The connected sustainability dictionary
Sustainability terms A–Z
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A
- 2030 AgendaPeople & value chains
- Absolute contraction approachAlso: ACAClimate & energy
- Access to remedyPeople & value chains
- Activity dataAlso: GHG activity dataClimate & energy
- Adaptation financeReporting & governance
- AdditionalityClimate & energy
- AfforestationNature & water
- AgroecologyNature & water
- AgroforestryNature & water
- Assisted natural regenerationAlso: ANRNature & water
- Atmospheric lifetimeClimate & energy
B
- Baseline water stressNature & water
- Basin contextNature & water
- Batch traceabilityPeople & value chains
- BiodegradableCircular materials
- BiodegradationCircular materials
- BiodiversityNature & water
- Biodiversity metricNature & water
- Biodiversity net gainAlso: BNGNature & water
- Biodiversity offsetNature & water
- Biodiversity unitsNature & water
- Blended financeReporting & governance
- Blue carbonNature & water
- Blue water footprintNature & water
- By-product exchangeCircular materials
C
- Carbon accountingClimate & energy
- Carbon budgetClimate & energy
- Carbon capture and storageAlso: CCSClimate & energy
- Carbon creditAlso: carbon creditsClimate & energy
- Carbon dioxideClimate & energy
- Carbon dioxide equivalentAlso: CO2e, CO₂eClimate & energy
- Carbon footprintClimate & energy
- Carbon neutralityAlso: carbon neutralClimate & energy
- Carbon offsetClimate & energy
- Carbon sequestrationClimate & energy
- Carbon-neutral claimClimate & energy
- Chain of custodyPeople & value chains
- Chemical recyclingCircular materials
- Child labourPeople & value chains
- Circular business modelCircular materials
- Circular economyCircular materials
- CircularityCircular materials
- Climate adaptationClimate & energy
- Climate changeClimate & energy
- Climate equityPeople & value chains
- Climate financeReporting & governance
- Climate justicePeople & value chains
- Climate mitigationClimate & energy
- Climate neutralityClimate & energy
- Climate-related risks and opportunitiesReporting & governance
- Climate-smart agricultureAlso: CSANature & water
- Closed-loop recyclingCircular materials
- Collective bargainingPeople & value chains
- Collective water actionNature & water
- Community wellbeingAlso: Community well-beingPeople & value chains
- Compliance carbon marketClimate & energy
- CompostableCircular materials
- Conversion-free supply chainNature & water
- Corporate social responsibilityAlso: CSRReporting & governance
- Corporate sustainabilityReporting & governance
- Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence DirectiveAlso: CSDDDPeople & value chains
- Corporate Sustainability Reporting DirectiveAlso: CSRDReporting & governance
- Creating shared valueReporting & governance
- Creative reuseCircular materials
D
- Decent workPeople & value chains
- DeforestationNature & water
- Demand-side managementAlso: DSMClimate & energy
- DematerializationAlso: DematerialisationCircular materials
- Deposit and return systemAlso: Deposit-return system, DRSCircular materials
- DesertificationNature & water
- Design for disassemblyCircular materials
- Design for durabilityCircular materials
- Design for recyclingCircular materials
- Digital product passportAlso: DPPPeople & value chains
- Domestic material consumptionAlso: DMCCircular materials
- Double materialityReporting & governance
- DowncyclingCircular materials
- Downstream emissionsClimate & energy
E
- Eco-industrial parkCircular materials
- Eco-modulated feesCircular materials
- EcodesignCircular materials
- EcolabelAlso: eco-labelPeople & value chains
- Ecological communityNature & water
- Ecological restorationNature & water
- Economic water scarcityNature & water
- EcosystemNature & water
- Ecosystem servicesNature & water
- Ecosystem-based adaptationNature & water
- Emission factorClimate & energy
- Emissions trading systemAlso: Cap and Trade, Carbon MarketClimate & energy
- Emissions uncertaintyClimate & energy
- Energy efficiencyClimate & energy
- Energy intensityClimate & energy
- Environmental claimPeople & value chains
- Environmental justicePeople & value chains
- Environmental product declarationAlso: EPDPeople & value chains
- Environmental racismPeople & value chains
- Environmental, social and governanceAlso: ESGReporting & governance
- Equity share approachClimate & energy
- ESG integrationReporting & governance
- ESG investingReporting & governance
- ESG ratingAlso: ESG scoreReporting & governance
- ESRS E1Also: European Sustainability Reporting Standard E1, ESRS E1 Climate ChangeReporting & governance
- ESRS material topicReporting & governance
- Ethical tradePeople & value chains
- EU TaxonomyReporting & governance
- European Sustainability Reporting StandardsAlso: ESRSReporting & governance
- Extended producer responsibilityAlso: EPRCircular materials
F
- Fair tradePeople & value chains
- Fairtrade certificationPeople & value chains
- Financed emissionsReporting & governance
- Financial materialityReporting & governance
- Forced labourAlso: Forced laborPeople & value chains
- Forest degradationNature & water
- Forest restorationNature & water
- Freedom of associationPeople & value chains
- Fugitive emissionsClimate & energy
G
- Genetic diversityNature & water
- GHG Protocol Corporate StandardAlso: GHG Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting StandardClimate & energy
- GHG Protocol Scope 3 StandardAlso: Scope 3 StandardClimate & energy
- Global Reporting Initiative StandardsAlso: GRI StandardsReporting & governance
- Global warming potentialAlso: GWPClimate & energy
- Green bondReporting & governance
- Green bond frameworkReporting & governance
- Green infrastructureNature & water
- Green public procurementAlso: GPPPeople & value chains
- Greenhouse gasAlso: GHGClimate & energy
- Greenhouse gas inventoryAlso: GHG inventoryClimate & energy
- Greenhouse Gas ProtocolAlso: GHG ProtocolClimate & energy
- GreenhushingReporting & governance
- GreenwashingReporting & governance
- Grey water footprintNature & water
- GRI Topic StandardsReporting & governance
- GRI Universal StandardsReporting & governance
H
I
- IFRS S1Reporting & governance
- IFRS S2Reporting & governance
- Impact investingReporting & governance
- Impact materialityReporting & governance
- Impact measurementReporting & governance
- Inclusive wealthNature & water
- Industrial compostingCircular materials
- Industrial symbiosisCircular materials
- Integrated valuePeople & value chains
- Integrated water resources managementAlso: IWRMNature & water
- Intergenerational equityPeople & value chains
- Internal carbon pricingAlso: Internal carbon priceReporting & governance
- Internationally recognized human rightsPeople & value chains
- ISSB StandardsAlso: International Sustainability Standards Board standards, IFRS Sustainability Disclosure StandardsReporting & governance
J
K
L
- Land degradationNature & water
- Land degradation neutralityAlso: LDNNature & water
- Land-use changeNature & water
- LEAP approachAlso: LEAPReporting & governance
- Life cycle assessmentAlso: LCA, life-cycle assessmentCircular materials
- Life cycle costingAlso: LCCPeople & value chains
- Life cycle impact assessmentAlso: LCIACircular materials
- Life cycle inventoryAlso: LCICircular materials
- Living wagePeople & value chains
- Living wage benchmarkPeople & value chains
- Location-based methodClimate & energy
- Loss and damagePeople & value chains
M
- Market-based methodClimate & energy
- Mass balance accountingCircular materials
- Mass balance chain of custodyPeople & value chains
- Material circularity indicatorAlso: MCICircular materials
- Material flow analysisAlso: MFACircular materials
- Material footprintCircular materials
- Material quality lossCircular materials
- Materiality assessmentReporting & governance
- Materiality matrixReporting & governance
- Mechanical recyclingCircular materials
- MethaneClimate & energy
- Minimum wagePeople & value chains
- Minimum working agePeople & value chains
- Mitigation financeReporting & governance
- Mitigation hierarchyNature & water
- Modern slaveryPeople & value chains
N
- Natural capitalNature & water
- Natural capital accountingNature & water
- Nature positiveNature & water
- Nature-based solutionsAlso: NbSNature & water
- Nature-positive strategyNature & water
- Nature-related dependencies and impactsReporting & governance
- Near-term targetClimate & energy
- Net zeroClimate & energy
- NeutralizationClimate & energy
- Nitrous oxideClimate & energy
- No net lossNature & water
O
P
- PermanenceClimate & energy
- Physical water scarcityNature & water
- Planetary boundariesPeople & value chains
- Plastic pollutionCircular materials
- Post-consumer recycled contentCircular materials
- Preparing for reuseAlso: Preparing for re-useCircular materials
- Procedural justicePeople & value chains
- Producer responsibility organizationAlso: PROCircular materials
- Product carbon footprintAlso: PCFClimate & energy
- Product category rulesPeople & value chains
- Product life extensionCircular materials
- Product stewardshipCircular materials
- Product stewardship planAlso: Stewardship planCircular materials
- Product traceabilityPeople & value chains
- Provisioning servicesAlso: Provisioning ecosystem servicesNature & water
R
- Radiative forcingClimate & energy
- Recycled contentCircular materials
- RecyclingCircular materials
- Refill systemsCircular materials
- ReforestationNature & water
- RefurbishmentCircular materials
- Regenerative agricultureNature & water
- Regulating servicesNature & water
- RemanufacturingCircular materials
- Renewable energyClimate & energy
- RepairabilityCircular materials
- Repairability indexCircular materials
- Residual emissionsClimate & energy
- Resource productivityAlso: Resource productivity, Resource efficiencyCircular materials
- Responsible minerals sourcingPeople & value chains
- Responsible sourcingPeople & value chains
- Reusable packagingCircular materials
- ReuseCircular materials
- Right to repairCircular materials
- River basin managementNature & water
S
- Salt marshNature & water
- Science-based targetAlso: SBTClimate & energy
- Scope 1 emissionsAlso: Scope 1Climate & energy
- Scope 2 emissionsAlso: Scope 2Climate & energy
- Scope 3 emissionsAlso: Scope 3Climate & energy
- SDG indicatorsPeople & value chains
- Seagrass meadowNature & water
- Segregated chain of custodyPeople & value chains
- Single-use plasticCircular materials
- Social dialoguePeople & value chains
- Social impactPeople & value chains
- Social protectionPeople & value chains
- Social sustainabilityPeople & value chains
- Socially responsible investingAlso: SRIReporting & governance
- Soil carbon sequestrationClimate & energy
- Soil healthNature & water
- Solar energyClimate & energy
- Species diversityNature & water
- Stakeholder engagementReporting & governance
- Stationary combustionClimate & energy
- Supplier code of conductPeople & value chains
- Supplier risk assessmentPeople & value chains
- Supply chain due diligencePeople & value chains
- Sustainability governanceReporting & governance
- Sustainability performance targetAlso: SPTReporting & governance
- Sustainability reporting assuranceReporting & governance
- Sustainability statementReporting & governance
- Sustainability strategyReporting & governance
- Sustainability-linked bondReporting & governance
- Sustainability-linked financeReporting & governance
- Sustainability-linked loanAlso: SLLReporting & governance
- Sustainability-related risks and opportunitiesReporting & governance
- Sustainable agricultureNature & water
- Sustainable developmentPeople & value chains
- Sustainable Development GoalsAlso: SDG, SDGsPeople & value chains
- Sustainable financeReporting & governance
- Sustainable procurementPeople & value chains
T
- Take-back schemeAlso: Takeback schemeCircular materials
- Taskforce on Nature-related Financial DisclosuresAlso: TNFDReporting & governance
- Taxonomy alignmentReporting & governance
- Technical screening criteriaAlso: TSCReporting & governance
- Theory of changeAlso: ToCReporting & governance
- Three pillars of sustainabilityPeople & value chains
- Transition bondReporting & governance
- Transition financeReporting & governance
- Transition planReporting & governance
- Transition riskAlso: Transition risksReporting & governance
- Tree plantationNature & water
- Triple bottom linePeople & value chains
U
V
W
- Waste disposalCircular materials
- Waste hierarchyCircular materials
- Waste preventionCircular materials
- Waste recoveryCircular materials
- Water footprintNature & water
- Water riskNature & water
- Water scarcityNature & water
- Water stewardshipNature & water
- Water stressNature & water
- WatershedNature & water
- Wind energyClimate & energy
- Worst forms of child labourAlso: Worst forms of child laborPeople & value chains