Here we try and bring together the acronym soup of organisations and initiatives worldwide that are working on net zero across climate, environment and finance. In this breakdown, we are describing:
- Sustainability reporting and disclosure organisations
- Sustainability organisations
- Climate action organisations
- Environmental data and technology organisations
- Policy and regulatory organisations
- Environmental measurement and assessment organisations
Ecosystem overview (Gdoc version, open to comment)
This is not an exhaustive list, and the ‘example organisations’ are for illustration and not meant to represent the totality of actors in the space (there are thousands). We have related surveys to create a more comprehensive list in two directories Climate, Environment, Finance, Infrastructure and Data (2019) and Climate Finance Initiatives (2021).
The list below is designed to help navigate the landscape and illustrate its complexity and reach.
For example, the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) is a standard-setting organization that has developed a framework for sustainability reporting. The GRI Sustainability Reporting Standards provide guidance on how to report on a wide range of sustainability topics, but they do not set specific requirements for what must be reported. In contrast, the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) has developed a set of industry-specific sustainability standards that establish specific reporting requirements for companies in each industry. Please also see our Glossary and our briefing note on reporting and disclosure.
As an example, here is one view on the data flow including actors in the ecosystem, from the real economy to the financial economy.
Similarly, there are thousands of sustainable investment funds and products globally, including many funds that track climate change-focused indexes. Some of the largest index providers, such as MSCI and S&P, offer multiple climate change-focused indexes, and there are also smaller index providers that specialize in sustainability and climate change. [Global Sustainable Investment Review]
| Type | Sustainability reporting and disclosure organisations |
| Focus | Sustainability reporting, disclosure, and data management |
| Purpose | Develop frameworks, standards, and protocols to improve the quality and consistency of sustainability reporting and disclosure, and promote better data management practices |
| Examples of activities | Developing sustainability reporting and disclosure frameworks, promoting the adoption of sustainability reporting standards, providing guidance and support on sustainability reporting and data management, promoting the integration of sustainability data in financial reporting |
| Example organisations | Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD), System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA), Task Force on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD), EDM Council, Object Management Group (OMG), International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB), Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB), International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC), Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), Climate Disclosure Standards Board (CDSB), European Federation of Financial Analysts Societies (EFFAS), World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), Sustainability Standards Accounting Board(SSAB) |
| Type | Sustainability organisations |
| Focus | Environmental impact, climate change, sustainability reporting, ESG performance, and sustainability certification |
| Purpose | Develop frameworks, standards, and certifications to help organisations manage their environmental impact, reduce their carbon footprint, and promote sustainability |
| Examples of activities | Developing sustainability reporting frameworks and guidelines, promoting the adoption of sustainability reporting standards, providing technical guidance and support, developing standards for sustainable finance and investments, providing certification services for sustainable products and processes, promoting sustainability in supply chains |
| Example organisations | Carbon Trust, International Organization for Standardization (ISO), United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS), American National Standards Institute (ANB/ANSI), Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi), Gold Standard, Virtual Legal Entity Identifier (vLEI), EY, KPMG, PWC, Deloitte, Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ), Future of Sustainable Data Alliance (FoSDA), Sustainable Finance Development Network (SFDN) |
| Type | Climate action organisations |
| Focus | Climate action, renewable energy, and sustainable development |
| Purpose | Mobilise support and action for climate change mitigation and adaptation, accelerate the transition to renewable energy, and promote sustainable development |
| Examples of activities | Developing and supporting climate action initiatives and campaigns, promoting renewable energy adoption and development, providing technical and financial support for sustainable development initiatives, promoting sustainable supply chain practices |
| Example organisations | Bloomberg Philanthropy, Climate Arc, DSD lab, Carbon Call/Climate Works, RE100 |
| Type | Environmental data and technology organisations |
| Focus | Environmental data, analytics, and technology solutions |
| Purpose | Develop and promote data and technology solutions to help organisations manage their environmental impact, improve risk management, and promote sustainability |
| Examples of activities | Examples of activities: Developing environmental data standards and protocols, providing environmental data analytics and modelling tools, developing environmental risk management solutions, promoting open data and collaboration in the environmental data space |
| Example organisations | London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG), Bloomberg, Risk Management Solutions (RMS), Applied Insurance Research (AIR) Non-commercial enablers (‘precompetitive’ layer) Icebreaker One, OS Climate, Oasis Loss Modelling Framework |
| Type | Policy and regulatory organisations |
| Focus | Environmental policy, financial regulation, and sustainability standards |
| Purpose | Develop and promote policies, regulations, and standards to promote environmental sustainability and support sustainable finance and investment |
| Examples of activities | Developing environmental policies and regulations, promoting sustainability standards and frameworks, providing guidance and support to financial institutions and regulators, promoting sustainable finance and investment practices |
| Example organisations | Government, Regulators |
| Type | Environmental measurement and assessment organisations |
| Focus | Developing standards, providing data and analytics, conducting research, and promoting sustainability to support climate action and environmental management.Purpose: Advancing understanding and measurement of environmental impacts and helping organisations and policymakers make informed decisions to reduce those impacts. |
| Purpose | The purpose of these organisations is to develop and promote internationally recognised standards for measuring and managing greenhouse gas emissions, provide data, analytics, and insights to support climate-related decision-making by businesses, investors, and policymakers, conduct research on climate change and its impacts, and develop and implement strategies to transition to low-carbon energy systems. |
| Examples of activities | Developing and promoting internationally recognised standards for measuring and managing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG Protocol, UK Defra, US EPA), providing data, analytics, and insights to support climate-related decision-making (OS Climate, Climate Action Data 2.0, MSCI), conducting research on climate change and its impacts (Grantham Institute, CISL), promoting energy efficiency and renewable energy (CGFI, Utilities), and collecting and analysing data from satellites and other remote sensing technologies to monitor and understand changes in the Earth’s climate, ecosystems, and natural resources (Earth observation data) |
| Example organisations | GHG Protocol, UK Defra, US EPA, Climate Action Data 2.0, CISL, CGFI, Grantham Institute |