May 5, 2024 · Credible, comparable impact data are needed to inform impact investment decisions and drive greater impact results. IRIS+ solves for this by increasing data clarity and comparability, and it provides streamlined, practical, how-to guidance that impact investors need, all in one easy-to-navigate system.

The IRIS+ system is designed to minimize confusion for how to set objectives, describe and understand impact, assess success, and clearly communicate impact performance with other impact investing stakeholders.

IRIS+ System | Standards IRIS+ is the generally accepted system for measuring, managing, and optimizing impact.

IRIS+ is the generally accepted system for impact investors to measure, manage, and optimize their impact. Credible, comparable impact data are needed to inform impact investment decisions and drive greater impact results.

Companies use the IRIS+ system to identify, measure and manage social and environmental impact and report their impact to investors in a consistent and standard way.

Designed with input from hundreds of leading impact investing practitioners from around the world, the GIIN offers the IRIS+ system so investors and companies will have a common understanding of how to effectively measure and manage their impact and clarity for how to improve that impact over time.

This IRIS+ and the Five Dimensions of Impact document describes the core concepts and structure for measuring and understanding impact according to the five dimensions of impact as outlined by the Impact Management Project, through the use of both IRIS+ Core Metrics Sets and the IRIS Catalog of Metrics.

Stay up to date with our latest developments, from case studies, to practitioners’ perspectives, to guidance materials and templates to put IRIS+ into practice.

The IRIS+ impact performance benchmarks are analytic tools that aggregate sector-specific impact results across investments, enabling investors to compare their impact performance to peers and to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). See all current benchmarks here.

The IRIS+ Thematic Taxonomy document describes the generally accepted definitions of Impact Categories, Impact Themes, and Lenses providing a shared language for describing, assessing, communicating, and ultimately comparing impact performance.