Governance

The SDG Impact Standards for Private Equity Funds provide a decision-making framework for integrating the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into one or more funds.

This is a cross-cutting resource, meaning that it supports the internal impact management process as a whole, rather than one or a few of the Actions of Impact Management.

The SDG Impact Standards for Bond Issuers are practice standards that provide a common language and a system for integrating sustainable development issues, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and impact management practices into business and investment decision-making.

Use this resource for the following Actions of Impact Management:

• Implement: The standards are designed to transform how enterprises and investors think about value creation, and integrate impact management and contributing positively to the SDGs.

“Maximise Your Impact: A Guide for Social Entrepreneurs” proposes a practical approach for social entrepreneurs to understand and maximise the positive social value they create, supporting both the creation and development of impact-oriented organisations.

Use this resource for the following Actions of Impact Management:

• Strategy: Develop a strategy and business model that address the root causes of the problem that the organisation is trying to solve.
• Governance: Set the right governance structure and practices to serve the organisation’s mission.
• Identify: Identify the problems and solutions that the organisation will seek to address, including through qualitative research and stakeholder engagement.
• Measure, assess and value: Check whether the organisation has all the information it needs to assess its impacts. The guidance contains 10 questions that guide impact assessment, functioning as a checklist to ensure all necessary contextual information is collected.
• Set targets and plan: Create an impact goal (the core problem that the organisation is trying to achieve), set targets and forecast changes that the organisation is planning to make towards the impact goal and associated targets.
• Implement: Integrate information on social value into management decision-making.
• Monitor, learn and adapt: Understand how to use the collected information to decide whether to change, stop or scale-up activities, and learn how to develop a set of recommendations about adapting targets.

The B Corp Certification is an assessment process that evaluates a company’s social and environmental performance, as well as governance and transparency. Organisations that achieve B Corp Certification demonstrate a commitment to meeting a high standard of responsible business practices and accountability.

Use this resource for the following Actions of Impact Management

• Verification, assurance and certification: Achieve B Corp certification by meeting the standards set by B Lab, demonstrating a commitment to social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency.
• Benchmarking and rating: Compare impact scores and metrics with those of other organiations within the same industry or sector.

This tool is designed to help banks and investors holistically understand and manage the actual and potential impacts of their portfolios.

Use this resource for the following Actions of Impact Management:

• Identify: Understand the impact areas and topics associated with a bank’s portfolio, based on portfolio composition and context; and identify the bank’s most significant impact areas.
• Measure, assess and value: Assess current practice and performance vis-à-vis most significant impact areas, by combining the tool’s ‘Identification’ outputs with additional data; use the assessment as a basis for target-setting and defining the bank’s action plan.
• Set targets and plan: Define relevant and meaningful targets and action plans.
• Implement: Inform and carry out impact management process.
• Monitor, learn and adapt: Monitor practice and performance; and use the assessment to make improvements and adjust targets.

The Natural Capital Protocol is a framework designed to help businesses identify, measure, and value their impacts and dependencies on natural capital. It provides a standardised approach for organisations to integrate natural capital considerations into their decision-making processes, enabling them to better understand and manage their relationship with nature.

This is a cross-cutting resource, meaning that it supports the internal impact management process as a whole, rather than one or a few of the Actions of Impact Management.

The Social and Human Capital Protocol is a framework designed to assist organisations in identifying, measuring, and managing their impacts and dependencies on social and human capital. It provides a standardised approach for businesses to integrate social and human capital considerations into their decision-making processes, enabling them to better understand and manage their relationships with employees, communities and stakeholders.

This is a cross-cutting resource, meaning that it supports the internal impact management process as a whole, rather than one or a few of the Actions of Impact Management.

The Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises are a set of voluntary principles and standards that promote responsible business conduct among multinational enterprises (MNEs). They cover various areas, including human rights, labour relations, environmental protection, anti-corruption and consumer protection, aiming to help MNEs align their business practices with societal expectations, and contribute to sustainable development.

This is a cross-cutting resource, meaning that it supports the internal impact management process as a whole, rather than one or a few of the Actions of Impact Management.

The Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact list how organisations should, at a minimum, meet fundamental responsibilities in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption. They apply across all geographies in which the enterprise operates, and assert that good practices in one business area do not offset harm in another. They draw on several international declarations and other authoritative documents.

Use this resource for the following Actions of Impact Management:

• Strategy: Align strategy with the Ten Principles to prioritise societal needs such as the SDGs.

The Principles of Social Value guide organisations in considering social value in decision-making, aiming to optimise value for all stakeholders materially affected by their activities. The practice standards help organisations to implement each principle to a point where they are accountable for their activities.

This is a cross-cutting resource, meaning that it supports the internal impact management process as a whole, rather than one or a few of the Actions of Impact Management.