Library | ESG issues
Oversight, Assurance & Audit
Effective oversight, assurance, and audit are essential for organisations to manage risks and ensure the integrity of both financial and sustainability reporting. Boards and senior executives are responsible for overseeing risk management processes, obtaining assurance that principal risks are identified, managed, and monitored, and ensuring the effectiveness of internal controls. Audits, whether financial or sustainability-focused, involve independent evaluations of an organisation’s reports and controls to provide stakeholders with confidence in the accuracy and reliability of disclosed information.
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The greenhouse gas protocol: Land use, land-use change, and forestry (LULUCF) guidance for GHG project accounting
The land use, land-use change, and forestry (LULUCF) guidance for GHG project accounting provides structured methods to quantify and report greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions from reforestation and forest management projects. It supplements the GHG Protocol for Project Accounting, detailing baseline procedures, monitoring, and risk mitigation approaches specific to land-based carbon projects.
Product life cycle accounting and reporting standard
The GHG Protocol Product Life Cycle Accounting and Reporting Standard provides a globally consistent framework for companies to quantify and publicly report greenhouse gas emissions and removals associated with individual products across their life cycle. It enables informed emissions reduction strategies and supports performance tracking, supplier engagement, and product differentiation.
Policy and action standard: An accounting and reporting standard for estimating the greenhouse gas effects of policies and actions
The Policy and Action Standard provides a consistent framework for estimating and reporting the greenhouse gas (GHG) impacts of policies and actions. It outlines methods for ex-ante and ex-post assessments, defines principles of GHG accounting, and offers guidance on defining policy boundaries, estimating baseline emissions, and assessing uncertainty to support transparent, accurate decision-making.
Mitigation goal standard: An accounting and reporting standard for national and subnational greenhouse gas reduction goals
This report outlines a standardised framework for governments to design, assess, and report on greenhouse gas mitigation goals. It defines principles, methodologies, and accounting requirements to support consistent and transparent emissions tracking and goal evaluation at national and subnational levels.
Global protocol for community-scale greenhouse gas inventories: An accounting and reporting standard for cities version 1.1
The Global Protocol for Community-Scale Greenhouse Gas Inventories (Version 1.1) provides a standardised framework for cities to measure and report greenhouse gas emissions. It enables consistent, transparent accounting across six sectors, including energy, transport, and waste, supporting emissions tracking, target setting, and aggregation with national inventories.
The greenhouse gas protocol: A corporate accounting and reporting standard
The Greenhouse Gas Protocol Corporate Standard provides a framework for businesses to quantify and report greenhouse gas emissions. It establishes standardised accounting principles, categorises emissions by scope, and offers guidance for setting organisational and operational boundaries. The Standard promotes transparency, consistency, and comparability in corporate GHG inventories.
Corporate value chain (scope 3) accounting and reporting standard: Supplement to the GHG protocol corporate accounting and reporting standard
The Corporate Value Chain (Scope 3) Accounting and Reporting Standard provides a consistent framework for measuring and reporting indirect greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across a company’s value chain. It outlines 15 categories of Scope 3 emissions, offers guidance on boundary setting, data collection, and reporting, and aims to improve transparency, enable emissions reduction, and support strategic decision-making.
The path to a new era for nuclear energy
Nuclear energy is gaining momentum as a reliable, low-emissions electricity source. The report outlines growth drivers, investment needs, emerging technologies such as small modular reactors, and policy frameworks required for scale-up. Financing challenges, supply chain risks, and workforce planning are key to realising nuclear’s role in future energy systems.
Targeting net zero: The need to redesign bank decarbonization targets
This report examines the limitations of current bank decarbonisation targets and proposes design reforms to align with net zero. It analyses scope coverage, target types, and sector alignment, offering practical recommendations for enhancing climate credibility and effectiveness in financial institutions’ transition planning.
Engaging the ICT sector on human rights: Artificial intelligence-based technologies
This report examines the human rights risks associated with artificial intelligence in the ICT sector. It offers guidance for rights-respecting AI development, outlines regulatory frameworks, presents the business rationale for ethical AI, and supports investor engagement with practical tools and questions for assessing AI-related corporate practices
Starting up: Responsible investment in venture capital
This report examines how environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors are being adopted in venture capital. It outlines current practices, challenges, and industry-specific considerations, and highlights the need for tailored guidance, collaboration, and early-stage engagement to advance responsible investment across the venture capital ecosystem.
Find it, fix it, prevent it: Modern slavery report 2024
CCLA’s 2024 report outlines investor-led efforts to address modern slavery through corporate engagement, policy advocacy, and improved data. Key sectors include construction and agriculture. Progress was made via benchmarking and collaborative initiatives, though disclosure and remedy remain limited. EU legislation and stakeholder coordination are driving further momentum.
Global responsible investment trends: Inside PRI reporting data 2025
The 2025 PRI report analyses data from 3,048 signatories, highlighting trends in climate risk management, stewardship, and human rights. Asset owners show increased engagement, with climate and social issues gaining priority. Investors continue integrating responsible investment into decision-making and oversight, with varied progress across policy, governance, and disclosure practices.
Navigating portfolio exposure to conflict-affected and high-risk areas: Practical guidance for investor engagement with companies
This report offers practical guidance for investors engaging companies on managing conflict-affected and high-risk area (CAHRA) exposure. It highlights legal obligations, best practices in heightened human rights due diligence, and governance strategies, drawn from pilot dialogues with tech and renewable energy firms. Recommendations target risk mitigation aligned with global standards.
PRI's human rights due diligence tool for infrastructure investors
The PRI Human Rights Due Diligence Tool assists infrastructure investors in identifying, assessing, and managing human rights risks throughout the investment lifecycle. It provides practical guidance aligned with international standards to support responsible investment practices in infrastructure and other real assets.
The role of government in corporate governance: Perspectives from the UK
The report examines the UK government's role in corporate governance, identifying four key functions: enhancing competitive advantage, compensating for self-regulation failures, preventing corporate scandals, and reassuring the public of its oversight. It evaluates regulatory frameworks, corporate failures, and policy developments, highlighting implications for governance, politics, and economic stability.
