The Framework for Sustainable Finance Integrity

The Framework for Sustainable Finance Integrity is a consultation draft by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) designed to provide guardrails, minimum benchmarks, and leadership benchmarks to ensure the financial sector's transition to net zero and sustainability is credible and impactful. It addresses the lack of universally accepted standards and the siloed nature of existing financial coalitions, proposing a structured approach to measure progress across targets, implementation, and transparency.

• The document identifies a gap in the current sustainable finance landscape where the proliferation of individual pledges and siloed coalitions may not result in a net zero trajectory. The author argues that the current pace of change is likely too slow to avoid the "lock-in of high carbon assets and serious unmitigated climate risks far before 2050," and notes that biodiversity and just transition are often overlooked.
• The Framework proposes a system of "minimum" and "leadership" benchmarks to standardize how financial actors' commitments are measured. These benchmarks are divided into three categories: 'Targets and objectives' (including Paris Agreement and SDG alignment, and phasing out fossil fuel financing), 'Implementation' (governance, operations, and engagement), and 'Metrics and transparency' (internal and external reporting, such as climate- and nature-related disclosures).
• To support the Framework's goals, CPI developed three investment blueprints for financial instruments intended to facilitate cross-institutional collaboration and green recovery. These include 'Recovery Bonds' and 'Results-based Financing'.
• The document highlights the potential economic benefits of a sustainable transition, citing an IMF estimate that the multiplier effect for green spending—specifically clean energy and biodiversity conservation—is two to seven times greater than that of non-green spending.

APA

Climate Policy Initiative (2021). The Framework for Sustainable Finance Integrity. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/publication/framework-for-sustainable-finance-integrity-consultation/

Chicago

Climate Policy Initiative. The Framework for Sustainable Finance Integrity. 2021. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/publication/framework-for-sustainable-finance-integrity-consultation/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate Policy Initiative |title=The Framework for Sustainable Finance Integrity |date=10 May 2021 |url=https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/publication/framework-for-sustainable-finance-integrity-consultation/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climatepolicyinitiative2021framework, author = {{Climate Policy Initiative}}, title = {{The Framework for Sustainable Finance Integrity}}, institution = {Climate Policy Initiative}, year = {2021}, month = may, url = {https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/publication/framework-for-sustainable-finance-integrity-consultation/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }