Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)
The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) is an independent, multi-stakeholder network whose mission is to develop and share globally applicable guidelines that make reporting on economic, environmental, and social performance as routine and comparable as financial reporting.
The GRI Guidelines outline core content for reporting that is broadly relevant to all organisations regardless of size, sector or location. In addition to principles and guidance, they contain a framework of indicators that a business can voluntarily, flexibly and incrementally adopt.
A growing number of companies adhere to, partially follow or at least make reference to the GRI Guidelines in their CR reports. These include many of the leaders in responsible business – particularly global companies with a significant social and environmental footprint.
G3 Guidelines
GRI's third-generation (G3) Sustainability Reporting Guidelines were released in October 2006. In 2006, Business in the Community contributed comments to the public consultation on the G3 draft guidelines, drawing on the knowledge and experience built up through our work on reporting.
We welcomed:
- the focus on materiality
- the separation of policy from performance
- the reduction in indicator numbers
- the provision of technical support.
We advocated:
- a staged approach – incrementalism
- performance measures around product responsibility
- an indicator for community investment.
BITC’s position
Business in the Community’s position (established at BITC Board, January 2005) is that we remain friendly to the mission of GRI “to develop and disseminate globally applicable Sustainability Reporting Guidelines.”
We will feed the experience of businesses in measuring and reporting into this process – one taken forward by the Benchmarking and Reporting team – and we will continue to contribute timely and business-based contributions to the evolution of reporting standards.
