EU Taxonomy Blog | Technical guidance note

This technical guidance note by the Climate Bonds Initiative (CBI) compares the Climate Bonds Buildings Standard with the EU Taxonomy's criteria for climate mitigation and 'Do No Significant Harm' (DNSH) across the acquisition, construction, and renovation of residential and commercial buildings.

• For the acquisition and ownership of commercial buildings built before 31 December 2020, the Climate Bonds standard is considered more demanding than the EU Taxonomy because it is based on operating performance and requires a zero carbon trajectory for 15% baselines of regional stock.
• CBI has updated its global criteria for new buildings to require that they use only electricity for normal operational energy requirements and provide infrastructure for future e-mobility. In the EU, CBI requires a Primary Energy Demand (PED) at least 10% lower than the national nearly zero-energy building (NZEB) threshold, which is described as a higher standard than the EU Taxonomy.
• Regarding the renovation of existing buildings, CBI requires that financing for upgrade works must not be used for any plant or equipment powered by fossil fuels. CBI's requirement for emission reductions of 30-50% (depending on bond tenor) is viewed as a higher standard than the EU Taxonomy's PED reduction of at least 30%.
• For the acquisition of residential buildings built before 31 December 2020, CBI uses proxy qualifications based on a baseline of the top 15% of the market and a zero carbon trajectory, falling back to Class A EPC qualification in markets where proxies cannot be defined.
• The document outlines specific DNSH requirements for new construction, including a climate risk and vulnerability assessment for 2030 and 2050 scenarios (RCP 2.6, 4.5, 6.0, and 8.5), and water flow limits for appliances such as wash hand basin taps (6 litres/min) and showers (8 litres/min).
• CBI's DNSH criteria for the transition to a circular economy require that at least 70% by weight of non-hazardous construction and demolition waste be prepared for reuse or recycling, and that building designs demonstrate disassemblability and adaptability using standards like ISO 20887.

APA

Climate Bonds Initiative (n.d.). EU Taxonomy Blog | Technical guidance note. https://www.climatebonds.net/files/drupal-files/files/02%20EU%20taxonomy_CBI%20Technical%20guidance%20note%20(to%20publish).pdf

Chicago

Climate Bonds Initiative. EU Taxonomy Blog | Technical guidance note. n.d. https://www.climatebonds.net/files/drupal-files/files/02%20EU%20taxonomy_CBI%20Technical%20guidance%20note%20(to%20publish).pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate Bonds Initiative |title=EU Taxonomy Blog | Technical guidance note |url=https://www.climatebonds.net/files/drupal-files/files/02%20EU%20taxonomy_CBI%20Technical%20guidance%20note%20(to%20publish).pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climatebondsinitiativendtaxonomy, author = {{Climate Bonds Initiative}}, title = {{EU Taxonomy Blog | Technical guidance note}}, institution = {Climate Bonds Initiative}, url = {https://www.climatebonds.net/files/drupal-files/files/02%20EU%20taxonomy_CBI%20Technical%20guidance%20note%20(to%20publish).pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }