Frameworks

B Corporation is a private certification which considers the social and environmental performance of for-profit companies. Simply put, it is a better way of doing business as it aims to make the company culture and practises better. This is done through engaging with improved governance practices, community building, employee wellbeing and environmental responsibility; allowing companies to move away from just profit, and consider the people and the planet as well.

CDP is a non-profit organisation, member of the CDSB and is supported by a large number of investors globally. The CDP collects, assesses and reports information on the environmental performance of companies, cities, and regions. It does this by publishing specific questionnaires on climate change, water, forests, and supply chain. Reports are based on four thematic questionnaires: Climate Change Questionnaire, Water Security Questionnaire, Forests Questionnaire and Supply Chain Questionnaire.

The Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) publishes 77 industry-specific standards to help businesses identify, manage and report on sustainability topics that matter most to their investors. The industry-specific reporting standards allow for benchmarking and comparison for businesses around the world.

This is a disclosure framework for organisations to report and act on evolving nature related risks, with the ultimate aim of supporting a shift in global financial flows away from nature-negative outcomes and toward nature-positive outcomes. By adopting an innovative approach, TNFD aims to accelerate constructive feedback and steadily improve relevance, usability and effectiveness with its market-led approach which combines scientific and data input.

Mandatory in the UK, this set of international reporting recommendations enable companies to monitor and reduce climate change associated risks. It provides companies with a method for incorporating climate change into business plans through integrating strategy and climate scenario analysis into the financial risks identified by the company. It requires companies to report on governance, strategy, risk management and objectives based targets.

The GRI offers both public and private companies public sustainable development reporting guidelines and identifies best practices in this area.The guidelines of these consider different degrees of economic, social and environmental performance. This is a widely used voluntary framework for environmental reporting by organisations and consists of topic specific disclosures on material issues specific to organisations converting social, governance and economic sustainability factors.

EcoVadis is an online data collection portal used by companies to collect information from their suppliers, to ensure that the information collected is standardised and collated efficiently. The portal’s framework provides ratings and performance improvement recommendations for companies within global supply chains. ESG scores are given through tailored sector based questions to each company, and ratings range from foldm silver or bronze.

The SDGs, created by the UN, are 17 sustainability based goals with 169 associated targets to which companies can align with their corporate strategy. The overall aim is to create a global community to contribute to achieving these goals by 2030. This is a voluntary ESG reporting framework where any company can decide to contribute to the goals and disclose what actions they are taking.

The UNGC is a voluntary framework for companies to publicly commit to ten universal principles related to human rights, international labour standards, environmental protection and anti-corruptions. This is an ESG reporting framework where 12,000+ companies from all industries currently report against this principle.

This is a Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTI)’s Corporate Net Zero Standard for corporate net zero target setting aligned to climate science which sets out the guidance, criteria and recommendations for companies to set science based net zero targets consistent with limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°

ISO 50001 is a voluntary international energy management standard that specifies a framework for implementing, maintaining and improving an energy management system. The standard explains the creation of an internal managerial system, structured to aid energy efficiency and reduce energy consumption.

This is another international voluntary methodology to calculate GHG emissions. Any company can choose to apply for this standard for quantification, reporting, monitoring and reporting of GHG emissions and reductions.

This is a voluntary reporting framework created by World Resources Institute for Sustainable Development, with support from NGOs and governments. The goal is to build credible and effective greenhouse gas accounting methods and reporting platforms that address the challenges of climate change. It is based on 5 pillars: defined perimeters of direct and indirect emissions, recommended calculations based on IPCC guidelines, inventory quality management and uncertainties, calculation of emission reductions, and advice of setting a reduction target.

A mandatory energy assessment scheme for UK organisations that either undertake 250+ employees, have an annual turnover exceeding £50m and a balance sheet of £43m, or are a part of corporate groups which include a UK undertaking of both.

This is a mandatory framework in the UK for all quoted companies to calculate and report their Scope 1 and 2 (voluntary Scope 3) emissions output as ‘carbon footprint’, in tonnes of CO2e.