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myclimate is committed to transparency and credibility in the measurement and reporting of contributions to the SDGs by the climate protection projects that myclimate develops and supports. We strive to counteract “SDG-washing” and ensure that all reported impacts are accurate and well-documented. By doing so, we reinforce the unique global framework of the SDGs.
What are the SDGs?
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are 17 global objectives outlined by the United Nations, aimed at addressing issues such as poverty, inequality, environmental degradation, and climate change. These goals are part of the UN’s 2030 Agenda, which all member states are committed to achieving by 2030. Detailed information on the 17 SDGs is available in our FAQ section.
Read all about the 17 SDGs in our detailed FAQ.
myclimate works with various certification standards and project types, each with its own method of measuring and monitoring SDG contributions. In this FAQ we offer a detailed overview of how each project type reports its SDG impacts.
myclimate emphasizes transparent and credible SDG reporting. We strive to combat "SDG-washing" by ensuring our contributions to the SDGs are measured and presented with accuracy. This helps maintain the integrity of the UN's global framework for sustainable development.
Measuring SDGs can be resource-intensive, as each additional SDG tracked increases the complexity and cost of project monitoring. For example, in some projects, such as agroforestry, it can be difficult to measure certain impacts quantitatively, such as biodiversity gains, but it is clear that such a project has a strong impact towards increasing biodiversity. In these cases, we provide qualitative descriptions while maintaining a balance between reporting meaningful impacts and avoiding exaggeration. Our comprehensive SDG reporting guidelines ensure that the process of SDG reporting and monitoring is as precise and transparent as possible amongst all project
All projects certified under the Gold Standard for the Global Goals follow a strict and reliable process for measuring, certifying, and reporting contributions to the SDGs. The Gold Standard SDG Impact Tool ensures that each project’s contributions are aligned with specific SDGs from the outset, following rigorous guidelines to maintain the highest quality of reporting.
Indicators are defined at the beginning of each project and linked to specific SDG targets. These indicators are monitored annually to track the project’s progress over time. For example, the number of jobs created by a project would contribute to SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), while the provision of clean drinking water for schoolchildren would contribute to SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation).
These indicators are verified annually by an external auditor, alongside emission reduction metrics, and published in the project’s public monitoring reports. myclimate’s website provides detailed information on the verified SDGs for each project. By adhering to these standards, myclimate ensures that the reported impacts are credible and meaningful.
Some SDG impacts, while significant, may not be verified by external standards like Gold Standard. In these cases, we assess contributions in collaboration with our project partners on-site and label them as “SDG approved by myclimate.” Although these contributions are not externally audited, we believe they are still important and worth reporting. We ensure a clear distinction on our project pages between SDGs that have been externally verified and those that have been approved by myclimate based on internal assessments.
Projects certified under Plan Vivo, the standard that myclimate works with for international project in the nature sector, are “Sustainable by Design”. This means that every project that fulfils the high requirements of the Plan Vivo Standard automatically contributes to at least 6 SDGs.
Each project under Plan Vivo must define their own livelihood and ecosystem indicators that are monitored and verified at least every 5 years. These indicators often relate to the SDGs but are not directly “mapped” to an SDG target like under Gold Standard. However, since the project design by the Plan Vivo project with a very strong emphasis on sustainable community development is inherently sustainable, these projects greatly contribute to the SDGs.
In addition to the external verification every five years, the projects provide detailed reports on the progress of the program and all the livelihood and ecosystem parameters on an annual basis.
From these annual reports, myclimate extracts the recent numbers of the relevant parameters into a SDGs impact report on our website to provide a simplified overview of the project impact. This list, however, is not comprehensive as the project designs are much more complex and detailed to be reported in this format. The reports on the full impact of the projects can be found in the annual reports of the project uploaded to the Plan Vivo website – the link to the project website at Plan Vivo can be found under the “Project Documentation” tab at the bottom of each project website.
All myclimate domestic projects contribute to sustainable development and therefore have a positive impact on society, the environment and a sustainable economy. The most important indicators (water, soil, air, noise, biodiversity, living conditions, working conditions, education, etc.) are identified as part of the due diligence process. The contribution to at least two Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is measured by indicators defined in the Project Design Document as part of the monitoring process. If reasonably practicable, the recording of the SDG monitoring parameters should be recorded quantitatively and measured accordingly. In justified cases, a qualitative derivation is sufficient.
Please note that the application of this SDGs monitoring process in some parts is still in development and it might take a while to be consistent between all of our projects.
For climate projects that are developed for scope 1 and 2 of a company the main focus is the direct emission reduction and thus no contributions of these projects to the SDGs are reported. This does not mean that the projects do not contribute to SDGs but only that they are not monitored and can therefore not be reported reliably.
For projects developed for scope 3 of a company’s supply chain the SDGs are reported according to standards or guidelines if available. This means these supply chain projects developed under the requirements by Gold Standard or the myclimate guidelines for domestic projects must report and monitor their contribution to at least 2 SDGS in addition to SDG 13 (climate impact).
However, if the project is developed according to customer specific guidelines, usually no SDG impacts are monitored and reported.
Sources:
The Gold Standard’s SDG Impact Tool
SDG tool guidance
You can find further exciting information on the subject of climate change and climate protection in our climate booklet
