United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative

The Positive Impact (PI) Model Frameworks provide guidance on integrating holistic impact analysis into business processes and decision-making, spanning different business lines and asset types. They can be used by financial institutions and other third parties, such as auditors. The Model Framework covers financial products for corporates where the funds raised or guarantees issued are used at the corporate’s discretion, without any specified use.

Use this resource for the following Actions of Impact Management:

• Implement: Deliver positive impact financial products. The PI Model Frameworks enables financial institutions and intermediaries to develop appropriate framework (or adapt existing frameworks) to inform decision-making (i.e. on financing /investments), support PI financial product development, to continually analyse and monitor portfolios; and verify and/or provide opinions on the PI nature of financial products.

The Model Frameworks provide guidance on integrating holistic impact analysis into business processes and decision-making, spanning different business lines and asset types. They can be used by financial institutions, as well as by third parties such as auditors. This Model Framework covers Financial Products where the funds raised or guarantees issued are used for a specific purpose, in this case Project-related finance within the scope of the Equator Principles.

Use this resource to:

• Deliver positive impact financial products. The PI Model Frameworks enables financial institutions or intermediaries to develop appropriate frameworks or adapt their existing frameworks to serve a number of purposes: for decision-making (i.e. on financing /investments); for the development of PI financial products, or for on-going analysis/monitoring of portfolios; and
  
• Verify and/or provide opinions on the PI nature of financial products.

The Indicator Library builds on the Impact Radar and the Sector-Impact Map to provide a compilation of impact-related indicators and metrics.

Use this resource to:

• Measure, assess and value: To find relevant indicators and metrics for impact measurement and assessment

Signatories to the Principles for Responsible Banking (PRB) must use the reporting and self-assessment template as part of the requirements of the Principles.

Use this resource to:

• Show progress on implementing the Principles for Responsible Banking;
• Provide transparency about impacts and contributions; and
• Assess if PRB requirements are being met and obtain assurance.

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.

This guide is the first of its kind globally for managing ESG risks in risk assessment and insurance underwriting. It has an initial focus on non-life insurance business, also known as property and casualty insurance business.

Use this resource for the following Actions of Impact Management:

• Identify: Understand the materiality of ESG risks to various lines of business and economic sectors, including characteristics that might affect the ability to assess and mitigate such risks.
• Implement: Address the growing concerns by stakeholders across society (e.g. NGOs, investors, governments).

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 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 excel-based Impact Mappings are standalone versions of the research embedded in UNEP FI’s Impact Analysis Tools, split into two parts. The first part, Sector Mappings, shows the strength of connection between economic activities (using ISIC classification) and positive and negative impacts (using UNEP FI’s Impact Radar). The second part, Needs Mappings, tracks a selection of indicators at global, country and local levels as a way to estimate the sustainable development needs in different geographies.

Use this resource for the following Actions of Impact Management:

• Identify: Use the Sector-Impact map to understand the impact areas and topics associated with different economic activities, understand positive and negative associations, and identify key sectors for different impact areas and topics.

The Investment Portfolio Impact Analysis Tool helps financial institutions holistically understand and manage the actual and potential impacts of their investment portfolios. It aligns with UNEP FI’s unique holistic approach to impact and helps to implement PRB Principle 2 on Impact Analysis.

Use this resource for the following Actions of Impact Management:

• Identify: Identify impact areas and topics related to economic, environmental and social factors associated with an investment portfolio, based on an objective review (cartography) of the portfolio’s sectoral and geographic breakdown.
• Measure, assess and value: Assess current practices and performance in relation to the bank’s most significant impact areas by integrating the outputs of the ‘Identification’ tools with additional data.
• Set targets and plan: Use the outcome of the practice and performance assessment to set targets and define the bank’s action plan.
• Implement: Develop action plans that outline specific strategies, initiatives and measures that the bank will undertake to address the identified impact areas.
• Monitor, learn and adapt: PRB signatories can use the Tool to periodically update and review information on their impact performance, as part of the requirements set out in Principle 2.