# Seventy years of impact management

> From a question about good intentions to European rules that are now being cut back. The history of impact management, the practices that meet in it, where…

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Language: English (Nederlands: https://narrate.works/tools-en-inzichten/geschiedenis-van-impactmanagement)
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Special · Long read

From a question about good intentions to European rules that are now being cut back. The history of impact management, the practices that meet in it, where its standards come from and why setting norms chafes. With a source at every step.

16 min read21 October 2026

2025–2026· 352 frameworks on the path

Impact management sounds like a field from the last ten years. The question behind it is much older. What does our work change, and for whom? For seventy years, companies, governments and organisations have looked for an answer. Each time they found new words, new figures and new rules.

This is that history, with a source at every step. First we follow the timeline, from the 1950s to now. Then we follow the practices that meet in the field, like rivers in a delta. After that we look at where all those standards come from, and in which language they were conceived. At the end we pause on a tension that belongs to the field, setting norms, and on today’s headwind.

1950–1971

## The question first

In 1953 the American economist Howard Bowen asked what a business owes to society. For a long time that remained a conversation about good intentions. If you wanted to know about results, you mostly looked at money.

Meanwhile, two practices grew that would matter later. In factories, managers learnt to measure and improve their work. The American statistician W. Edwards Deming took that approach to Japan from 1950. There, quality became a fixed cycle: plan, do, check, act. In 1954 Peter Drucker gave managing by goals a name: management by objectives.

The criticism came almost at once. In 1956 the researcher V. F. Ridgway showed that performance figures change the very behaviour they are meant to measure. People start working for the number, not for the goal behind it. So the warning came just two years after Drucker’s book.

The other practice was development co-operation. Rich countries gave more and more money to poor countries and wanted to know what it achieved. In 1961 the OECD set up a committee for this, the Development Assistance Committee (DAC). In 1969 a consultancy working for the American government designed the logical framework. Many organisations still use that table of goals, results, indicators and assumptions.

In the same year Sherry Arnstein published her ladder of citizen participation. Manipulation sits at the bottom, citizen control at the top. So one year brought two tools with very different views. The logframe looks at a project from the funder’s side. The ladder looks at it from the side of the people it is about.

At the start of 1970 a law in the United States required an environmental impact statement for large federal projects. You had to show in advance what a project would do to its surroundings. That idea later travelled to many other countries.

1972–1991

## Plan, count, improve

In 1972 the Club of Rome used a computer model to show that growth on a finite planet has limits. In the same years, companies started to publish a social report. They wrote down what they did for their staff and their surroundings. In France such a report became compulsory for large companies in 1977.

In 1987 a United Nations commission gave sustainability a definition that is still in use. Meeting the needs of today without leaving later generations short. In the same year ISO 9001 appeared, the standard for quality management. Now an outsider could certify that an organisation had its processes in order.

That idea from quality management still shapes the field. A management system, an audit and a certificate together form the basis of many later standards. Think of ISO 14001 for the environment, and of the labels for timber, coffee and clothing. The EFQM model of 1991 and the balanced scorecard of 1992 also grew out of this tradition. They taught organisations to measure more than profit alone.

Meanwhile, evaluation became a profession of its own, with professional bodies and its own norms. In 1991 the DAC set out the criteria for judging a programme. They are relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability. Many funders still ask for them.

1992–2005

## Then the figures

In the 1990s sustainability became something you could count. In 1997 the Global Reporting Initiative began in Boston. That work led in 2000 to the first guidelines for a sustainability report. Alongside the annual report came a second report, with a standard of its own.

In 1994 the first King Report on corporate governance appeared in South Africa. Later versions asked companies to bring financial and social information together. That made Johannesburg one of the first places where integrated reporting took shape.

In 2000 the UN set eight Millennium Development Goals for 2015. For the first time the world had a shared list of goals. You could now also put impact into money, with social return on investment. In 2001 the GHG Protocol appeared, the standard for counting greenhouse gas emissions.

In development co-operation a counter-movement grew. In the 1990s Rick Davies developed the Most Significant Change method in Bangladesh. In it, participants themselves say which change mattered most to them. In 2001 Canada’s International Development Research Centre published outcome mapping, which looks at how the behaviour of partners changes.

Medicine brought a very different approach: the randomised trial with a control group. From 2003 a lab at MIT took that method into the fight against poverty. And in 2005 donors and partner countries agreed in Paris to manage more for results.

2006–2014

## Money looks for impact

After 2005 investors began to move. In 2006 the UN launched the Principles for Responsible Investment. A year later a new way of investing got a name: impact investing. You deliberately seek both a financial return and a social effect.

In 2009 the Global Impact Investing Network began, with IRIS as a shared set of indicators. ISO 26000 gave guidance on social responsibility in 2010. In 2011 the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights followed. In 2014 the European Union asked large companies for non-financial information for the first time.

Other countries took a different route. As early as 2009, Mauritius required companies to spend part of their profit on social causes. From 2014, India asked the same of large companies by law. There the point was not a report but money for projects.

In evaluation, too, other voices spoke up. In 2007 African evaluators met in Niamey under the banner Made in Africa. They asked for evaluation that starts from African values and knowledge. A year later the International Aid Transparency Initiative began. Since then, many donors have published in one open standard what they spend and on what.

2015–2021

## A shared language

In 2015 the world agreed on two things. In September came the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals, in December the Paris Agreement on climate. From then on, organisations could link their work to the same goals.

After that, the question was how to compare impact. From 2016 the Impact Management Project brought hundreds of organisations together around five dimensions of impact. In 2019 the Operating Principles for Impact Management for investors followed. At the same time Europe made its own rules for sustainable finance: the SFDR in 2019 and the EU Taxonomy in 2020.

Standard-setters also sought each other out. In 2020 five large organisations promised to work together, among them the Global Reporting Initiative and CDP. In 2021 the IFRS Foundation announced a new standard-setter in Glasgow: the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB). In 2022 the Climate Disclosure Standards Board and the Value Reporting Foundation merged into the IFRS Foundation. That brought the SASB Standards and the framework for integrated reporting under one roof.

Yet one language is still a long way off. In 2022 researchers at MIT compared the sustainability ratings of six large agencies. The agencies often gave the same company very different verdicts. In 2024 Europe and the ISSB laid their standards side by side. The result was a guide that shows, topic by topic, what matches. It did not become one standard.

Elsewhere, too, countries wrote their own rules. In 2021 India introduced the BRSR, a report on responsible and sustainable business for its largest listed companies. In the same year the countries of South-East Asia made their own taxonomy for sustainable finance.

2022–2024

## From voluntary to mandatory

Until then almost everything had been voluntary. That changed quickly. In 2022 the European Union adopted the CSRD, the directive on sustainability reporting. In 2023 the European reporting standards followed, the ESRS, as well as the first global standards of the ISSB.

In 2024 came the CSDDD, on due diligence in the value chain. For small businesses there was a voluntary standard, the VSME. At the end of that year China also published a basic standard for sustainability disclosure. In thirty years the alphabet soup had grown a great deal.

310

frameworks, standards and rules in our lists date from after 1990

Source: our own count

1950–2026

## A field of many rivers

Impact management is not a field with a single beginning. It is a delta where many rivers meet. Development co-operation, evaluation, participation, quality management, government policy, reporting, investing, putting a price on value and environmental policy each have a source of their own. Human rights, labels, the social economy and thinking about prosperity flow into it too. Each framework got one river: the tradition its makers worked in.

Each river brought something different. Quality management brought the cycle of improvement and the audit. Evaluation brought the question of whether the difference really comes from your work. Reporting brought the annual report, materiality and the auditor. And development co-operation brought the logframe and the DAC criteria.

Smaller, less visible rivers flowed in too. In 1947 Kurt Lewin described how groups change: unfreezing, moving and freezing. Much of change management still builds on that. In 2011 John Kania and Mark Kramer wrote about collective impact. They looked not at one project but at all the parties in a region or sector that tackle one problem together.

The Netherlands has a tributary of its own: transition thinking. Around 2000, researchers such as Jan Rotmans, René Kemp and Frank Geels described how large systems change. Such change takes decades, not the length of a project. In 2001 the Dutch government took that thinking into its fourth National Environmental Policy Plan. In 2004 the Dutch Research Institute for Transitions opened in Rotterdam.

Each river also has words of its own. An evaluator says effect, an investor says return, an auditor says assurance. That explains part of the alphabet soup. That part is not a lack of co-ordination. It comes from where each word started.

1950–2026

## Putting a price on value

One of the rivers tries to express value in money. It is an old wish. A figure in money fits into a budget and an annual report. It makes comparing easy.

In 1988 the New Zealand economist Marilyn Waring showed what falls out of view. In her book Counting for Nothing she showed that unpaid work does not count in gross domestic product. Women’s work above all disappears from the figures. What has no price seems to have no value.

Still, the pricing went on. In 1997 researchers around Robert Costanza put the value of nature at 16 to 54 trillion dollars a year, 33 trillion on average. In 2009 a report by Joseph Stiglitz, Amartya Sen and Jean-Paul Fitoussi appeared, at the request of the French government. They looked beyond gross domestic product. The Natural Capital Protocol followed in 2016 and Harvard’s impact-weighted accounts in 2019.

These methods make a lot visible. They show which costs a company passes on to people and nature. But the outcome depends heavily on the prices you choose. Two calculations for the same programme can lie far apart. And a figure in money often hides who made the choices.

1950–2026

## Who gets measured?

One river is easy to overlook. It is about the people the work is for. In many measurements they are the source of the figures, but not their owner. They fill in questionnaires, but seldom read the report. Accountability goes up, to the funder. The data comes from below.

Resistance to that came early. In 1997 Robert Chambers asked in his book Whose Reality Counts? whose reality actually counts. He argued for methods in which people map their own situation. In 2001 Bill Cooke and Uma Kothari warned that participation, too, can become a form of power. Whoever leads the conversation decides what gets said.

In the years that followed, a movement around feedback grew. Organisations asked the people they work with for their verdict, much as a company asks its customers. Indigenous researchers went further. With the CARE principles of 2019 they asked for control over data about their own communities.

That raises an old question. Is someone a participant, a rights-holder or a data point? The answer decides who may tell the story. And it decides whether a measurement gives anything back to the people who made it possible.

1950–2026

## Assurance and the auditor

When sustainability entered the annual report, the auditor came with it. The auditor had to say whether the information was right. There was already a standard for work beyond the financial statements, ISAE 3000 of 2003. In 2024 the international standard-setter for auditors also approved ISSA 5000, written for sustainability information.

There are two levels of assurance. With limited assurance, the auditor says nothing has come to their attention that suggests the information is wrong. With reasonable assurance, the auditor says the information is right in all material respects. Under the CSRD, limited assurance is enough.

In 1997 the British researcher Michael Power already spoke of an audit society. Organisations arrange their work so that it can be checked. That gives assurance, but it also has a cost. A data point that an auditor can test is not always what matters to a participant. And the large firms that give assurance also earn from advising on such reports.

1950–2026

## Where the rules come from

So far we have followed the timeline and the rivers. Look at the map instead, and you see something else. For every framework in our lists, we looked up where it was made. That covers the alphabet soup, Fabrik’s reference data and a few names from this history: 284 in all.

For an organisation we count the city of its head office when the framework appeared. For a method we count where its makers worked, for a treaty the city where it was agreed. We place European rules in Brussels.

The picture is clear. Almost everything comes from Europe and North America. By the West we mean Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand. The United States and the United Kingdom together supply almost half. The Netherlands ranks high, but that mostly says something about where we stand. We simply know the Dutch rules better.

A map is never neutral. Many world maps draw Europe and North America larger than they are. That is why we use the Winkel tripel projection. It keeps area, direction and distance all as close to true as it can. On that map you see how small the area is where almost everything comes from. Europe is so full that we show it enlarged beside the map.

1950–2026

## Conceived in English

Almost seven in ten frameworks first appeared in English. That also holds for many standards from the Netherlands, Switzerland or Sweden. If you want a standard to be used worldwide, you write it in the language of investors and international bodies.

That matters in practice. Words like accountability, outcome and materiality have no exact Dutch equivalent. A translation often only comes once a standard is finished. So if you do not speak English, it is harder to take part in a consultation on a new version. Knowledge that is not written down in English counts for less.

European rules are an exception. They appear in every language of the Union at the same time. Partly because of that, the share of English has fallen since 2010. The centre of gravity is moving from London and Washington to Brussels. But that is still the West.

194

standards in our lists first appeared in English

Source: our own count

1950–2026

## The centre of gravity shifts, slowly

Of the 284 standards, 17 come from outside the West. That is six per cent. Five of them are only here because we added them ourselves for this article. They were missing from the alphabet soup and from Fabrik’s reference data. We also added Kaupapa Māori evaluation from New Zealand, but it counts as Western here, because we count by country.

Look beyond the standards, and the map changes. For Fabrik, its makers also gathered sources from practice, in many languages. In them we found another 72 frameworks, laws and methods. Almost half of them, 35, come from outside the West. Two in three first appeared in a language other than English.

Think of Buen Vivir in Ecuador’s constitution, Gross National Happiness in Bhutan and BRAC’s graduation model in Bangladesh. Or of the social economy laws in South Korea, Ecuador and Uruguay. With the King Reports, South Africa led the way on integrated reporting. India has made its own rules for sustainability disclosure since 2021, China since 2024 and Japan since 2025.

So outside the West, plenty of norms are being set. But those norms rarely become a global standard. A list of frameworks shows who is heard, not who has something to say. We will take that into account when we update our lists.

35

frameworks from Fabrik’s sources come from outside the West

Source: our own count

1950–2026

## Why setting norms chafes

Impact management has a tension built in. Impact is about change for people and their surroundings, and that differs from place to place. A standard, by contrast, wants you to measure the same way everywhere. Without a norm you cannot compare anything. With a norm you risk measuring what fits, and missing what matters.

The tension is not new. After Ridgway in 1956, the British economist Charles Goodhart wrote something similar in 1975. A statistical regularity tends to collapse once you start to steer by it. The American researcher Donald Campbell wrote about it in 1979. The more a figure is used for decisions, the more it comes under pressure. The figure then starts to shape the behaviour it was meant to measure.

In 1995 the historian Theodore Porter showed that figures win trust above all where people do not know each other. A standard then replaces the judgement of those who know the situation. In 1998 Wendy Espeland and Mitchell Stevens described what happens when you put unlike things on one scale. They showed that something that does not fit the measure gets lost.

Setting norms is therefore also a question of power. Whoever writes the standard decides which change counts and how you prove it. As long as those writers mostly come from a few countries, the norm fits their practice best. Methods such as Most Significant Change and Made in Africa are also a response to that. They ask who may say what a change is worth.

Power has another side too: who pays for putting a standard into practice? Writing a standard costs less than using it well. If you have no money for training, data and checks, you can often only tick the norm off. There is no room left to learn from it. Then a framework becomes a form.

That does not mean you should work without standards. A shared language makes working together easier. It helps a funder, a board or a policymaker to compare. It does mean using a standard as a tool, without losing sight of your own account of your work.

2022–2026

## Headwind

Around 2022 the wind turned. In the United States, politicians in dozens of states put forward bills against sustainable investing. The American securities regulator adopted a rule on climate disclosure in 2024. A year later it stopped defending that rule in court.

Companies responded in two ways. Some said less about their goals. They feared criticism from both sides: that they did too little, or that they were playing politics. That silence got a name: green hushing. Others carried on, because customers, funders and staff kept asking for it.

In 2026 Europe, too, rolled back part of its rules. With the Omnibus package, the CSRD now only applies to the largest companies. They have more than 1,000 employees and more than €450 million in turnover. Many organisations that were getting ready no longer have to report.

2025–2026

## The question stays

The question has stayed. A funder, a customer or a board still wants to know what your work changes. What this history teaches is that rules come and go. Where they are made shifts too. If you understand for yourself what your work does, you do not need to wait for the next rule.

We do not know what comes next either. Perhaps another wave of rules is coming, perhaps not. That is why we would rather start from that one question than from the newest framework.

Sources (3)

How we counted: We took every framework, standard, method, law, label and index in the alphabet soup, in Fabrik’s reference data and in Fabrik’s catalogue of sources. A few names from the article itself count too. For each name we looked up the year it first appeared, the country where it was made and the language of its first version. For an organisation we count its seat at the time, for a treaty the place where it was signed. Fabrik’s internal lists did not count. The list with sources is below the article.

Source

Herkomst van de raamwerken uit de alfabetsoep, de referentiedata en de bronnen van Fabrik

Publisher

Narrate

Consulted

22 October 2026

Status

Our own countWe counted this figure ourselves.

The more any quantitative social indicator is used for social decision-making, the more subject it will be to corruption pressures and the more apt it will be to distort and corrupt the social processes it is intended to monitor.

p. 85

Source

Assessing the impact of planned social change

Publisher

Donald T. Campbell, Evaluation and Program Planning 2(1)

Date

1979

Consulted

22 October 2026

Status

CheckedWe read the source itself and took a literal quote from it.

[Open the source](https://doi.org/10.1016/0149-7189(79)90048-X)

Source

Richtlijn (EU) 2026/470 (Omnibus I), wijziging van de CSRD en de CSDDD

Publisher

Europees Parlement en Raad van de Europese Unie

Date

26 February 2026

Consulted

21 October 2026

Status

Not yet checkedThe source is in our register, but we have not yet taken a quote from it.

[Open the source](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2026/470/oj)

Sources for the time path

Every moment on the path has its own source. The frameworks sit in the year they first appeared, according to their owner.

1. 1961[The OECD sets up the DAC, for development aid](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Development_Assistance_Committee)
2. 1972[The Club of Rome: the limits to growth](https://www.clubofrome.org/publication/the-limits-to-growth/)
3. 1987[UN report Our Common Future](https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/5987our-common-future.pdf)
4. 1997[The Global Reporting Initiative begins](https://www.globalreporting.org/about-gri/mission-history/)
5. 2000[Eight Millennium Development Goals](https://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/)
6. 2005[Paris Declaration: managing aid for results](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_Declaration_on_Aid_Effectiveness)
7. 2006[Principles for Responsible Investment](https://www.unpri.org/about-us/about-the-pri)
8. 2009[Global Impact Investing Network and IRIS](https://thegiin.org/about/)
9. 2014[EU directive on non-financial information](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2014/95/oj)
10. 2015[Seventeen Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement](https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement)
11. 2019[SFDR, European rules for sustainable finance](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2019/2088/oj)
12. 2022[The CSRD is adopted](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2022/2464/oj)
13. 2024[The CSDDD on due diligence in the value chain](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2024/1760/oj)
14. 2026[Omnibus: the CSRD only for the largest companies](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2026/470/oj)

Every framework with its year, country and language

356 frameworks from the alphabet soup, Fabrik’s reference data and sources, and this history. Each shows the year it first appeared, the country where it was made and the language of its first version. A ± marks a year we estimated.

Every framework with its year, country and language

| Year | Name | Country | Language |
| 1946 | [Constitution of the World Health Organization](https://www.who.int/about/governance/constitution) | United States | multilingual |
| 1946 | [Participatory evaluation and action research](https://narrate.works/impact-management/frameworks#participatieve-evaluatie) | United States | en |
| 1948 | [RCTs and quasi-experiments (RCT)](https://narrate.works/impact-management/frameworks#experimenteel-onderzoek) | United Kingdom | en |
| 1948 | [Universal Declaration of Human Rights](https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights) | France | multilingual |
| 1959 | [Kirkpatrick model](https://narrate.works/impact-management/frameworks#kirkpatrick) | United States | en |
| 1961, estimated | [Systems map](https://narrate.works/impact-management/frameworks#systeemkaart) | United States | en |
| 1966 | [International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights](https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/international-covenant-civil-and-political-rights) | United States | multilingual |
| 1966 | [International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights](https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/international-covenant-economic-social-and-cultural-rights) | United States | multilingual |
| 1969 | [Life cycle assessment (LCA)](https://narrate.works/impact-management/frameworks#lca) | United States | en |
| 1969 | [Logical framework](https://narrate.works/impact-management/frameworks#logframe) | United States | en |
| 1971 | [Ramsar Convention on Wetlands](https://www.ramsar.org/about/history-of-the-ramsar-convention) | Iran | multilingual |
| 1972 | [Goal-free evaluation](https://www.betterevaluation.org/methods-approaches/approaches/goal-free-evaluation) | United States | en |
| 1972 | [Stockholm Declaration on the Human Environment](https://www.un.org/en/conferences/environment/stockholm1972) | Sweden | multilingual |
| 1972, estimated | [Theory-based evaluation / theory-driven evaluation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory-driven_evaluation) | United States | en |
| 1973 | [Responsive evaluation](https://people.bath.ac.uk/edspd/Weblinks/MA_CS/PDFs/Session%205/Stake%201975%20UoI.pdf) | United States | en |
| 1973, estimated | [The Green Book](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-green-book-appraisal-and-evaluation-in-central-government) | United Kingdom | en |
| 1974 | [Democratic evaluation](https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/29614/) | United Kingdom | en |
| 1974 | [Technology Readiness Levels (TRL)](https://narrate.works/impact-management/frameworks#trl) | United States | en |
| 1976 | [Grameen microcredit model](https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/2006/grameen/facts/) | Bangladesh | bn |
| 1976 | [OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises](https://mneguidelines.oecd.org/) | France | multilingual |
| 1978 | [Adaptive management (evaluation approach)](https://pure.iiasa.ac.at/823) | Austria | en |
| 1978 | [Declaration of Alma-Ata](https://www.who.int/teams/social-determinants-of-health/declaration-of-alma-ata) | Kazakhstan | multilingual |
| 1978, estimated | [Rapid evaluation / rapid appraisal](https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1057/9781137271631_12) | United Kingdom | en |
| 1978 | [Utilization-focused evaluation](https://narrate.works/impact-management/frameworks#utilization-focused-evaluation) | United States | en |
| 1979, estimated | [Logic model](https://narrate.works/impact-management/frameworks#logic-model) | United States | en |
| 1979 | [Process tracing](https://narrate.works/impact-management/frameworks#process-tracing) | United States | en |
| 1983 | [Critical Systems Heuristics](https://www.wulrich.com/csh.html) | Switzerland | en |
| 1983 | [Objectives and key results (OKR)](https://narrate.works/impact-management/frameworks#okr) | United States | en |
| 1983 | [ROI Methodology](https://roiinstitute.net/roi-institute-celebrates-40th-anniversary-of-handbook-of-training-evaluation-and-measurement-methods/) | United States | en |
| 1987 | [Appreciative inquiry](https://www.betterevaluation.org/methods-approaches/approaches/appreciative-inquiry) | United States | en |
| 1987 | [Beneficiary assessment](https://library.bracu.ac.bd/vufind/Record/8034) | United States | en |
| 1987 | [ISO 9001](https://www.iso.org/standard/16533.html) | Switzerland | en |
| 1987 | [Montreal Protocol](https://ozone.unep.org/treaties/montreal-protocol) | Canada | multilingual |
| 1987 | [Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA)](https://www.betterevaluation.org/methods-approaches/methods/qualitative-comparative-analysis) | United States | en |
| 1987 | [Rainforest Alliance](https://rainforest-alliance.org/insights/our-founder-daniel-katz-reflects-on-the-origins-of-the-rainforest-alliance) | United States | en |
| 1988 | [Fairtrade](https://www.fairtrade.net/news/fairtrade-statement-on-the-passing-of-frans-francisco-van-der-hoff) | Netherlands | nl |
| 1989 | [Basel Convention](https://www.basel.int/TheConvention/Overview/History/Overview/tabid/3405/Default.aspx) | Switzerland | multilingual |
| 1989 | [Convention on the Rights of the Child](https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/convention-rights-child) | United States | multilingual |
| 1989 | [Fourth generation evaluation](https://www.sagepub.com/shop/buy-a-book/fourth-generation-evaluation-1-2748) | United States | en |
| 1989 | [Participatory budgeting](https://prefeitura.poa.br/smgov/orcamento-participativo) | Brazil | pt |
| 1989 | [The Natural Step](https://naturalstep.ca/about/) | Sweden | sv |
| 1990 | [BREEAM and LEED](https://narrate.works/impact-management/frameworks#breeam-leed) | United Kingdom | en |
| 1990 | [Human Development Index (HDI)](https://hdr.undp.org/content/human-development-report-1990) | United States | en |
| 1990, estimated | [Kaupapa Māori evaluation](https://ces.journals.uvic.ca/index.php/cjpe/article/view/514) | New Zealand | en |
| 1990, estimated | [Positive deviance](https://positivedeviance.org/background) | United States | en |
| 1990 | [USDA National Organic Program](https://www.ams.usda.gov/about-ams/programs-offices/national-organic-program) | United States | en |
| 1991 | [EFQM Model (EFQM)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EFQM) | Belgium | en |
| 1991 | [EU organic farming regulation](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:31991R2092) | European Union | multilingual |
| 1991 | [Humanitarian principles](https://www.unocha.org/publications/report/world/ocha-message-humanitarian-principles-enar) | United States | multilingual |
| 1991 | [OECD-DAC criteria (OECD-DAC)](https://narrate.works/impact-management/frameworks#oecd-dac) | France | en |
| 1991 | [Village Savings and Loan Association](https://www.care.org.au/stories/care-savings-groups-are-changing-the-world/) | Niger | fr |
| 1992 | [Balanced scorecard (BSC)](https://narrate.works/impact-management/frameworks#balanced-scorecard) | United States | en |
| 1992 | [Convention on Biological Diversity](https://www.cbd.int/history/) | Kenya | multilingual |
| 1992 | [EU Ecolabel](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:31992R0880) | European Union | multilingual |
| 1992 | [Rio Declaration on Environment and Development](https://www.un.org/en/conferences/environment/rio1992) | Brazil | multilingual |
| 1992 | [Self-Help Group–Bank Linkage Programme](https://findevgateway.org/sites/default/files/publications/files/mfg-en-paper-nabard-and-microfinance-2002.pdf) | India | en |
| 1992 | [UN Framework Convention on Climate Change](https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-convention/history-of-the-convention) | United States | multilingual |
| 1993 | [Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS)](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/1993/1836/oj) | European Union | multilingual |
| 1993 | [Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)](https://fsc.org/en/our-history) | Mexico | en |
| 1993, estimated | [ISS ESG Corporate Rating (formerly oekom Corporate Rating)](https://www.csrwire.com/press-release/oekom-research-to-join-institutional-shareholder-services/) | Germany | de |
| 1994 | [Developmental evaluation](https://narrate.works/impact-management/frameworks#developmental-evaluation) | United States | en |
| 1994 | [Empowerment evaluation](https://www.betterevaluation.org/methods-approaches/approaches/empowerment-evaluation) | United States | en |
| 1994 | [Green Key](https://narrate.works/impact-management/frameworks#green-key) | Denmark | da |
| 1994 | [IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria](https://portals.iucn.org/library/node/6912) | Switzerland | en |
| 1994 | [King Reports on Corporate Governance (King I to IV)](https://www.iodsa.co.za/page/history) | South Africa | en |
| 1995 | [Theory of change (ToC)](https://narrate.works/impact-management/frameworks#verandertheorie) | United States | en |
| 1996 | [Costa Rica's Payment for Environmental Services programme (PSA)](https://www.fonafifo.go.cr/es/servicios/pago-de-servicios-ambientales/) | Costa Rica | es |
| 1996 | [ISO 14001](https://narrate.works/impact-management/frameworks#iso-14001) | Switzerland | en |
| 1996 | [Most significant change (MSC)](https://narrate.works/impact-management/frameworks#most-significant-change) | Bangladesh | en |
| 1996, estimated | [Results-Based Accountability (RBA)](https://narrate.works/impact-management/frameworks#results-based-accountability) | United States | en |
| 1996, estimated | [Social Return on Investment (SROI)](https://narrate.works/impact-management/frameworks#sroi) | United States | en |
| 1997 | [GlobalG.A.P. (originally EUREPGAP)](https://globalgap.org/about/history/) | Germany | en |
| 1997 | [Indigenous Peoples' Rights Act (Philippines)](https://lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra1997/ra_8371_1997.html) | Philippines | en |
| 1997 | [Kyoto Protocol](https://unfccc.int/kyoto_protocol) | Japan | multilingual |
| 1997 | [Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)](https://www.msc.org/uk/media-centre/blog/news/2018/05/18/20-years-of-the-msc-a-view-from-wwf) | United Kingdom | en |
| 1997 | [Photovoice](https://www.betterevaluation.org/methods-approaches/methods/photovoice) | United States | en |
| 1997 | [Realist evaluation](https://narrate.works/impact-management/frameworks#realist-evaluation) | United Kingdom | en |
| 1997 | [SA8000](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SA8000) | United States | en |
| 1997 | [Sufficiency Economy Philosophy](https://www.mfa.go.th/en/content/sufficiency-economy-philosophy) | Thailand | th |
| 1998 | [Aarhus Convention](https://unece.org/environment-policy/public-participation/aarhus-convention/introduction) | Denmark | multilingual |
| 1998 | [Culturally responsive evaluation](https://crea.education.illinois.edu/home/origins) | United States | en |
| 1998 | [Environmental Product Declaration (EPD)](https://www.environdec.com/about-us/international-epd-system) | Sweden | sv |
| 1998 | [ETI Base Code (ETI)](https://www.ethicaltrade.org/about-eti/why-we-exist/etis-origins) | United Kingdom | en |
| 1998 | [ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work](https://www.ilo.org/ilo-declaration-fundamental-principles-and-rights-work) | Switzerland | multilingual |
| 1998 | [Rotterdam Convention](https://www.pic.int/TheConvention/Overview/History/Overview/tabid/1360/language/en-US/Default.aspx) | Netherlands | multilingual |
| 1998 | [Sphere Standards](https://spherestandards.org/sphere-reaches-its-quarter-century-part-1) | Switzerland | en |
| 1999 | [AA1000 AccountAbility Principles (AA1000)](https://www.accountability.org/) | United Kingdom | en |
| 1999 | [Contribution analysis](https://narrate.works/impact-management/frameworks#contributieanalyse) | Canada | en |
| 1999 | [Decent Work Agenda](https://www.ilo.org/public/english/standards/relm/ilc/ilc87/rep-i.htm) | Switzerland | multilingual |
| 1999, estimated | [Decolonial evaluation](https://ces.journals.uvic.ca/index.php/cjpe/article/view/514) | New Zealand | en |
| 1999 | [Deliberative democratic evaluation](https://uk.sagepub.com/en-gb/eur/values-in-evaluation-and-social-research/book9567) | United States | en |
| 1999 | [Do No Harm framework](https://www.cdacollaborative.org/publication/do-no-harm-how-aid-can-support-peace-or-war/) | United States | en |
| 1999 | [Fair Wear](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_Wear_Foundation) | Netherlands | nl |
| 1999, estimated | [IAP2 Spectrum of Public Participation](https://www.iap2.org/page/SpectrumEvolution) | United States | en |
| 1999, estimated | [MSCI ESG Ratings](https://www.msci.com/our-solutions/esg-investing/esg-ratings) | United States | en |
| 1999 | [S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA)](https://www.spglobal.com/esg/csa/) | Switzerland | en |
| 1999 | [Transformative mixed methods / transformative paradigm](https://doi.org/10.1177/109821409902000102) | United States | en |
| 2000 | [CDP](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_Disclosure_Project) | United Kingdom | en |
| 2000 | [Erneuerbare-Energien-Gesetz](https://www.bgbl.de/xaver/bgbl/start.xav?startbk=Bundesanzeiger_BGBl&jumpTo=bgbl100s0305.pdf) | Germany | de |
| 2000 | [Ethos Indicators](https://www.ethos.org.br/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Indicadores-Ethos-NSR_Conteudo.pdf) | Brazil | pt |
| 2000 | [eXtensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL)](https://xml.coverpages.org/xfrml.html) | United States | en |
| 2000 | [GRI Standards (GRI)](https://narrate.works/impact-management/frameworks#gri) | United States | en |
| 2000 | [International Standard on Assurance Engagements 3000 (ISAE 3000)](https://www.ifac.org/system/files/publications/files/ISAE-3000-Basis-for-Conclusions.pdf) | United States | en |
| 2000 | [Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)](https://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/) | United States | multilingual |
| 2000 | [Social cost-benefit analysis (MKBA)](https://narrate.works/impact-management/frameworks#mkba) | Netherlands | nl |
| 2000 | [UN Global Compact (UNGC)](https://unglobalcompact.org/about) | United States | en |
| 2001 | [FTSE4Good](https://www.lseg.com/en/ftse-russell/indices/ftse4good) | United Kingdom | en |
| 2001 | [Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG)](https://narrate.works/impact-management/frameworks#ghg-protocol) | United States | en |
| 2001 | [Outcome mapping](https://narrate.works/impact-management/frameworks#outcome-mapping) | Canada | en |
| 2001 | [Société coopérative d'intérêt collectif (collective-interest cooperative)](https://www.les-scic.coop/sites/fr/les-scic/les-scic/textes-de-reference.html) | France | fr |
| 2001 | [Stockholm Convention on POPs](https://www.pops.int/TheConvention/Overview/History/Overview/tabid/3549/Default.aspx) | Sweden | multilingual |
| 2002 | [BRAC Graduation approach](https://www.brac.net/program/ultra-poor-graduation/) | Bangladesh | en |
| 2002, estimated | [Feminist evaluation](https://jmde.journals.publicknowledgeproject.org/index.php/jmde_1/article/view/199) | United States | en |
| 2002, estimated | [Iceberg model](https://narrate.works/impact-management/frameworks#ijsbergmodel) | United States | en |
| 2002, estimated | [Outcome harvesting](https://narrate.works/impact-management/frameworks#outcome-harvesting) | Egypt | en |
| 2003 | [amfori BSCI (BSCI)](https://www.amfori.org/amfori-bsci/) | Belgium | en |
| 2003 | [Equator Principles (EP)](https://equator-principles.com/about-the-equator-principles/) | United States | en |
| 2003 | [EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS)](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2003/87/oj) | European Union | multilingual |
| 2003 | [Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI)](https://eiti.org/history) | United Kingdom | en |
| 2003 | [Gold Standard](https://www.goldstandard.org/about-us) | Switzerland | en |
| 2003, estimated | [LSEG ESG Scores (formerly ASSET4)](https://www.ecgi.global/publications/working-papers/is-history-repeating-itself-the-unpredictable-past-of-esg-ratings) | Switzerland | en |
| 2003 | [Success Case Method](https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/books/415) | United States | en |
| 2003 | [The Magenta Book](https://dera.ioe.ac.uk/10521/) | United Kingdom | en |
| 2003 | [United Nations Convention against Corruption](https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/treaties/CAC/) | United States | multilingual |
| 2004 | [Civil economy (Economia civile)](https://www.mulino.it/isbn/9788815096739) | Italy | it |
| 2004 | [Dutch Transparency Benchmark](https://english.rvo.nl/topics/csr/crystal-transparency/history) | Netherlands | nl |
| 2004 | [Impact value chain](https://narrate.works/impact-management/frameworks#impactwaardeketen) | United States | en |
| 2004 | [Qualitative Impact Protocol (QuIP)](https://doi.org/10.1002/jid.1082) | United Kingdom | en |
| 2004 | [Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roundtable_on_Sustainable_Palm_Oil) | Switzerland | en |
| 2004 | [Sedex Members Ethical Trade Audit (SMETA)](https://info.sedex.com/hubfs/Reports/Introduction%20to%20SMETA.pdf) | United Kingdom | en |
| 2005 | [Cradle to Cradle Certified (C2C)](https://mbdc.com/about-mbdc/) | United States | en |
| 2005 | [Innovation histories](https://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/52515/files/ILAC_Brief05_Histories.pdf) | Colombia | en |
| 2005 | [UNEG Norms and Standards for Evaluation (UNEG)](https://www.unevaluation.org/document/detail/21) | United States | en |
| 2006, estimated | [Collaborative Outcomes Reporting](https://betterevaluation.org/node/2707) | Australia | en |
| 2006 | [Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities](https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/convention-rights-persons-disabilities) | United States | multilingual |
| 2006 | [Forest Rights Act (India)](https://prsindia.org/files/bills_acts/acts_parliament/2006/the-scheduled-tribes-and-other-traditional-forest-dwellers-recognition-of-forest-rights-act-2006.pdf) | India | en |
| 2006 | [Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS)](https://global-standard.org/the-standard/story) | Germany | en |
| 2006 | [Horizontal evaluation](https://ideas.repec.org/p/ags/ilacbr/52522.html) | Peru | en |
| 2006 | [IFC Performance Standards (IFC PS)](https://www.ifc.org/en/insights-reports/2012/ifc-performance-standards) | United States | en |
| 2006 | [Institutional histories](https://alliancebioversityciat.org/publications-data/engaging-scientists-through-institutional-histories) | India | en |
| 2006 | [ISO 14064](https://www.iso.org/standard/38381.html) | Switzerland | en |
| 2006 | [Outcomes Star](https://narrate.works/impact-management/frameworks#outcomes-star) | United Kingdom | en |
| 2006 | [Polish Social Cooperatives Act](https://www.dziennikustaw.gov.pl/DU/2006/651) | Poland | pl |
| 2006 | [Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI)](https://www.unpri.org/about-us/about-the-pri) | United States | en |
| 2006, estimated | [Social business (Yunus model)](https://www.yunussb.com/social-business) | Bangladesh | en |
| 2006 | [Three Horizons](https://narrate.works/impact-management/frameworks#three-horizons) | United Kingdom | en |
| 2006 | [Verified Carbon Standard (VCS)](https://verra.org/verra-fact-check-of-die-zeit-article/) | Switzerland | en |
| 2007 | [B Corp certification](https://bcorporation.net/en-us/faqs/how-did-b-corp-movement-start) | United States | en |
| 2007 | [B Impact Assessment (BIA)](https://narrate.works/impact-management/frameworks#bia) | United States | en |
| 2007 | [Beter Leven label](https://www.dutchnews.nl/2024/03/animal-rights-groups-slam-better-life-meat-label) | Netherlands | nl |
| 2007 | [Ecological civilisation (shengtai wenming)](https://www.mee.gov.cn/ywgz/xcjy/gzcy_27007/200804/t20080416_121267.shtml) | China | zh |
| 2007 | [EcoVadis](https://ecovadis.com/about-us/) | France | en |
| 2007, estimated | [Made in Africa Evaluation](https://afrea.org/made-in-africa-evaluation-mae/) | Niger | en |
| 2007 | [Reality Check Approach](https://cdn.sida.se/publications/files/sida44809en-bangladesh-reality-check-annual-report-2007.pdf) | Bangladesh | en |
| 2007 | [Social Enterprise Promotion Act (South Korea)](https://www.law.go.kr/%EB%B2%95%EB%A0%B9/%EC%82%AC%ED%9A%8C%EC%A0%81%EA%B8%B0%EC%97%85%EC%9C%A1%EC%84%B1%EB%B2%95) | South Korea | ko |
| 2007 | [Standard 3810N](https://www.nba.nl/siteassets/wet--en-regelgeving/consultaties-en-projecten/2020/standaard-3810n/consultatiedocument-herziene-standaard-3810n---versie-ter-consultatie-210712.pdf) | Netherlands | nl |
| 2007 | [United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples](https://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/documents/DRIPS_en.pdf) | United States | multilingual |
| 2008 | [Accra Agenda for Action](https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/paris-declaration-on-aid-effectiveness-and-accra-agenda-for-action_9789264098107-en-fr.html) | Ghana | en |
| 2008 | [Buen Vivir (Sumak Kawsay, 'good living')](https://www.asambleanacional.gob.ec/es/contenido/constitucion-de-la-republica-del-ecuador) | Ecuador | es |
| 2008 | [Climate Change Act 2008](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2008/27/contents) | United Kingdom | en |
| 2008, estimated | [Constituent Voice](https://keystoneaccountability.org/) | United Kingdom | en |
| 2008 | [DCED Standard for Results Measurement (DCED)](https://www.enterprise-development.org/measuring-results-the-dced-standard/) | United Kingdom | en |
| 2008 | [Dutch energy label](https://www.cbs.nl/nl-NL/menu/methoden/toelichtingen/alfabet/e/energielabel1.htm) | Netherlands | nl |
| 2008, estimated | [Dutch socially responsible procurement (MVI)](https://zoek.officielebekendmakingen.nl/kst-30196-20.html) | Netherlands | nl |
| 2008 | [Effect ladder](https://www.nji.nl/kennis/effectieve-jeugdhulp/werken-aan-effectiviteit) | Netherlands | nl |
| 2008 | [Gross National Happiness Index](https://ophi.org.uk/node/2038) | Bhutan | en |
| 2008 | [International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI)](https://iatistandard.org/en/about/iati-history/) | United Kingdom | en |
| 2008 | [OECD DAC Guidance on Evaluating Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding Activities](https://alnap.org/help-library/resources/guidance-on-evaluating-conflict-prevention-and-peacebuilding-activities-working-draft/) | France | en |
| 2008 | [Participation ladder](https://www.regioplan.nl/wp-content/uploads/data/file/rapporten-1700-1799/1776-Ontwikkeling-participatieladder.pdf) | Netherlands | nl |
| 2008 | [Rights of Nature in Ecuador's Constitution](https://pdba.georgetown.edu/Constitutions/Ecuador/english08.html) | Ecuador | es |
| 2008, estimated | [Systems evaluation (Systems Evaluation Protocol)](https://help.evaluationnetway.com/?p=15) | United States | en |
| 2008 | [Walloon Decree on the Social Economy](https://base.socioeco.org/docs/decretes-rw_20081120_moniteur20081231.pdf) | Belgium | fr |
| 2009 | [Better Cotton](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Better_Cotton_Initiative) | Switzerland | en |
| 2009 | [CO₂ Performance Ladder](https://www.binnenlandsbestuur.nl/ruimte-en-milieu/arcadis/co2-prestatieladder-een-versneller-geen-papierwinkel) | Netherlands | nl |
| 2009 | [GRESB](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GRESB) | Netherlands | en |
| 2009, estimated | [Indigenous evaluation framework](https://webassets.aihec.org/Initiatives/AIHECAimsDocs/AIHEC%20Indigenous%20Evaluation%20Framework%20Book_2019.pdf) | United States | en |
| 2009 | [IRIS+](https://narrate.works/impact-management/frameworks#iris) | United States | en |
| 2009 | [Mauritius mandatory corporate social responsibility framework](https://www.mra.mu/download/CSRGuide.pdf) | Mauritius | en |
| 2009 | [Planetary boundaries](https://www.stockholmresilience.org/research/planetary-boundaries.html) | Sweden | en |
| 2009 | [Principles of Social Value](https://narrate.works/impact-management/frameworks#social-value) | United Kingdom | en |
| 2009, estimated | [Ubuntu evaluation](https://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/9614) | Australia | en |
| 2010 | [Economy for the Common Good (ECG)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_for_the_Common_Good) | Austria | de |
| 2010 | [ISO 26000](https://narrate.works/impact-management/frameworks#iso-26000) | Switzerland | en |
| 2010 | [Law of the Rights of Mother Earth (Ley 071)](https://www.lexivox.org/norms/BO-L-N71.html) | Bolivia | es |
| 2010 | [Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI)](https://ophi.org.uk/global-mpi) | United Kingdom | en |
| 2010 | [Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-sharing](https://www.cbd.int/abs/) | Japan | multilingual |
| 2010 | [National Solid Waste Policy (Política Nacional de Resíduos Sólidos)](https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/_ato2007-2010/2010/lei/l12305.htm) | Brazil | pt |
| 2010 | [Outcomes-based finance and social impact bonds (SIB)](https://narrate.works/impact-management/frameworks#outcomes-based-finance) | United Kingdom | en |
| 2010, estimated | [Ripple effects mapping](https://narrate.works/impact-management/frameworks#ripple-effects-mapping) | United States | en |
| 2010 | [Satoyama Initiative](https://satoyama-initiative.org/) | Japan | en |
| 2010, estimated | [Self-Sufficiency Matrix (ZRM)](https://www.binnenlandsbestuur.nl/sociaal/infrastructuur/de-participatiemaatschappij-gemeten) | Netherlands | nl |
| 2010 | [Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs)](https://press.un.org/en/2010/100308_unifem.doc.htm) | United States | en |
| 2011, estimated | [CSR Performance Ladder](https://narrate.works/impact-management/frameworks#csr-prestatieladder) | Netherlands | nl |
| 2011 | [Dutch Green Deals](https://www.officielebekendmakingen.nl/kst-33043-26.pdf) | Netherlands | nl |
| 2011 | [Equity-focused evaluation](https://alnap.org/help-library/resources/how-to-design-and-manage-equity-focused-evaluations/) | United States | en |
| 2011 | [ISO 50001](https://www.iso.org/standard/51297.html) | Switzerland | en |
| 2011 | [OECD Better Life Index](https://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/about/better-life-initiative/) | France | en |
| 2011 | [Organic Law of the Popular and Solidarity Economy (Ecuador)](https://www.oas.org/juridico/pdfs/mesicic4_ecu_econ_pop_sol.pdf) | Ecuador | es |
| 2011 | [Positive Health](https://www.bmj.com/content/343/bmj.d4163) | Netherlands | en |
| 2011, estimated | [Rights-based evaluation (human rights-based approach)](https://www.unwomen.org/en/docs/2011/3/integrating-human-rights-and-gender-equality-in-evaluation) | United States | en |
| 2011, estimated | [Six Capitals](https://narrate.works/impact-management/frameworks#six-capitals) | United Kingdom | en |
| 2011 | [Social Economy and Social Entrepreneurship Law (Law 4019/2011, Greece)](https://www.kodiko.gr/nomothesia/document/77282/nomos-4019-2011) | Greece | el |
| 2011 | [Social Entrepreneurship Act (ZSocP, Slovenia)](https://socioeco.org/bdf_fiche-legislation-194_en.html) | Slovenia | sl |
| 2011 | [Spanish Social Economy Act (Ley 5/2011)](https://www.boe.es/buscar/act.php?id=BOE-A-2011-5708) | Spain | es |
| 2011 | [UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGP)](https://narrate.works/impact-management/frameworks#ungp) | Switzerland | multilingual |
| 2012 | [ASC Aquaculture Standard](https://asc-aqua.org/news/first-asc-certified-farmed-tilapia-now-available/) | Netherlands | en |
| 2012 | [Balanced Value Impact model (BVI)](https://narrate.works/impact-management/frameworks#bvi) | United Kingdom | en |
| 2012, estimated | [BetterEvaluation Rainbow Framework](https://www.betterevaluation.org/frameworks-guides/rainbow-framework) | Australia | en |
| 2012 | [Doughnut Economics](https://narrate.works/impact-management/frameworks#donuteconomie) | United Kingdom | en |
| 2012 | [Framework Act on Cooperatives (South Korea)](https://leap.unep.org/en/countries/kr/national-legislation/framework-act-cooperatives) | South Korea | ko |
| 2012 | [Framework Law of Mother Earth and Integral Development for Living Well (Bolivia, Law 300)](https://www.lexivox.org/norms/BO-L-N300.html) | Bolivia | es |
| 2012 | [General Law on Climate Change (Mexico)](https://www.diputados.gob.mx/LeyesBiblio/pdf/LGCC.pdf) | Mexico | es |
| 2012 | [Nesta Standards of Evidence](https://andeglobal.org/?p=4561) | United Kingdom | en |
| 2012 | [Principles for Sustainable Insurance (PSI)](https://www.unepfi.org/insurance/insurance/) | Switzerland | en |
| 2012 | [PSO ladder for social enterprise](https://publications.tno.nl/publication/34623045/V7GlaO/smit-2012-prestatieladder.pdf) | Netherlands | nl |
| 2012 | [Public Services (Social Value) Act](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2012/3/enacted) | United Kingdom | en |
| 2012 | [SAFA Guidelines (Sustainability Assessment of Food and Agriculture systems)](https://orgprints.dk/id/eprint/21169/1/SAFA_Guidelines_12_June_2012_final_v2.pdf) | Italy | en |
| 2012 | [Sustainable civil engineering ambition web (Duurzaam GWW)](https://leden.technieknederland.nl/stream/werkwijze-aanpak-duurzaam-gww) | Netherlands | nl |
| 2012 | [True Price](https://narrate.works/impact-management/frameworks#true-pricing) | Netherlands | en |
| 2013 | [ALNAP Evaluation of Humanitarian Action Guide](https://alnap.org/help-library/resources/evaluation-of-humanitarian-action-eha-guide/) | United Kingdom | en |
| 2013, estimated | [Collaborating, Learning and Adapting (CLA) framework](https://www.oecd.org/development-cooperation-learning/practices/usaid-collaborating-learning-and-adapting-bb879930/) | United States | en |
| 2013 | [EU Accounting Directive 2013/34/EU](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32013L0034) | European Union | multilingual |
| 2013 | [Integrated Reporting Framework](https://www.integratedreporting.org/resource/international-ir-framework/) | United Kingdom | en |
| 2013 | [KnowTheChain](https://knowthechain.org/?p=1398) | United States | en |
| 2013, estimated | [Lean Data](https://narrate.works/impact-management/frameworks#lean-data) | United States | en |
| 2013 | [Minamata Convention on Mercury](https://minamataconvention.org/en/about/history) | Japan | multilingual |
| 2013 | [Outcomes Matrix](https://www.thinknpc.org/resource-hub/mapping-outcomes-for-social-investment/) | United Kingdom | en |
| 2013 | [Product Environmental Footprint (PEF)](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32013H0179) | European Union | multilingual |
| 2013, estimated | [SASB Standards (SASB)](https://www.ifrs.org/issued-standards/sasb-standards/sasb-history/) | United States | en |
| 2013 | [Social Economy Act (Québec)](https://www.legisquebec.gouv.qc.ca/fr/pdf/lc/E-1.1.1.pdf) | Canada | fr |
| 2013 | [Social Enterprise Monitor](https://social-enterprise.nl/publicatie/social-enterprise-monitor-2013/) | Netherlands | nl |
| 2013 | [Social Impact Navigator](https://narrate.works/impact-management/frameworks#social-impact-navigator) | Germany | de |
| 2013 | [Social Progress Index (SPI)](https://www.socialprogress.org/) | United States | en |
| 2013, estimated | [Values-based evaluation](https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/epplan/v36y2013i1p1-14.html) | United Kingdom | en |
| 2014 | [Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS)](https://www.corehumanitarianstandard.org/the-standard/history) | Switzerland | en |
| 2014 | [French Social and Solidarity Economy Act (Loi n° 2014-856)](https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/loda/id/JORFTEXT000029313296) | France | fr |
| 2014 | [Green Bond Principles (GBP)](https://www.icmagroup.org/sustainable-finance/the-principles-guidelines-and-handbooks/green-bond-principles-gbp/) | Switzerland | en |
| 2014, estimated | [MAEX](https://narrate.works/impact-management/frameworks#maex) | Netherlands | nl |
| 2014 | [Non-Financial Reporting Directive (NFRD)](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2014/95/oj) | European Union | multilingual |
| 2014 | [Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)](https://standard.open-contracting.org/latest/en/history/changelog/) | United States | en |
| 2014 | [Social Value Bank](https://socialvalueuk.org/the-sroi-network-hact-release-joint-linkages-paper) | United Kingdom | en |
| 2014 | [WELL Building Standard](https://www.wellcertified.com/about-iwbi/) | United States | en |
| 2015 | [African Union Agenda 2063](https://au.int/en/agenda2063/overview) | Ethiopia | multilingual |
| 2015 | [Assessing low-Carbon Transition (ACT)](https://actinitiative.org/faq/) | France | en |
| 2015 | [Diversity Charter (SER)](https://www.regioplan.nl/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/16005-Eindrapport-Charter-Diversiteit-Regioplan.pdf) | Netherlands | nl |
| 2015 | [Gender-responsive evaluation](https://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2015/4/un-women-evaluation-handbook-how-to-manage-gender-responsive-evaluation) | United States | en |
| 2015 | [Loi relative à la transition énergétique pour la croissance verte (incl. Art. 173)](https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/jorf/id/JORFTEXT000031044385) | France | fr |
| 2015 | [Material Circularity Indicator (MCI)](https://ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/material-circularity-indicator) | United Kingdom | en |
| 2015 | [Modern Slavery Act 2015](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2015/30/contents) | United Kingdom | en |
| 2015 | [Paris Agreement](https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement) | France | multilingual |
| 2015 | [Paris Agreement Capital Transition Assessment (PACTA)](https://pacta.rmi.org/about-2/) | France | en |
| 2015 | [Partnership for Carbon Accounting Financials (PCAF)](https://narrate.works/impact-management/frameworks#pcaf) | Netherlands | en |
| 2015 | [Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi)](https://narrate.works/impact-management/frameworks#sbti) | United Kingdom | en |
| 2015 | [SDG Compass](https://unglobalcompact.org/library/3101) | United States | en |
| 2015 | [Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction](https://www.undrr.org/publication/sendai-framework-disaster-risk-reduction-2015-2030) | Japan | multilingual |
| 2015 | [Social Economy Law (Law 219/2015, Romania)](https://legeaz.net/monitorul-oficial-561-2015/legea-219-2015-economia) | Romania | ro |
| 2015 | [Strategy for the Development of Social Entrepreneurship 2015–2020 (Croatia)](https://social-economy-gateway.ec.europa.eu/my-country/croatia_en) | Croatia | hr |
| 2015 | [Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)](https://narrate.works/impact-management/frameworks#sdgs) | United States | multilingual |
| 2015 | [UNGP Reporting Framework](https://www.ungpreporting.org/first-comprehensive-guidance-for-companies-on-human-rights-reporting-launches-in-london/) | United States | en |
| 2015 | [Well-being of Future Generations Act](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/anaw/2015/2/contents) | United Kingdom | en |
| 2016 | [AMEC Integrated Evaluation Framework (AMEC)](https://narrate.works/impact-management/frameworks#amec) | United Kingdom | en |
| 2016 | [Blue Marble Evaluation](https://www.guilford.com/books/Blue-Marble-Evaluation/Michael-Quinn-Patton/9781462541942) | United States | en |
| 2016 | [Capitals Coalition protocols](https://narrate.works/impact-management/frameworks#capitals-protocols) | United Kingdom | en |
| 2016 | [CBF accreditation (CBF)](https://cbf.nl/historie-van-cbf-toezicht-op-goeddoen) | Netherlands | nl |
| 2016 | [Dutch Environment and Planning Act](https://www.eerstekamer.nl/9370000/1/j4nvhf0njnhd6ks_j9vvkfvj6b325az/vjkqocehjqx1) | Netherlands | nl |
| 2016 | [Dutch responsible business conduct agreements (IMVO)](https://www.ser.nl/-/media/ser/downloads/overige-publicaties/2016/convenant-duurzame-kleding-textiel.pdf) | Netherlands | nl |
| 2016 | [Food Loss and Waste Accounting and Reporting Standard](https://flwprotocol.org/flw-standard/) | United States | en |
| 2016 | [Future-Fit Business Benchmark](https://sustainabilityadvantage.com/2016/05/17/announcing-5-firsts-for-the-future-fit-business-benchmark/) | United Kingdom | en |
| 2016, estimated | [Goldilocks Toolkit and CART principles (right-fit evidence)](https://www.poverty-action.org/goldilocks/toolkit) | United States | en |
| 2016 | [Impact Gaps Canvas](https://narrate.works/impact-management/frameworks#impact-gaps-canvas) | United Kingdom | en |
| 2016, estimated | [Integrated Profit & Loss (IP&L)](https://narrate.works/impact-management/frameworks#integrated-pl) | Netherlands | en |
| 2016 | [ISO 37001](https://www.iso.org/standard/65034.html) | Switzerland | en |
| 2016 | [R-ladder](https://www.pbl.nl/node/4803) | Netherlands | nl |
| 2016 | [Société d'impact sociétal (societal impact company)](https://impotsdirects.public.lu/dam-assets/fr/legislation/legi16/a255.pdf) | Luxembourg | fr |
| 2017 | [Causal Link Monitoring](https://www.betterevaluation.org/sites/default/files/2023-03/CLM%20Brief_20170615_1528%20FINAL.pdf) | United States | en |
| 2017 | [Corporate Human Rights Benchmark (CHRB)](https://www.ihrb.org/latest/chrb-2017-results) | United Kingdom | en |
| 2017 | [CSR-Richtlinie-Umsetzungsgesetz](https://www.bgbl.de/xaver/bgbl/start.xav?startbk=Bundesanzeiger_BGBl&jumpTo=bgbl117s0802.pdf) | Germany | de |
| 2017 | [Déclaration de performance extra-financière](https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/jorf/id/JORFTEXT000035250851) | France | fr |
| 2017, estimated | [Five dimensions of impact](https://narrate.works/impact-management/frameworks#vijf-dimensies) | United Kingdom | en |
| 2017 | [ISO 20400](https://www.iso.org/standard/63026.html) | Switzerland | en |
| 2017 | [Klimaloven (Climate Change Act)](https://lovdata.no/dokument/NL/lov/2017-06-16-60) | Norway | no |
| 2017 | [Loi de vigilance (devoir de vigilance)](https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/jorf/id/JORFTEXT000034290626) | France | fr |
| 2017 | [Principles-focused evaluation](https://www.guilford.com/re/9781462531820) | United States | en |
| 2017 | [Social Bond Principles (SBP)](https://www.icmagroup.org/assets/documents/Regulatory/Green-Bonds/Green,-Social-and-Sustainability-Bonds-Press-release.pdf) | Switzerland | en |
| 2017 | [Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD)](https://www.fsb-tcfd.org/about/) | Switzerland | en |
| 2017 | [Themes, Outcomes and Measures (TOMs)](https://socialvalueportal.com/national-toms/) | United Kingdom | en |
| 2018 | [Act on the Social Economy and Social Enterprises (Act 112/2018, Slovakia)](https://www.slov-lex.sk/pravne-predpisy/SK/ZZ/2018/112/) | Slovakia | sk |
| 2018 | [Broad wellbeing](https://narrate.works/impact-management/frameworks#brede-welvaart) | Netherlands | nl |
| 2018, estimated | [Code for Social Enterprises (NL)](https://stibbe.com/publications-and-insights/corporate-social-responsibility-for-dutch-companies-from-b-corp-to-bvm) | Netherlands | nl |
| 2018 | [ENCORE](https://www.unepfi.org/themes/ecosystems/groundbreaking-new-tool-enables-financial-institutions-to-see-their-exposure-to-natural-capital-risk/) | United Kingdom | en |
| 2018 | [Escazú Agreement](https://www.cepal.org/en/escazuagreement) | Costa Rica | multilingual |
| 2018 | [European Single Electronic Format (ESEF)](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg_del/2019/815/oj) | European Union | multilingual |
| 2018, estimated | [Impact Management Norms](https://impactfrontiers.org/history/) | United Kingdom | en |
| 2018 | [ISO 45001](https://www.iso.org/standard/63787.html) | Switzerland | en |
| 2018 | [Monitor of Well-being](https://www.cbs.nl/nl-nl/publicatie/2018/20/monitor-brede-welvaart-2018) | Netherlands | nl |
| 2018 | [SDG India Index](https://sdgindiaindex.niti.gov.in/) | India | en |
| 2018 | [Sustainalytics ESG Risk Ratings](https://www.sustainalytics.com/esg-news/news-details/2018/09/11/sustainalytics-launches-its-esg-risk-ratings) | Netherlands | en |
| 2018 | [TEEBAgriFood Evaluation Framework (True Cost Accounting for Food)](https://teebweb.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Foundations_Report_Final_October.pdf) | Switzerland | en |
| 2018 | [The Impact Path (Het Impactpad)](https://eur.nl/en/ice/media/2020-06-het-impactpad) | Netherlands | nl |
| 2019 | [Article 29 Loi Énergie-Climat](https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/jorf/id/JORFTEXT000039355955) | France | fr |
| 2019 | [Brennstoffemissionshandelsgesetz](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/behg/) | Germany | de |
| 2019 | [Bundes-Klimaschutzgesetz](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/ksg/) | Germany | de |
| 2019, estimated | [Circular Performance Ladder](https://www.kiwa.com/nl/nl/over-kiwa/nieuws/kiwa-reikt-nederlands-eerste-certificaat-prestatieladder-circulair-uit-aan-eps-nederland-bv/) | Netherlands | nl |
| 2019 | [Double materiality assessment](https://narrate.works/impact-management/frameworks#dubbele-materialiteit) | European Union | multilingual |
| 2019 | [Dutch Child Labour Due Diligence Act](https://zoek.officielebekendmakingen.nl/stb-2019-401.html) | Netherlands | nl |
| 2019 | [Dutch Climate Act](https://zoek.officielebekendmakingen.nl/stb-2019-253.html) | Netherlands | nl |
| 2019 | [Dutch Climate Agreement](https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/documenten/rapporten/2019/06/28/klimaatakkoord) | Netherlands | nl |
| 2019 | [Operating Principles for Impact Management](https://narrate.works/impact-management/frameworks#operating-principles) | United States | en |
| 2019 | [Partnership for Biodiversity Accounting Financials (PBAF)](https://www.triodos-im.com/articles/2022/pbaf---standard-for-impact-assessment) | Netherlands | en |
| 2019 | [Principles for Responsible Banking (PRB)](https://www.unepfi.org/banking/bankingprinciples/) | Switzerland | en |
| 2019 | [Science Based Targets Network (SBTN)](https://sciencebasedtargetsnetwork.org/about/) | United States | en |
| 2019 | [SDG Impact Standards](https://narrate.works/impact-management/frameworks#sdg-impact-standards) | United States | en |
| 2019 | [Social and Solidarity Economy Law of Uruguay (Ley 19.848)](https://impo.com.uy/bases/leyes-originales/19848-2019) | Uruguay | es |
| 2019 | [Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR)](https://narrate.works/impact-management/frameworks#sfdr) | European Union | multilingual |
| 2019 | [UAE National Strategy for Wellbeing 2031](https://mediaoffice.ae/en/news/2019/6/09-06/uae-cabinet-approves-national-strategy-for-wellbeing-2031) | United Arab Emirates | ar |
| 2019 | [Value Balancing Alliance (VBA)](https://narrate.works/impact-management/frameworks#value-balancing-alliance) | Germany | en |
| 2019 | [World Benchmarking Alliance benchmarks (WBA)](https://www.worldbenchmarkingalliance.org/how-it-started/) | Netherlands | en |
| 2020 | [Circular Transition Indicators (CTI)](https://circulareconomy.europa.eu/platform/sites/default/files/wbcsd_circular_transition_indicators_v1.0-metrics_for_business_by_business_1.pdf) | Switzerland | en |
| 2020 | [EU Taxonomy](https://narrate.works/impact-management/frameworks#eu-taxonomie) | European Union | multilingual |
| 2020 | [UK mandatory TCFD-aligned disclosure](https://www.fca.org.uk/publication/policy/ps20-17.pdf) | United Kingdom | en |
| 2020, estimated | [Wellbeing-adjusted life year (WELLBY)](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/green-book-supplementary-guidance-wellbeing) | United Kingdom | en |
| 2021 | [Åpenhetsloven (Transparency Act)](https://lovdata.no/dokument/NL/lov/2021-06-18-99) | Norway | no |
| 2021 | [ASEAN Taxonomy for Sustainable Finance](https://asean.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/ASEAN-Taxonomy.pdf) | Indonesia | en |
| 2021 | [Business Responsibility and Sustainability Report (BRSR)](https://www.sebi.gov.in/legal/circulars/may-2021/business-responsibility-and-sustainability-reporting-by-listed-entities_50096.html) | India | en |
| 2021 | [China's dual carbon policy framework (carbon peaking and carbon neutrality)](https://www.gov.cn/zhengce/2021-10/24/content_5644613.htm) | China | zh |
| 2021 | [Environment Act 2021](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2021/30/contents) | United Kingdom | en |
| 2021 | [Impact Management Platform (IMP)](https://narrate.works/impact-management/frameworks#imp) | United Kingdom | en |
| 2021 | [Inner Development Goals](https://mycourses.aalto.fi/pluginfile.php/2128700/mod_folder/intro/211201_IDG_Report_Full%20%281%29.pdf) | Sweden | en |
| 2021 | [ISO 30415](https://www.iso.org/standard/71147.html) | Switzerland | en |
| 2021 | [Lieferkettensorgfaltspflichtengesetz](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/lksg/) | Germany | de |
| 2021 | [Loi Climat et Résilience](https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/jorf/id/JORFTEXT000043956924) | France | fr |
| 2021 | [Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD)](https://narrate.works/impact-management/frameworks#tnfd) | United Kingdom | en |
| 2022 | [Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD)](https://narrate.works/impact-management/frameworks#csrd) | European Union | multilingual |
| 2022 | [Impact Weighted Accounts Framework (IWAF)](https://narrate.works/impact-management/frameworks#iwa) | Netherlands | en |
| 2022 | [Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework](https://www.cbd.int/gbf) | Canada | multilingual |
| 2022 | [Sustainable Development Performance Indicators (SDPI)](https://sdpi.wpdev0.koumbit.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/manual-sdpi-2022.pdf) | Switzerland | en |
| 2022 | [Transition Plan Taskforce (TPT)](https://www.ifrs.org/sustainability/knowledge-hub/transition-plan-taskforce-resources/) | United Kingdom | en |
| 2022 | [VCMI Claims Code of Practice (VCMI)](https://vcmintegrity.org/vcmi-provisional-claims-code-of-practice-launch-event-7th-of-june-2022/) | United Kingdom | en |
| 2023 | [Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM)](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2023/956/oj) | European Union | multilingual |
| 2023 | [Core Carbon Principles (CCP)](https://www.kirkland.com/publications/kirkland-alert/2023/04/voluntary-carbon-market-standard-setter-issues-core-carbon-principles) | United Kingdom | en |
| 2023 | [Dutch National Circular Economy Programme](https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/documenten/kamerstukken/2023/02/03/kamerbrief-nationaal-programma-circulaire-economie-2023-2030-npce-incl-kabinetsreactie-op-icer-en-ser-verkenning) | Netherlands | nl |
| 2023 | [EU Battery Regulation](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32023R1542) | European Union | multilingual |
| 2023 | [EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR)](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2023/1115/oj) | European Union | multilingual |
| 2023 | [European Green Bond Standard (EuGBS)](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2023/2631/oj) | European Union | multilingual |
| 2023 | [European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS)](https://narrate.works/impact-management/frameworks#esrs) | European Union | multilingual |
| 2023 | [IFRS S1 and S2 (ISSB)](https://narrate.works/impact-management/frameworks#issb) | Germany | en |
| 2023 | [ISO 14068](https://www.iso.org/standard/43279.html) | Switzerland | en |
| 2023 | [Policy Compass](https://eerstekamer.nl/overig/20241010/wodc_rapport_evaluatie/document) | Netherlands | nl |
| 2023 | [Sustainability Disclosure Requirements (UK SDR)](https://www.fca.org.uk/publications/policy-statements/ps23-16-sustainability-disclosure-requirements-investment-labels) | United Kingdom | en |
| 2024 | [China’s Basic Standard for Corporate Sustainability Disclosure](https://www.china-briefing.com/news/china-unveils-basic-standards-for-corporate-sustainability-esg-disclosure/) | China | zh |
| 2024 | [Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD)](https://narrate.works/impact-management/frameworks#csddd) | European Union | multilingual |
| 2024 | [IFVI Impact Accounting (General Methodology)](https://www.iasplus.com/en/news/2024/02/vba-ifvi) | United States | en |
| 2024 | [International Standard on Sustainability Assurance 5000 (ISSA 5000)](https://www.iaasb.org/) | United States | en |
| 2024 | [Taskforce on Inequality and Social-related Financial Disclosures (TISFD)](https://sdgfinance.undp.org/news-events/launch-taskforce-inequality-and-social-related-financial-disclosures-tisfd) | United States | en |
| 2024 | [Voluntary sustainability reporting standard for SMEs (VSME)](https://narrate.works/impact-management/frameworks#vsme) | Belgium | en |
| 2025 | [SSBJ Sustainability Disclosure Standards (Japan)](https://sustainablefutures.linklaters.com/post/102l78a/esg-quick-guide-japan-sustainability-disclosure-standards) | Japan | ja |

## Read on

- [All frameworks side by side](https://narrate.works/impact-management/frameworks)
- [The space in between](https://narrate.works/resources-and-insights/the-space-in-between)
- [The go-betweens](https://narrate.works/resources-and-insights/the-go-betweens)
- [From M&E to MEALP](https://narrate.works/resources-and-insights/from-m-and-e-to-mealp)
- [From crickets to a stadium: seven years with Impact Hub Amsterdam](https://narrate.works/resources-and-insights/impact-hub-amsterdam-seven-years)
- [Do the standards finally speak one language?](https://narrate.works/resources-and-insights/do-the-standards-speak-one-language)

Want to know where your organisation stands in this story? We are happy to talk it through.