Former Environmental and Social Safeguards and Supporting Materials

Below are the environmental and social safeguard policies, as well as supporting materials, that IFC followed prior to April 30, 2006. This information is provided for reference only. Only investments made prior to April 30, 2006 are subject to the Safeguard Policies.

In 2006, IFC adopted the Sustainability Framework, which articulates our strategic commitment to sustainable development and is an integral part of our approach to risk management. The 2006 edition of IFC's Sustainability Framework applies to investments that underwent IFC's initial credit review process from April 30, 2006 to December 31, 2011.

In 2012, the Sustainability Framework was updated following an 18-month consultation process with stakeholders around the world. The 2012 edition of IFC's Sustainability Framework applies to all investment and advisory clients whose projects undergo IFC's initial credit review process after January 1, 2012.

Disclosure Policy

The Disclosure Policy (September 1998) defined IFC's policy on disclosure of information and described the materials available to the public under that policy.

Also see, the most recent version of the policy, IFC's Access to Information Policy.

Environmental and Social Review Procedure

The Environmental and Social Review Procedure (December 1998) was prepared for IFC staff and project sponsors to evaluate prospective projects prior to investment, focusing on economic, financial, technical, legal, environmental and social issues during the project appraisal process. This policy was replaced by now archived versions of the Environmental and Social Review Procedure, beginning in April 2006.

See all version of the Environmental and Social Review Procedure.

Guidance Notes

The Guidance Notes accompanied the December 1998 Environmental and Social Review Procedure (ESRP) and contained additional information to assist IFC staff and project sponsors in applying the ESRP. These policies were replaced by the revised Guidance Notes in April 30, 2006, which are still in use for investments that underwent IFC's initial credit review process from April 30, 2006 to December 31, 2011.

Guidance Notes (December 1998)

• Guidance Note A: Checklist of Potential Issues for an Environmental Assessment [PDF]
• Guidance Note B: Content of an Environmental Impact Assessment Report [PDF]
• Guidance Note C: Outline of an Environmental Action Plan [PDF]
• Guidance Note D: Outline of a Project Specific Environmental Audit [PDF]
• Guidance Note E: Outline of a Project Specific Major Hazard Assessment [PDF]
• Guidance Note F: Guidance for Preparation of a Public Consultation and Disclosure Plan [PDF]

Also see, 2006 and 2012 versions of the Guidance Notes.

Safeguard Policies

The Safeguard Policies provided guidelines for IFC and its clients on how to prevent and mitigate undue harm to people and their environment in the identification, preparation, and implementation of projects. The Safeguard Policies were replaced by the Policy on Social and Environmental Sustainability and the Performance Standards in April 30, 2006.

IFC Exclusion List

The IFC Exclusion List defines the types of projects that IFC does not finance. The below Exclusion List relates to IFC's investments prior to the introduction of the Environmental and Social Review Procedure version 2 dated July 30, 2007.

• IFC Exclusion List (Pre-2007) [PDF]

Also see, the most recent version of the IFC Exclusion List.

WBG Environmental, Health, and Safety Guidelines/Pollution Prevention and Abatement Handbook

The World Bank Group Environmental, Health, and Safety Guidelines (known as the "EHS Guidelines") are living documents and are occasionally updated. The current version of the EHS Guidelines are available at www.ifc.org/ehsguidelines. Earlier versions of the EHS Guidelines (including documents that were previously published in Part III of the Pollution Prevention and Abatement Handbook (PPAH) and on the IFC website), that are no longer in use, can be found below and are provided for reference only.

Decommissioned World Bank Group (WBG) Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) Guidelines

In 2013, the World Bank Group began to review and update the EHS Guidelines. As those Guidelines are revised, the outdated versions, including their translations, will be added below.