Global Reporting Initiative, GRI
The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) is a globally recognised and widely used framework for sustainability reporting. It provides guidelines and standards for organisations to report on their environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance transparently and comprehensively. The GRI was established in 1997 as a non-profit organisation based in Amsterdam, Netherlands, and has since become one of the most widely used frameworks for sustainability reporting.
The GRI framework is based on reporting principles, including stakeholder inclusiveness, sustainability context, materiality, and completeness, which guide organisations in reporting their sustainability performance comprehensively and meaningfully. In addition, the GRI framework includes reporting standards that provide specific guidance on reporting topics, such as greenhouse gas emissions, water use, labour practices, human rights, and product responsibility.
These standards help organisations define and report on their sustainability impacts and performance consistently and reasonably. The GRI emphasises the importance of materiality in sustainability reporting, which means focusing on the most relevant and significant sustainability issues for the organisation and its stakeholders. GRI encourages organisations to engage with their stakeholders in the sustainability reporting process, including identifying and involving key stakeholders, understanding their sustainability concerns, and reporting on how their input has been considered in the sustainability report.
