About this Library
Welcome to the WorldCC Foundation Sustainability Clause Library: Empowering You to Create a Sustainable Future Through Contracts
Explore. Adapt. Contribute. Let's make contracts a force for good.
1. Explore and get inspiredDiscover a growing collection of sustainability-focused contract clauses, carefully curated to support Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles. Browse the library and discover clauses that can help you drive positive social and environmental impacts. Let these examples spark your creativity and innovation in contracting.
2. Using the clauses
Each clause in our library has been sourced from real-world contracts and is designed to be adaptable. Use them as a foundation to incorporate sustainability into your agreements, tailoring them to fit your specific needs, industry standards, and organizational values. Remember, each clause is a starting point – so please customize it to make it truly yours.
3. Contributing to the Library
Our library thrives on community collaboration. We invite you to share your success stories and innovative clauses. Your contributions can range from real-life examples of existing clauses to entirely new ones. By sharing your insights and solutions, you help us build a richer resource for contract professionals committed to sustainability.
How Clauses Are Reviewed
Every clause submitted to the WorldCC Foundation Sustainability Clause Library goes through a careful, constructive review process. Our goal is to ensure that each clause is practical, adaptable, and aligned with our mission to make sustainable contracting the norm rather than the exception.
We begin by checking whether the core criteria have been completed accurately. This includes verifying the clause’s intended use – for example, whether it’s genuinely a “buy-side” clause or if it inadvertently tilts in favour of the seller. Clarity and accuracy at this stage set the foundation for a useful and trustworthy resource.
Reviewers then consider whether the clause uses standard ESG terminology and uses it consistently. Clear, universally understood language helps ensure clauses can be applied across industries and geographies without confusion or misinterpretation.
A central part of our review is assessing whether the clause reflects our Better Contract Design Principles. This means it should be:
- Plain: Written in direct, accessible language.
- Well-designed: Structured logically, with any graphics or visual elements used to aid understanding.
- Usable: Relevant to its purpose, coherent, and easy to integrate.
- Relational: Framed with the right audience and points of contact in mind.
We also ask whether the clause is self-contained and transposable – in other words, can it be lifted from one contract and inserted into another without relying on external cross-references? Flexibility is key to encouraging wider adoption.
We also consider whether the clause promotes shared responsibility between contracting parties. This isn’t essential to a clause’s “success”, but it something we like to look into.
Finally, we confirm that the clauses are focused and precise in scope. Overly broad clauses, or those trying to cover multiple unrelated topics, are often better split into separate, clearer provisions.
This review process is designed to maintain the integrity, usability, and impact of the Library, so that every clause we publish is ready to make a real difference in advancing sustainable contracting.
Why Choose Our Library?
- Inspiration:
Discover new ways to integrate sustainability into your contracts. - Guidance:
Each clause is accompanied by clear instructions and real-world examples. - Community:
Engage with a vibrant community of contract innovators. Exchange ideas, ask questions, and collaborate to enhance your practice. - Impact:
Use these clauses to make a tangible difference in promoting sustainability through your contractual agreements.
Join us in harnessing the power of contracts to create a sustainable future. Together, we can achieve greater impact and positive outcomes for society and the planet.
