Expertise
Rachel is a Legal Director specialising in ESG, environmental and sustainability matters within both a regulatory and transactional context. She works with clients across a range of sectors to navigate ESG risks and capitalise on opportunities linked to their operations and activities. Rachel has particular expertise advising clients in the manufacturing, retail, tech and healthcare sectors on EU and UK regulations affecting the entire product lifecycle, from market entry requirements to end-of-life considerations.
Her practice extends to advising on environment, health and safety (EHS) legislation as well as operational compliance and risk management.
- Experience
Rachel's recent experience includes*:
- Advising manufacturing and retail clients on ESG supply chain due diligence obligations, including compliance with the EU Deforestation Regulation and the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive.
- Helping clients across all sectors to navigate mandatory ESG reporting and disclosure requirements under frameworks such as the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), UK Modern Slavery Act, UK Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR), TCFD-aligned reporting, CBAM and the UK ESOS energy auditing regime.
- Supporting industrial and consumer goods manufacturers with compliance under the EU Circular Economy Action Plan and sustainability regulations for products, including those governing batteries, packaging, plastics, PFAS and ecodesign.
- Advising on greenwashing risks in marketing and promotional materials, including compliance with the EU Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition Directive and the proposed Green Claims Directive.
- Providing guidance on EU and UK chemicals legislation, including REACH, RoHS, POPs, biocidal products and CLP compliance.
- Assisting manufacturing and retail clients with waste legislation and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regimes, such as WEEE, batteries and packaging recycling laws.
- Leading global EHS and permitting workstreams for corporate transactions, including Sika’s acquisition of the MBCC Group, a leading global supplier of construction chemicals.
- Supporting clients with compliance audits and reviews, regulatory investigations and prosecutions.
* includes experience gained prior to joining Addleshaw Goddard
- Education
- College of Law - 2009
- Cambridge University - 2007
- Recognition
- Rising Star (Legal 500 2024)
- Associate to Watch (Chambers 2025)
- Testimonials
- "Rachel MacLeod is so commercially aware; she does not provide us with rigid responses but with very effective guidance that's really easy to integrate." Chambers
- "Rachel MacLeod is really responsive, thorough and understands how regulatory bodies work. She ably navigated us through a process-driven matter." Chambers
