The guidebook elaborates on measuring and quantifying an infrastructure project’s GHG emissions/GHG emission reductions. Its main objectives are to describe relevant GHG accounting principles as well as related concepts and methods, outline the basic process for quantifying and reporting GHG impacts resulting from climate finance projects and describe the role of project-level impact analysis in climate finance project preparation.

Sector(s): Tools applicable to all sectors
Lifecycle Phase(s): Project PlanningGeneral strategy for a project’s delivery is developed.
Type(s) of Tool: GuidelinesOperationalize sustainability principles, less specific than Benchmarks or Rating Systems.
Organization: C40 Cities Finance Facility

The EBRD Green Cities Policy Tool builds on the knowledge and insights gained from EBRD’s investments into Green Cities and presents a wide range of effective policy instruments to improve urban sustainability. Practical and operational policies for municipal authorities and case studies are provided for 7 critical areas of decision making, including sector-specific policy areas such as urban transport, solid waste, water and wastewater, energy and buildings, as well as land planning, green space, and biodiversity. The cross-sectoral policy areas covered are governance and finance.

Sector(s): Urban Planning, Energy, Transportation, Waste, Water and Sanitation, Buildings
Lifecycle Phase(s): Strategic PlanningPublic authorities identify the needs and long-term vision for infrastructure development.
Type(s) of Tool: GuidelinesOperationalize sustainability principles, less specific than Benchmarks or Rating Systems., Project Preparation ToolsHelp public authorities manage sustainable project preparation processes.
Organization: European Bank of Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)

The African Development Bank’s Environmental and Social Assessment Procedures (ESAP) support the integration of environmental, climate change and social considerations in projects and programs of the Bank and its borrowers. The ESAP describe the assessment procedure for different project types and across the full lifecycle from country programming to post completion. Thereby, the ESAP support decision-making and improvement of project results, ensuring that Bank-financed operations conform to the requirements laid out in the operational safeguards (OS) and are thus sustainable.

Sector(s): Tools applicable to all sectors
Lifecycle Phase(s): Enabling EnvironmentConditions that enable the integration of sustainability practices (regulation, laws, frameworks etc.)., Strategic PlanningPublic authorities identify the needs and long-term vision for infrastructure development., PrioritizationAuthorities decide which projects to realize and how to allocate resources., Project PlanningGeneral strategy for a project’s delivery is developed., Concept DesignTechnical experts broadly outline the project’s basic characteristics., ProcurementThe provision of goods and services to realize a project are tendered and closed., FinanceDevelopers decide how to pay for their project., Detailed DesignTechnical experts further elaborate the Concept Design., ConstructionThe asset is constructed in line with design, budget and timeline., Operation and MaintenanceInfrastructure assets are managed and maintained during their use time., Decomissioning/RepurposingObsolete infrastructure assets are repurposed, recycled or removed and the land is reused or restored.
Type(s) of Tool: GuidelinesOperationalize sustainability principles, less specific than Benchmarks or Rating Systems.
Organization: African Development Bank (AfDB)

The Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) Guidelines contain the EHS performance levels and measures that The World Bank Group requires its clients and borrowers of to apply to their projects. This implies the identification of EHS project hazards and associated risks across all the Guidelines’ dimensions, involvement of EHS professionals in project preparation, priorization of risk management strategies that eliminate the causes of hazards or, if not feasible, of consequence-minimizing controls, and monitoring and community preparation activities, among other. When host country regulations differ from the EHS Guidelines, projects will be required to achieve whichever is more stringent.

Sector(s): Tools applicable to all sectors
Lifecycle Phase(s):
Type(s) of Tool: GuidelinesOperationalize sustainability principles, less specific than Benchmarks or Rating Systems.
Organization: IFC International Finance Corporation

The EU Taxonomy sets out the overarching conditions that an economic activity has to meet to qualify as sustainable. In order to ensure that investments and financial market activities support those sustainable economic activities, financial market participants active in the EU and companies subject to non-financial disclosure requirements must now incorporate disclosures with reference to the Taxonomy. This way, the Taxonomy aims to help channel capital flows toward sustainable investments in a harmonized and consistent manner across the EU single market, thereby supporting the EU Green Deal and the Paris Agreement, and guide the transition of companies toward sustainable economic activities.

Sector(s): Tools applicable to all sectors
Lifecycle Phase(s): Strategic PlanningPublic authorities identify the needs and long-term vision for infrastructure development., PrioritizationAuthorities decide which projects to realize and how to allocate resources., FinanceDevelopers decide how to pay for their project.
Type(s) of Tool: Sustainability BenchmarksCompare the sustainability performance of assets or funds., Economic / Financial ValuationsAnalyses the economic/financial value and risks related to projects.
Organization: Technical Expert Group (TEG) on Sustainable Finance/EC

The ESG Due DIligence Tool (ESG DD Tool) aims to provide investors with a transparent view of the ESG risks and opportunities of an infrastructure asset at the due diligence phase. The tool offers a structured process to identify and quantify all potential ESG risks and opportunities, which can make or break the business case of assets. This analysis serves as the basis for investment decision making and future mitigation of all potential (material) ESG issues (or factors) during asset management.

Sector(s): Tools applicable to all sectors
Lifecycle Phase(s): PrioritizationAuthorities decide which projects to realize and how to allocate resources., FinanceDevelopers decide how to pay for their project.
Type(s) of Tool: Economic / Financial ValuationsAnalyses the economic/financial value and risks related to projects.
Organization: GRESB and B Capital Partners AG

FEASIBLE is a tool that facilitates the iterative process of balancing required finance with available finance, including a systematic, consistent and quantitative framework for consideration of environmental targets. The tool uses input describing existing infrastructures and availability of finance from user charges, public budgets and other sources. Based on the specification of the future service targets and projection of future finance, the model quantifies the resulting gap between the demand for expenditure (to invest in, operate and maintain infrastructure) and the supply of available funds. The tool can also be used to analyze the financial effects of different policy and regulation scenarios.

Sector(s): Waste, Water and Sanitation
Lifecycle Phase(s): Strategic PlanningPublic authorities identify the needs and long-term vision for infrastructure development., FinanceDevelopers decide how to pay for their project.
Type(s) of Tool: Economic / Financial ValuationsAnalyses the economic/financial value and risks related to projects.
Organization: Consulting Engineers and Planners (COWI)/EAP Task Force/OECD

EDGE is a tool to estimate the resource use of buildings already during the planning phase and awards projects that save resources. The cloud-based platform has a sophisticated set of city-based climate and cost data, consumption patterns and algorithms for predicting the most accurate performance results. On this basis, the tool calculates additional costs to build green and how long it takes to earn back the money through operational savings. With EDGE, the IFC aims to deliver a solution to prove the business case for building green and unlock financial investment. Based on the performance, buildings can receive a certification.

Sector(s): Buildings
Lifecycle Phase(s): Concept DesignTechnical experts broadly outline the project’s basic characteristics., Detailed DesignTechnical experts further elaborate the Concept Design., ConstructionThe asset is constructed in line with design, budget and timeline., Operation and MaintenanceInfrastructure assets are managed and maintained during their use time.
Type(s) of Tool: Rating SystemsProvide quantifiable sustainability ratings and / or certification for projects or assets.
Organization: International Finance Corporation (IFC)

The Equator Principles (EP) are a risk management framework for determining, assessing and managing environmental and social risk in projects that can be adopted by financial institutions. The tool provides a minimum standard for due diligence to support responsible risk decision-making. The EP apply globally, to all industry sectors and to four types of financial products: (1) project finance advisory services; (2) project finance; (3) project-related corporate loans; (4) bridge loans. Financial institutions can officially commit to the adoption of the EP.

Sector(s): Tools applicable to all sectors
Lifecycle Phase(s): PrioritizationAuthorities decide which projects to realize and how to allocate resources., Project PlanningGeneral strategy for a project’s delivery is developed., Concept DesignTechnical experts broadly outline the project’s basic characteristics., ProcurementThe provision of goods and services to realize a project are tendered and closed., FinanceDevelopers decide how to pay for their project., Detailed DesignTechnical experts further elaborate the Concept Design., ConstructionThe asset is constructed in line with design, budget and timeline.
Type(s) of Tool: PrinciplesSupport sustainability incorporation at institutional or strategic level, less specific than Guidelines.
Organization: Equator Principles Association

The EO100™ Standard for Responsible Energy is a set of rigorous performance standards for energy development projects that was developed by the non-profit organization “Equitable Origin” based on a consensus from industry, NGOs, affected communities and government agencies to incentivize excellence in social and environmental performance of energy projects. The EO100™ Standard provides a framework to monitor on-the-ground performance as well as company-level policies. The tool confirms responsible business practices through independent verification with the option of a third-party certification.

Sector(s): Energy
Lifecycle Phase(s): Project PlanningGeneral strategy for a project’s delivery is developed., Concept DesignTechnical experts broadly outline the project’s basic characteristics., Detailed DesignTechnical experts further elaborate the Concept Design., ConstructionThe asset is constructed in line with design, budget and timeline.
Type(s) of Tool: PrinciplesSupport sustainability incorporation at institutional or strategic level, less specific than Guidelines.
Organization: Equitable Origin
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