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Knowledge base

Sustainable development: the four-SDG rule

Every project must show a net positive impact on at least four of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, including SDG 13 (Climate Action), assessed with the CR-I Sustainable Development tool.

ProjectsLast reviewed 23 October 2026

The rule

Every project seeking registration and issuance must show a net positive impact on at least 4 of the 17 SDGs, including SDG 13 (Climate Action). This applies to every sectoral scope, scale and location.

Only impacts of the project’s own activities count. Activities such as training, capacity building, health or education funding count only if they are described in the DPD and funded from project funds or MCU sales.

How it is assessed

  1. Identify and categorise the project activities that affect SDGs, and classify each impact as quantitative or qualitative. Negative impacts are handled through the ESIA and safeguards.
  2. Assess and monitor. Set indicators and a monitoring approach in the DPD. Give ex-ante estimates at validation and ex-post results in every monitoring report.
  3. Link to goals. Link the contributions to national, regional and local SDG targets and policies, and to corporate targets if relevant.
  4. Calculate the impact factor.

The impact factor

For the four most positively affected SDGs, the project scores the scale and the intensity of impact from 1 to 5 each. Each SDG’s score is scale × intensity, up to 25.

Impact factor = sum of the four SDG scores ÷ 100

A higher impact factor means a greater contribution. An impact factor of 1 is possible only in exceptional cases and needs acceptance by the NCCF Governing Council.

Forestry projects

Afforestation and reforestation projects certified under NCCF standards may report SD contributions through their certification audits.

Sources

The 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals, with SDG 13 Climate Action highlighted. Every CR-I project contributes to at least four SDGs, including SDG 13.