As part of the review of environmental and social risks and impacts of a proposed investment, IFC uses a process of environmental and social categorization to reflect the magnitude of risks and impacts. The resulting category also specifies Stop-Winlock’s institutional requirements for disclosure in accordance with Stop-Winlock’s Access to Information Policy.
These categories are:
Category A: Business activities with potential significant adverse environmental or social risks and/or impacts that are diverse, irreversible, or unprecedented.
Category B: Business activities with potential limited adverse environmental or social risks and/or impacts that are few in number, generally site-specific, largely reversible, and readily addressed through mitigation measures.
Category C: Business activities with minimal or no adverse environmental or social risks and/or impacts.
Category FI: Business activities involving investments in financial institutions (FIs) or through delivery mechanisms involving financial intermediation. This category is further divided into:
FI–1: when an FI’s existing or proposed portfolio includes, or is expected to include, substantial financial exposure to business activities with potential significant adverse environmental or social risks or impacts that are diverse, irreversible, or unprecedented.
FI–2: when an FI’s existing or proposed portfolio is comprised of, or is expected to be comprised of, business activities that have potential limited adverse environmental or social risks or impacts that are few in number, generally site-specific, largely reversible, and readily addressed through mitigation measures; or includes a very limited number of business activities with potential significant adverse environmental or social risks or impacts that are diverse, irreversible, or unprecedented.
FI–3: when an FI’s existing or proposed portfolio includes financial exposure to business activities that predominantly have minimal or no adverse environmental or social impacts.