From regulatory pressure to investor expectations, businesses are increasingly expected to understand, measure and reduce air pollutant emissions across their operations and value chains. To support this critical step forward, we are pleased to introduce a foundational Clean Air e-learning course from the UN Global Compact Academy, developed in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) and sponsored by the Clean Air Fund. This interactive, self-paced course offers practical, data-driven guidance to help companies assess emissions, implement mitigation strategies and communicate their impact—featuring real-world examples, expert insights and actionable tools.

To address the increasing risk of catastrophic climate change, provide sustainable energy to the 733 million people who currently lack access to electricity, and to power sustainable development, there is an urgent need to transition to renewable energy. Business has a critical role to play in ensuring this transition is just and leaves no one behind. This business brief outlines the context of emerging national just transition policies, provides an advocacy agenda for businesses to influence policies responsibly and includes examples of company best practices and success factors. Download today to learn the 10 recommendations for businesses to advance the just transition within and beyond their companies in support of the goals of the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda. The business brief is available in English and Spanish.

A just transition to a net zero future is an important undertaking, requiring bold actions from all parties — and effort from corporates is definitely an important one. The UN Global Compact helps businesses to align with its Ten Principles and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and has published this whitepaper to plot a roadmap for corporates to reach net zero, facilitating the private sector to play its role in the pathway.

  This guide is a collection of best practices, common challenges, solutions and experiences from the seafood sector to support companies to set a science-based emission reduction target with the Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTi). As the seafood sector works towards a low carbon and sustainable future, collective action across geographies and supply chains will be key to reaching these goals.

A just transition according to the ILO means greening the economy by simultaneously addressing the environmental, social and economic dimensions of sustainable development in a way that is as fair and inclusive as possible to everyone concerned, creating decent work opportunities and leaving no one behind. The objective of this brief is to highlight the important role of adaptation action for large multinational corporations that aim to achieve a just transition. Its focus is on how businesses can adapt to minimise climate change risks and impacts in a just and equitable manner. The brief outlines seven recommendations for businesses to advance a just transition for climate adaptation. The business brief is available in English and Spanish.

Limiting average global warming to 1.5°C requires an enormous transformation of our economy and energy systems. The movement of companies, countries, cities, and investors setting ambitious net zero targets and leading this transformation is building momentum faster than ever. Though progress is being made, climate action must continue to be accelerated and accompanied by efforts to address the various environmental and societal challenges we face. In the UN Global Compact Network UK’s latest Briefing, we explain how businesses can be at the forefront of this growing movement and why it is important to continue raising ambition and take immediate action.

This report shows that companies with science-based targets are delivering on large-scale emissions reductions. Five years on from the Paris Agreement, the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) analysed the emissions of a group of 338 companies whose climate targets have been approved by the SBTi as aligned with climate science and the goals of the Paris Agreement. This is the first ever study to look at how setting science-based targets correlates with corporate emissions reductions and the extent to which companies are actually delivering on those targets. Target-setting companies have successfully reduced their emissions by 25% since 2015, a difference of 302 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent, the same as the annual emissions from 78 coal-fired power plants.

This UN Global Compact action-oriented narrative synthesizes the key insights gathered through a series of webinars organized in 2020 on the climate-nature-health nexus, in the framework of the Business Ambition for Climate and Health Action Platform. Reminding the business case for taking integrated climate and health action, it provides guidance on how companies can deliver climate and health co-benefits by pointing towards relevant action-oriented initiatives. It focuses on the five areas that were addressed by the webinar series : air pollution, nature and biodiversity, food systems, water resilience, and the future of work and just transition.

  The SBTi defines and promotes best practice in science-based target setting and offers resources and guidance to reduce barriers to adoption. The SBTi Corporate Manual is a combination of two previously available resources, the Call to Action Guidelines-which gives information on the four step process for joining the initiative- and the SBTi Manual-which provides stepwise guidance and recommendations for setting SBTs- now combined, streamlined, and newly-released to best support companies throughout all steps of the science-based target setting journey. 

The UN Global Compact’s Action Platform for Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions promotes business engagement on SDG 16, including through the SDG 16 Business Framework I Inspiring Transformational Governance. In order to inform the Framework and to explore the themes of peace, justice and strong institutions within a national and regional context, a series of 14 country consultations were held with representatives from business, Global Compact Local Networks, civil society, government and academia in attendance. The following synthesis of these discussions.

Provides a comprehensive look at a new asset class to mobilize capital to solve water-related challenges, create sustainable ocean business opportunities and signal responsible ocean stewardship.

This new report from the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), prepared by CDP and the UN Global Compact, takes stock of corporate climate ambition in G7 countries, assessing the temperature ratings of the leading equity indexes of these markets. Analysis is based on emissions reduction target data submitted by companies to CDP and the SBTi. It focuses on mid-term rather than long-term target data, given the urgency to halve emissions by 2030. The report frames science-based target setting as the solution to bridge the ambition gap, outlining four levers to unlock breakthrough climate mitigation action through science-based targets.