Set targets and plan

The IRIS metrics are designed to support impact investors with measuring the social, environmental and financial performance of their investments. They can be used as part of the broader IRIS+ System for measuring, managing and optimising impact.

Use this resource for the following Actions of Impact Management:

• Measure, assess and value: Access usage and calculation guidance for the selected metrics.

The Guidance on Transition Finance provides recommendations and best practices for financial institutions, policymakers, and other stakeholders on how to transition to a low-carbon, sustainable economy. The guidance offers insights into how transition finance can be mobilised to finance projects and activities that facilitate the shift towards environmental sustainability and climate resilience.

Use this resource for the following Actions of Impact Management:

• Set targets and plan: Establish clear and measurable objectives for transition finance initiatives, aligning them with the organisation’s sustainability goals and transition pathways.

The Integrated Thinking Principles are a set of guidelines promoting integrated thinking in corporate reporting. Integrated thinking encourages organisations to consider how financial, as well as environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors are interconnected and affect long-term value creation.

Use this resource for the following Actions of Impact Management:

• Communicate: Provide disclosures that explain how financial and non-financial factors are considered in decision-making processes and contribute to long-term value creation.

The Impact Protocol provides a step-by-step guide of how to analyse and manage a bank’s portfolio impacts, as per UNEP FI’s holistic impact approach and in alignment with the requirements of the Principles for Responsible Banking. The Protocol provides an overview of the impact management process as a whole and is complemented by other UNEP FI resources including the Impact Management Tool and the Thematic Target-Setting Guidance, which can be used to operationalise the Protocol.

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 Core Characteristics of Impact Investing define the growing approach of impact investing, and offer the financial markets greater clarity on what constitutes credible impact investing.

This resource is for the following Actions of Impact Management:

• Strategy: Intentionally contribute to positive social and environmental impact by using evidence and impact data in investment design, enabling the investor to manage impact performance and contribute to the growth of impact investing overall.

The Principles for Responsible Banking (PRB) provide target-setting guidance on topics such as Resource Efficiency & Circular Economy, Biodiversity, Financial Health & Inclusion, Climate and Gender Equality.

Use this resource for the following Actions of Impact Management:

• Set targets and plan: Set targets in line with the requirements of the UN Principles for Responsible Banking.

The Guidance provides practical support to enterprises seeking to implement of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, through plain language explanations of its due diligence recommendations and associated provisions.

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 Protocol sets out the UN-convened Net-Zero Asset Owner Alliance Alliance’s approach to target setting and reporting. The first edition of this Protocol focused on the period 2020–2025. This second edition also outlines the ambition towards 2030.

Use this resource to:

• Set targets and plan: Set science-based targets on financed emissions using short-term targets for a 1.5 degree Celsius aligned, net-zero world by 2050. 

The Finance Sector Supplement is a specialised framework, in addition to the Natural Capital Protocol, to guide financial institutions in measuring and valuing natural capital impacts and dependencies across the entities and portfolios that they finance, invest in or underwrite.

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.