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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Excessive executive compensation: Investor guidance
Published by ICCR in April 2026, this report provides investor guidance on addressing excessive executive compensation. It outlines proxy voting guidelines, pay thresholds, and stewardship frameworks to help investors challenge the growing gap between CEO and worker pay, and promote greater accountability and long-term value creation.
The G7 Net Zero Temperature Check
BSI's G7 Net Zero Temperature Check benchmarks corporate net zero progress across G7 nations, surveying over 7,000 business leaders on climate strategy and commitments.
SME Climate Hub
Free platform helping SMEs measure emissions, build climate action plans, and report progress toward net zero by 2050.
State of the Sovereign Transition 2025
The State of the Sovereign Transition 2025 assesses 85 countries on climate targets, policies and finance using the ASCOR framework. Most have set net zero targets, but near-term ambition and transparency remain inadequate. Progress is concentrated in low- and middle-income countries, while the US has seen significant policy retreat.
From fragmentation to insight: Why data convergence matters for scaling impact
This report examines the need for data convergence in impact investing to address fragmentation. It advocates adopting a structured, Theory of Change-based data model to standardise information across portfolios. Such a structure enhances interoperability, streamlines data management, and enables advanced analytics, ultimately improving decision-making and scaling impact effectively.
Aligning transition planning and financial planning: A guide for finance teams
This guidance assists finance teams in integrating transition planning into their organisation's core financial processes. It outlines steps to prepare, assess current positions, prioritise actions, and embed sustainability strategies into medium-term financial planning. The report provides practical frameworks for financing, improving decision-making, and monitoring progress towards climate resilience.
Corporate Engagement Guide: Addressing Deforestation in Australia
This corporate engagement guide provides institutional investors with a step-by-step pathway to address deforestation within Australia's largest listed supermarkets and banks. It evaluates the current progress of major companies and offers actionable guidance to implement robust deforestation-free commitments, safeguard financial stability, and mitigate systemic economic risks.
A systematic review of the voluntary governance landscape for an urgent, high-integrity, and equitable transition to net zero
This systematic review analyses 36 voluntary governance documents to assess how well they guide non-state entities towards an urgent, high-integrity, and equitable net-zero transition. It identifies consensus areas, like science-based targets, alongside critical gaps in operational detail, equity, and accountability, highlighting the need for robust standards and regulation.
Discussion paper on the state of nature measurement
Discussion paper outlines integrating state of nature metrics into TNFD, GRI and SBTN frameworks. It proposes embedding consensus metrics from the Nature Positive Initiative across assessment, disclosure, transition planning and target-setting, highlighting ecosystem extent and condition as central to evaluating nature-related dependencies, risks and opportunities.
The unseen costs of blue skies: Pollutant substitution and biodiversity loss
China’s PM₂.₅-targeted regulation reduced particulates but increased O₃ via pollutant substitution driven by incentive distortions. Resulting ozone rises increased mortality and reduced biodiversity, offsetting ~24% of policy benefits. Findings highlight welfare losses from narrow performance metrics and the need for multi-pollutant regulation.
ASEAN taxonomy for sustainable finance series
The ASEAN Taxonomy for Sustainable Finance is a benchmark series that provides a common framework to classify sustainable economic activities across ASEAN. It guides financial institutions, policymakers and market participants in assessing environmental objectives, supporting an orderly transition and alignment with regional and international sustainable finance standards.
ASEAN SDG Bond Toolkit
Provides practical guidance for issuing SDG bonds in ASEAN, outlining principles, processes, and frameworks aligned with green, social and sustainability bond standards. It explains SDG mapping, eligibility criteria, reporting practices, and market context to support issuers in mobilising capital for sustainable development.
Systemic Impact Investment Standard
The Systemic Impact Investing Standard is an independently audited framework enabling asset owners to assess whether asset managers’ strategies, processes and outcomes align with delivering systemic impact. It supports improved investment decision-making by emphasising sourcing, management and measurement practices that generate credible, system-level social and environmental outcomes.
GRI Standards
The GRI Standards are globally recognised sustainability reporting guidelines enabling organisations to disclose economic, environmental and social impacts in a consistent and comparable way. They support transparency, accountability and informed decision-making by helping organisations identify, measure and communicate material ESG impacts and contributions to sustainable development.
IFC's performance standards on environmental and social sustainability
The IFC Performance Standards (2012) form part of the Sustainability Framework, setting requirements for clients to identify, manage, and mitigate environmental and social risks in financed projects. They comprise eight standards covering areas such as labour, resource efficiency, biodiversity, and community impacts, and are widely used as a global benchmark for responsible investment.
2025 Southeast Asia fossil fuel divestment scorecard
Assesses 35 banks’ fossil fuel financing and climate policies in Southeast Asia, finding continued coal and gas funding despite commitments. International banks dominate financing, with policy gaps and loopholes persisting. The scorecard highlights misalignment with 1.5°C goals and calls for stricter divestment and increased renewable investment.
