 
• Malcolm R., Written evidence to Parliamentary Select Committee inquiry on ‘Preventing Waste and enabling Circular Economy’ 8 July 2025 (PWC0044).
• Malcolm, R., Peacock, M. and Winton, S. (2025) 'Plastics, life cycle approaches and the law', Diálogos Socioambientais, 8(21), pp. 16–25.  doi: 10.36942/dialogossocioambientais.v8i21.1174. 
• Owens, D., & Smith, J. W. (2025). Twenty-eight days and£ 10 million: Rights-violating restrictions on protests in Northern Ireland. 
• Peacock, M., Ghilardi-Lopes, N. P., Turra, A., Rech, T. F., Kawabe, L. A., Gatersleben, B., and Wyles, K. J. (2025). 'The future of citizen science for marine litter research: What are the benefits to be realised and the challenges to be overcome?' Marine pollution bulletin, 117914.   
• Peacock, M., Winton, S. and Malcolm, R. (2025). Video presentation:  'Introduction to plastic pollution and climate change nexus – International Perspectives'.  Presented at stakeholder workshop 17 June, 2025 and featured on Governing Plastics Network website
• Peacock, M., Castello Molina, I., Oguge, N., Oremo. F., O’Meara, N. and Malcolm, R.  Plastics – a call to action. Online learning module adopted by Surrey CIFAL/UNITAR as short course in 2025.   
• Malcolm, R. (2025) 'Industrial chicken farms are trashing Britain’s rivers – and planning reforms could make things worse' Published: April 3, 2025, The Conversation, 
• Sarvarian, Arman (2025) The Law of State Succession: Principles and Practice (Oxford University Press, Oxford Monographs in International Law Series). 
• Smith, J. (2025). Caught in the Web:'Prevent'databases and the policing of children. 

• Cantor, D., Burson, B., Aycock, B., Tan N.F., Anastasiou, T., Arnld-Fernandez, E., Field, C., Hansen-Lohrey, C., Kälin, W., Kane, G., Miron, S., Rao, M., Sánchez Mojica, B., Scissa, C., Weerasinghe, S. and Wood, T.(2024) 'International Protection, Disasters and Climate Change', International Journal of Refugee Law, 36 (1-2), 176–197. 
• Kourmouli, A., & Lesniewska, F. (2024). 'Losing ground: targeting agricultural land take by enabling a circular economy in construction'. Circular Economy and Sustainability, 4(1), 459-473. 
• Malcolm, R. & Mikheeva-Ashe, A. (2024). Plastics, Products and Life-Cycle Thinking in the European Union in (eds.  Kirk, Popattanachai, Barnes, van der Marel) Research Handbook on Plastics Regulation: Law, Policy and the Environment (Edward Elgar 2024) ISBN: 978 1 80220 151 2 
• Sarvarian, A. (2024) The Protection of Foreign Investment in the Law of State Succession in Kulick and Waibel (eds), Commentary on General International Law in International Investment Law (Oxford University Press, February 2024). 
• Sarvarian, A. (2024) The Procedure for Succession to Bilateral Investment Treaties in Kulick and Waibel (eds), Commentary on General International Law in International Investment Law (Oxford University Press, February 2024). 
• Sarvarian, A. (2024) 'The Impact on 'Diversity' of the UNCITRAL-ICSID Code of Conduct' in Giorgetti and Titi (eds), Ethics in Investor-State Dispute Settlement (Nijhoff, International Dispute Resolution Series, September 2024).
• Simane, B., Malcolm, R., O’Meara, N. et al. 'Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices on Circular Economy among Senior Managers of Ethiopian Textiles and Agro-Food Processing Companies'. Circular Economy and Sustainability, 4, 3093–3117 (2024). 
• Smith, J. (2024). Exporting Prevent: The UK government's complicity in rights-violating counter-extremism programmes in Indonesia.  
• Yadav, S. K., O’Meara, N., & Malcolm, R. (2024). 'Conceptualizing Climate Law in India'. Climate Law, 14(2), 165-197.
• Yadav, S. K., and Malcolm, R. (2024). 'Landmark court ruling will have huge implications for new fossil fuel projects in UK'. The Conversation.  
• Yadav, S. K., O’Meara, N., & Malcolm, R. (2024). 'Conceptualizing Climate Law in India'. Climate Law, 14(2), 165-197.   

Lesniewska. F and Hennessy Picard. M, (University of Edinburgh) The Satellite as New Pharmakon? Cartography, Law and the Governance of Critical Earth–Space Infrastructure, To Write the Earth: Law, the Global, and Planetary World-Making Workshop, Law Department, EUI, Florence, Italy, 26-27 June 2026  

Lesniewska. F, and Hennessy Picard. M (University of Edinburgh), Weaponizing Earth–Space Infrastructure: Digital Sovereignty, Dual Use, and the Fragmentation of Planetary Governance, Tilting Perspectives, University of Tilberg, 17-19 June 2026  

Lesniewska. F, Digital Technologies and the Renewal of Forest Governance under International Law, Tilting Perspectives, University of Tilberg, 17-19 June 2026  

Lesniewska. F, From Forest Law Back to Forest Lore: Ecologies of Care in the Age of Carbon and AI, Ecologies of Care Conference, Chancellor’s Hall, Senate House London, 4-5 June 2026  

Lesniewska. F, Pouikli. K (Antwerp University) and Di Francesco Maesa. C, Hyperscale Data Centres, Law and Environmental Justice:  Comparative Perspectives from the European Union, the United Kingdom and Brazil, Journal of Environmental Law Workshop: ‘New’ Environmental Problems: From AI to Removals, Edinburgh Law School, 16-17 April 2026 

Malcolm, R, The role of Waste Management in the Plastics Economy: Lessons from  the International Treaty Negotiations, WasteLCA 5: Advances in Sustainability Assessment of Municipal and Challenging Waste Management, Cetraro, Italy, 7-12 June 2026

• Lesniewska. F, Space Assets: The New Frontier for Critical Infrastructure Regulation?, Security, Digital Infrastructure and Fundamental Rights Workshop, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, 3-4 June 2025 

• Lesniewska. F, Shifting Regolith: Taxonomies of Sustainability for Lunar Mining - A Critical Techno-legal Perspective, Space Resources as Critical Minerals Conference, Nottingham University, 8-9 July 2025 

• Lesniewska. F, Climate Duties After the ICJ Advisory Opinion: Recasting Disaster Risk Management in Law and Practice, UKADR (UK Alliance for Disaster Research) conference, Durham University, 4-5 September 2025 

• Lesniewska. F, Legal Conflicts between Climate Change Adaptation Policy and Planning and Infrastructure Law in England: Implications for Blue-Green Infrastructure Management – A Case Study of Surrey County Council, European Environmental Law Forum (EELF), University of Ghent, 10-12 September 2025 

• Lesniewska. F, Circular Track and Trace: The Rise and Rise of Digital Product Passports as a Gateway to Sustainable Circular Economy- a Legal Analysis, Sustainability is (Still) Possible! Governing Market Actors for a Safe and Just Space, SMART Network Symposium, Turin, Italy, 18 - 19 September 2025 

• Rosalind Malcolm, Roland Clift, George Martin, Simon Mair, 'Living well on a finite planet: A multidimensional systems approach to sustainability leading to climate change adaptation', 12^th European Environmental Law Forum, University of Ghent, September 2025 

• Rosalind Malcolm, Roland Clift, George Martin, Simon Mair,  'LIVING WELL ON A FINITE PLANET: A multidimensional systems approach to sustainability', SMART Network Symposium: 'Sustainability is (still) possible', SMART Network, University of Turin, September 2025 

• Rosalind Malcolm, 'Theorizing Ecocide: Using a Common Treasury approach to ecocide law', Ecocide in Global Politics, University of Bristol, June 2025 

• Rosalind Malcolm, 'Governing Circular Economies on a Finite Planet', Academy of International Business UK and Ireland, University of Surrey, April 2025 

• Rosalind Malcolm, 'An international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment', PIEL UK’s 19th Annual Conference, City St George’s London University, 22 April 2025 

• Rosalind Malcolm, 'An international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment', Plastics Dialogues Symposium: ‘Material Flows : the hidden afterlives of plastic waste’, Amsterdam 11 March 2025 

• Lesniewska. F, Sustainably Managing the Triple Planetary Crisis from Space: Disentangling the Astropolitical, (Geo)ecological and Legal Conflicts on Earth, Earth Space Systems Sustainable Governance and Futures, Utrecht University, 12-13 November 2024  

• Rosalind Malcolm, Eco-Designing the Future: Navigating Legal Frontiers in the EU's Sustainable Products Regulation, University of Lisbon, November 2024 

• Rosalind Malcolm, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, Canada, ‘Global Plastic Waste Workshop’, 19 April 2024 (2 invited talks: Global Focus workshop: ‘Lifecycle thinking and law for a Global Plastics Treaty’ and public forum: ‘The Wicked Problem of Plastic and the Discourse surrounding its Governance’).  

• Rosalind Malcolm, Academy of European Law (ERA), Annual Conference on EU Environmental Law 2024, Roundtable: 'How to handle chemical toxicity through environmental law: Impacts on nature and human health and the role of law', Trier, 14-15 March 2024 (invited speaker) 

Aristova, E. Transnational Climate Change Litigation, panellist at online webinar ‘Corporate Climate and Human Rights Responsibility’, University of Nottingham, 8 May 2026

Aristova, E. Mapping Corporate Climate Litigation Outside the US, 6 March 2026, panellist at ‘Directors' responsibilities in times of change’, Intesa Sanpaolo Business Law and Regulation Conference. 

Hsin, L. “Common Law Approaches in Sustainability and Value Chain Regulation”  Stockholm Environmental Law and Policy Centre, University of Stockholm (4 March 2026).  

Lesniewska, F. panel speaker with Dr Anne Velenturf (University of Leeds), Rebecca Fowell (Regen) and Professor David Butler (University of Birmingham) at The Regulations to Ensure Sustainable Circular Use at End-of-Life for Wind (RESCUE) Project (RESCUE) Parliamentary Launch Reception, Westminster, 16 March 2026, co-hosted by the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult, Green Alliance and the University of Leeds. The event launched a report on the need for a circular economy in wind to get more power using less materials and avoid end of life waste. 

Lesniewska, F., and Kleppa Stærfeldt, L. ‘Article 9 Illegal Traffic’ in Alberto Quintavalla and Leonie Reins (eds) The Basel Convention: A Commentary on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal (Edward Elgar, forthcoming). 

Lesniewska, F. Tapping into public procurement to fund a transition to a circular construction economy in Europe: opportunities and challenges. In Bowman. M and Mai. L, (ds) A Research Agenda for Law, Finance and the Environment, (Edward Elgar, 2026) pp 251-268.   

• UKELA's annual Garner Lecture 2025, free live streaming of lecture, featuring Baroness Young of Old Scone and chaired by Tom Burke CBE, 25 November, Institute for Sustainability, University of Surrey
• Conserving Forests After COP30, 3 December, University of Surrey
• Aristova, E. ‘Beyond borders: Human rights in a changing climate’, panellist at the global Right Here Right Now Climate Change Summit, 5 June 2025, University of Oxford, Oxford.
• Aristova, E. ‘The Legally Disruptive Nature of Climate Change and the Role of Universities’, organiser and moderator of the panel discussion, Bonavero Institute of Human Rights, 4 June 2025, Oxford.
• Aristova, E. ‘Bonavero Series Report Launch: International Human Rights Obligations in relation to Climate Change’, moderator of the report launch, Bonavero Institute of Human Rights, 13 May 2025, Oxford.
• Aristova, E. ‘Enterprise Jurisdiction & Business and Human Rights Litigation’ presenter at the webinar, 6 May 2025, organised by University of Bologna.
• Hsin, L. “Corporate Governance for Comparative Corporate Law” Centre for Transnational Legal Studies (17 September 2025). 
• Hsin, L. “ESG in Practice”, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge (17 March 2025). 
• Lesniewska. F, co-organiser and lecturer on Summer School on Satellite Broadband, International Law, and Internet Governance: Connectivity in Disaster Zones, University of Lodz.
• Lesniewska, F, 'Mission Sustainable: Crafting an Interdisciplinary Approach to Making Earth-Space Human Activities Sustainable by Default' workshop, Surrey Space Centre, 21 May 2025.
• Lesniewska. F, AI, Access to Environmental Justice and Governance panel as part of AI, Law and Access to Justice Festival, 1 July 2025, Surrey Law School.
• Lesniewska. F, Roundtable on 'Designing Sustainable AI for a Sustainable Future: The Role of Law, Regulation and Governance', 1 July 2025, Surrey Law School.
• Peacock, M., 'Views and perspectives on plastic pollution in Brazil', 17 June 2025, Brasília, Distrito Federal
• Peacock, M., 'Providing climate justice for marginalised groups in the implementation of the UN Global Plastics Treaty in Brazil', UK workshop, 16 September 2025, University of Surrey.

Lesniewska. F, 'Eco-Designing the Future: Navigating Legal Frontiers in the EU's Sustainable Products Regulation', online one-day workshop, 21 November 2024 – co-organised with Kleoniki Pouikli (Utrecht University) and Heloísa Oliveira (Lisbon Public Law)  

Rosalind Malcolm, Royal Academy of Engineering, National Engineering Policy Centre: Report: ‘Critical Materials for Net Zero: demand-side resource efficiency measures for critical materials. Review Group Net Zero Workshop. 15 April 2024 (invited member).