Standards

The central aim of the Paris Agreement is to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change by keeping a global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius. 

The United Nations Global Compact is both a policy platform and a practical framework for companies that are committed to sustainability and responsible business practices. It seeks to align business operations and strategies with ten universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption, and to catalyze actions in support of broader UN goals.

The Guiding Principles provided the first global standard for preventing and addressing the risk of adverse impacts on human rights linked to business activity, and they continue to provide the internationally-accepted framework for enhancing standards and practices with regard to business and human rights.

The International Labour Organization has maintained and developed a system of international labour standards aimed at promoting opportunities for women and men to obtain decent and productive work, in conditions of freedom, equity, security and dignity. 

The Principles help policy makers evaluate and improve the legal, regulatory, and institutional framework for corporate governance. They also provide guidance for stock exchanges, investors, corporations, and others that have a role in the process of developing good corporate governance. 

The guidelines are the most comprehensive international standard on responsible business conduct. They cover all key areas of business responsibility, including human rights, labour rights, environment, bribery, consumer interests, as well as information disclosure, science and technology, competition, and taxation. 

CDP runs the global environmental disclosure system, and supports thousands of companies, cities, states and regions to measure and manage their risks and opportunities on climate change, water security and deforestation.

GRI helps businesses and governments worldwide understand and communicate their impact on critical sustainability issues such as climate change, human rights, governance and social well-being. The GRI Sustainability Reporting Standards are the first and most widely adopted global standards for sustainability reporting. 

SASB’s mission is to help businesses around the world identify, manage and report on the sustainability topics that matter most to their investors.

The objective of the indicators is to provide practical information on how these indicators could be measured in a consistent manner and in alignment with countries’ needs on monitoring the attainment of the SDG agenda.

The Climate Bonds Standard and Certification Scheme is a labelling scheme for bonds and loans. Rigorous scientific criteria ensure that bonds and loans with Certification, are consistent with the 2 degrees Celsius warming limit in the Paris Agreement. The Scheme is used globally by bond issuers, governments, investors and the financial markets to prioritise investments which genuinely contribute to addressing climate change.

The Green Bond Principles (GBP) are voluntary process guidelines that recommend transparency and disclosure and promote integrity in the development of the Green Bond market by clarifying the approach for issuance of a Green Bond. 

GRESB was established by a group of large pension funds who wanted to have access to comparable and reliable data on the ESG performance of their investments. It has grown to become the leading Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) benchmark for real estate and infrastructure investments across the world.

The PRI encourages investors to use responsible investment to enhance returns and better manage risks; to understand the investment implications of environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors; and to support its international network of investor signatories in incorporating these factors into their investment and ownership decisions.