Climate Bonds Guide to Certification

The Climate Bonds Guide to Certification outlines a voluntary labelling scheme designed to ensure investments are consistent with limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C. It provides a framework for certifying Use of Proceeds debt instruments, assets, and entities based on science-based eligibility criteria and independent verification.

• The Climate Bonds Standard and Certification Scheme is a voluntary labelling system for investments aimed at addressing climate change and aligning with the goal of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. Since its launch in 2012, the scheme has certified over USD270bn of Use of Proceeds Green Bonds.
• Certification is available for various instruments, including Use of Proceeds (UoP) debt instruments, Sustainability-linked debt instruments, assets, and entities. For UoP instruments, certification confirms that proceeds are allocated to specific assets, activities, or expenditures that align with Climate Bonds Sector Specific Criteria and the ICMA Green Bond Principles.
• The scheme offers two primary paths for Use of Proceeds certification: Single UoP certification for a single debt instrument, and Programmatic UoP certification for a series of regular issuances under one Certification Agreement. While Single UoP requires verification at pre-issuance and post-issuance at full allocation, Programmatic UoP requires pre-issuance verification for the first instrument and subsequent annual verification for the program's duration.
• The certification process is governed by an international independent Climate Bonds Standard Board and utilizes a network of Climate Bonds Approved Verifiers for independent assessment. The process for UoP debt instruments involves a pre-issuance application requiring a Green Bond Framework, Certification Agreement, Certification Information Form, and a Verification Report.

APA

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

Chicago

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

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate Bonds Initiative |title=Climate Bonds Guide to Certification |date=29 June 2023 |url=https://www.climatebonds.net/files/documents/supporting-documents/Climate-Bonds-Use-of-Proceed-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-Use-of-Proceed-Certification-Guide.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }