Climate Bonds Guide to Certification

The Climate Bonds Initiative provides a voluntary certification scheme for sustainability-linked debt instruments, using science-based criteria to verify that corporate transition plans and performance targets are consistent with limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C. Certification is available for single instruments or programmatic series, provided the issuer is a legal entity and the activities fall under existing Climate Bonds Standard Sector Criteria. The scheme offers two labels: 'Aligned' (Level 1) for those already aligned with 1.5°C pathways, and 'Transition' (Level 2) for those with plans to achieve alignment by 2030. The process requires a Certification Agreement, a Certification Information Form, and a Verification Report, with mandatory annual verification.

• Climate Bonds Certification for sustainability-linked debt is categorized into two levels based on the issuer's alignment with 1.5°C pathways: Level 1 (Aligned) for issuers already aligned or near net-zero, and Level 2 (Transition) for those with plans to align by 2030.
• Certification is restricted to debt instruments issued by legal entities and is only available for activities that have corresponding Climate Bonds Standard Sector Criteria.
• The certification scheme covers both single sustainability-linked bonds or loans and programmatic series of issuances, allowing proceeds to be used for general corporate expenses provided the company meets entity certification requirements.
• The certification process requires the submission of a Certification Agreement, a Certification Information Form (CIF), and a Verification Report, followed by annual verification and reporting.

APA

Climate Bonds Initiative (2023). Climate Bonds Guide to Certification. https://www.climatebonds.net/files/documents/supporting-documents/Climate-Bonds-SLD-Certification-Guide.pdf

Chicago

Climate Bonds Initiative. Climate Bonds Guide to Certification. 2023. https://www.climatebonds.net/files/documents/supporting-documents/Climate-Bonds-SLD-Certification-Guide.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate Bonds Initiative |title=Climate Bonds Guide to Certification |date=14 June 2023 |url=https://www.climatebonds.net/files/documents/supporting-documents/Climate-Bonds-SLD-Certification-Guide.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climatebondsinitiative2023climate, author = {{Climate Bonds Initiative}}, title = {{Climate Bonds Guide to Certification}}, institution = {Climate Bonds Initiative}, year = {2023}, month = jun, url = {https://www.climatebonds.net/files/documents/supporting-documents/Climate-Bonds-SLD-Certification-Guide.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }