Library | ESG issues

Targets & Accountability

Targets and accountability are essential for ensuring organisations and governments follow through on commitments to sustainability, climate action, and social responsibility. Setting measurable and transparent targets such as net-zero goals, emissions reductions, diversity benchmarks, and human rights protections allows for tracking progress and holding entities accountable. Clear, data-driven targets strengthen stakeholder trust and help align financial and business strategies with long-term sustainability objectives.

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Global protocol for community-scale greenhouse gas inventories: An accounting and reporting standard for cities version 1.1

World Resources Institute
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.
Research
6 October 2021

The greenhouse gas protocol: A corporate accounting and reporting standard

World Resources Institute
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.
Research
13 April 2004

GHG protocol scope 2 guidance: An amendment to the GHG protocol corporate standard

World Resources Institute
This report updates the GHG Protocol Corporate Standard by introducing dual reporting for Scope 2 emissions—requiring both location-based and market-based methods. It defines Scope 2 accounting principles, emission factor hierarchies, and quality criteria for contractual instruments, aiming to improve transparency, accuracy, and comparability across energy markets.
Research
9 April 2025

Corporate value chain (scope 3) accounting and reporting standard: Supplement to the GHG protocol corporate accounting and reporting standard

World Resources Institute
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.
Research
16 April 2013

Opportunities for methane mitigation in agriculture: Technological, economic, and regulatory considerations

World Resources Institute
This report assesses cost-effective methods to reduce methane emissions from enteric fermentation, manure management, and rice cultivation. It outlines region-specific strategies and underscores the need for research, regulatory frameworks, and cross-sector collaboration to support implementation and scale-up of mitigation solutions.
Research
5 March 2025

Green and intelligent: the role of AI in the climate transition

Artificial intelligence (AI) can support the climate transition by reducing global emissions by up to 5.4 GtCO₂e annually by 2035 in the power, food, and transport sectors, surpassing its own energy footprint. Strategic government action is essential to ensure AI accelerates low-carbon solutions equitably and effectively.
Research
16 June 2025

Corporate climate litigation in Australasia: (Re)shaping the private law-climate interface

The report examines how corporate climate litigation in Australia and New Zealand is shaping private law. It highlights legal actions involving directors’ duties, disclosure obligations, consumer protections, and tort law. The analysis shows incremental adaptations in private law to address climate change impacts, especially through anti-greenwashing and climate accountability claims.
Research
9 June 2025

The path to a new era for nuclear energy

International Energy Agency (IEA)
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.
Research
28 January 2025

Targeting net zero: The need to redesign bank decarbonization targets

Reclaim Finance
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.
Research
18 September 2024

Nature positive: Leaders’ insights for the transition in cities

Oliver Wyman
The report outlines strategies and case studies from global cities integrating nature into urban development to address climate and biodiversity challenges. It highlights the importance of public-private collaboration, compact planning, and nature-based infrastructure in fostering resilient, sustainable, and equitable cities. Solutions are scalable and grounded in real-world examples.
Research
11 November 2024

Engaging the ICT sector on human rights: Artificial intelligence-based technologies

Investor Alliance for Human Rights
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
Research
9 April 2025

Reducing animal testing in the health sector through strategic investment: Guide for investors

University of Technology Sydney
The report outlines how strategic investment can reduce animal testing in the health sector. It provides investors with guidance on promoting transparency, encouraging non-animal methods, and influencing regulation, while highlighting the risks of limited disclosure and misalignment with consumer concerns.
Research
17 March 2025

Market Forces

Finance / Corporate Focused NGOs & Think Tanks
Market Forces works to hold financial institutions accountable for funding environmentally harmful projects. Based in Australia, it campaigns for banks, superannuation funds and governments to align investments with climate goals. Market Forces provides research, advocacy tools and transparency on fossil fuel financing to support climate-conscious financial decision-making.
Organisation

Corporate nature targets: Ensuring the credibility of EU-regulated commitments

World Wide Fund for Nature (World Wildlife Fund – WWF)
This report analyses EU corporate nature-target setting under the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive and European Sustainability Reporting Standards. It recommends aligning targets with Science Based Targets for Nature (SBTN) to enhance credibility, comparability, and ensure alignment with ecological thresholds, fostering transparency across corporate value chains and EU environmental objectives.
Research
15 October 2024

RIAA Policy Platform 2025: Harnessing sustainable finance for a thriving Australia

Responsible Investment Association Australasia
The RIAA Policy Platform 2025 outlines nine policy priorities and two principles to align Australia’s finance system with sustainability goals. It recommends regulatory reforms, improved data, Indigenous inclusion, and stronger accountability to mobilise capital for a net zero, nature-positive economy that supports long-term economic resilience and societal wellbeing.
Research
3 April 2025

Find it, fix it, prevent it: Modern slavery report 2024

CCLA
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.
Research
2 October 2024
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