Financial institutions are the key to unlocking the system-wide change needed to reach net-zero emissions and limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial temperatures. The Science Based Targets initiative’s new framework allows financial institutions – including banks, investors, insurance companies, pension funds and others – to set science-based targets to align their lending and investment activities with the Paris Agreement.

The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) has launched a process to develop the first science-based global standard for corporate net-zero target setting, to ensure that companies’ net-zero targets translate into action that is consistent with achieving a net-zero world by no later than 2050. The paper lays out the conceptual foundations for corporate net-zero target setting, including clarity on what it means for companies to reach net-zero emissions, analysis of existing net-zero target setting practices, assessment of strategies that are consistent with achieving a net-zero economy, and initial recommendations for science-based net-zero goals. The conceptual foundations discussed in the paper will be translated into detailed guidelines and criteria to be developed by the initiative as part of a continued multi-stakeholder process.

This report is a guide for ASEAN corporates who want their company to get started with sustainable finance or bring their sustainable finance journey to the next level. Learn more about the regional business case for sustainable finance and how it supports the triple-bottom line of people, planet and profit. Gain insights on local market players’ perspectives on the role businesses can play to close the SDG financing gap in ASEAN.

Investigates six sectors and analyzes how selected companies have turned climate risks into climate opportunities. Considered one of the most urgent risks, climate change is already determining how markets are evolving. Factors like new consumer preferences, new regulations, changing investor focus and market prices will increasingly favour the climate, and create a new kind of pressure on companies.

Updated version Within the Peer Learning Group Climate of the German Global Compact Network (DGCN), companies explored the challenges associated with developing climate targets, and discussed possible solutions, methods and applications with experts and representatives from the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi). This publication summarizes core findings of the discussion and proposes solutions to challenges. The focus is on the selection of a method for developing a science-based GHG emission reduction path, the interpretation of results, the criteria of the SBTi for an official approval of science-based targets, and the treatment of scope 3 emissions. Thereby, the paper serves as a compact introduction science-based target setting.

Business Leadership Brief For Healthy Planet, Healthy People provides a holistic approach and outlines concrete actions for companies to embed health and empowerment in their policies, systems, and operations. This publication is available in English and Spanish

Represents more than a decade of research on sustainable business. Together with the UN Global Compact Progress Report, it forms the world’s most comprehensive research to date on business contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals. The 2019 study draws on insights from more than 1,000 CEOs from 21 industries and 99 countries, including over 100 in-depth interviews, and nearly 1,600 senior business leaders who responded to the UN Global Compact implementation survey.

Showcases business leadership on climate action aligned with limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C. Featuring solutions and strategies developed by companies that have taken the 1.5°C pledge, the report examines how business leaders are integrating this process into corporate strategies and generating employee buy-in. 

Building on the original Guide for General Counsel on Corporate Sustainability published in 2015, Version 2.0 provides further guidance to General Counsel to ensure they are better placed and better equipped to drive change and deliver value to their organizations through an increased focus on corporate sustainability. Topics include: Corporate Sustainability and Business Integrity Corporate Sustainability and Business Integrity Human Rights and Supply Chain Due Diligence Corporate Sustainability and Grievance Mechanisms Challenges to Corporate Sustainability - Managing a Crisis Please fill out the form below to download the full guide.

Climate change and human rights can no longer be approached as separate issues. With every passing year, the consequences of our changing climate threaten a widening range of fundamental human rights. And with regulation lagging behind, companies are taking the initiative to address the interlinked nature of these issues.

This guide aims to help companies set effective site water targets that are informed by catchment context, which can create value and lessen risks for the company and support collective action. This guide is intended for site staff or technical water specialists responsible for water management, and relevant corporate staff. This guide lays out three key elements for setting effective site water targets: Water targets should respond to priority water challenges within the catchment; The ambition of water targets should be informed by the site’s contribution to water challenges and desired conditions; and Water targets should reduce water risk, capitalize on opportunities, and contribute to public sector priorities.

Outlines how companies can embed human rights into their corporate strategies and advance people-centred solutions to growing global challenges. The report presents snapshots of good practice from companies participating in the UN Global Compact, highlights insight by Global Compact Local Networks around the world, and showcases initiatives that are advancing seven major themes: future of work, climate justice, effective remedy and grievance mechanisms, migrant rights, gender equality, due diligence and tackling working poverty.