Global Reporting Initiative
The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) aims to make reporting on economic, environmental, and social performance – sustainability reporting – by all organizations as routine and comparable as financial reporting. It is an initiative involving the largest Transnational corporations as part of their work on Corporate Social Responsibility
To achieve this, the GRI develops, continuously improves and builds capacity around the use of the GRI's Sustainability Reporting Framework, the core of which being the Sustainability Reporting Guidelines. Other components in the Reporting Framework are Sector Supplements and Protocols
This reporting guidance - in the form of principles and indicators - is provided as a free public good and is intended for voluntary use by organizations of all sizes, across all sectors, all around the world.
The GRI Reporting Framework is increasingly recognized as the de facto global standard in sustainability reporting. Nearly 1000 organizations from over 60 countries, from business, civil society, labor, accounting, investors, academics, governments, and others, disclose their sustainability performance with reference to the GRI Guidelines.
To ensure the highest degree of technical quality, credibility, and relevance, the GRI reporting framework is developed and continuously improved through intensive stakeholder engagement that involves reporting organizations and information seekers, who work together in a consensus-seeking process. The GRI firmly believes that this multi-stakeholder engagement is the most valuable way to produce reporting guidance that is universally applicable and appropriately responds to stakeholders’ needs.
Multi-stakeholder engagement is so much at the heart of the GRI that it is not only pursued for product development, but also for the GRI’s own governance. An independent institution, the GRI is governed by a multi-stakeholder Board of Directors, Stakeholder Council, Technical Advisory Committee, Organizational Stakeholders, and a small staff at the international Secretariat in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Diverse geographic and sector constituencies are represented in these governance bodies.
In the spirit of continuous improvement, the GRI have undergone an innovative process to update their central Sustainability Reporting Guidelines (last released in 2002), and create a ‘third generation’ of Guidelines: G3.
The GRI was formed by the Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies (CERES) and UNEP in 1997. In 2002, at the World Summit on Sustainable Development, the GRI became a permanent institution, with headquarters in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The GRI is a collaborating centre of UNEP and works in cooperation with UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's Global Compact.
Contents
Funding
On its website the GRI discloses funding from the following
Organizational Stakeholders
Organizational Stakeholders provide an essential funding base that ensures the GRI continues to progress towards its mission. A list is available on the GRI website
Projects
The G3- Consortium (G3C) was convened from 2004-2006 and has provided continued financial support to the G3 project. Special thanks to members of the G3C who have made the G3 possible.
The following partners also provided valuable support to the G3 projects;
Grants
Grants that currently support the GRI include those from the Netherlands, European Commission, United Kingdom Sweden, Germany and Australia.
Past and present foundations that have provided support include: Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, UN Foundation, World Bank, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Ford Foundation, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Spencer T. and Ann W. Olin Foundation, United States Environment Protection Agency, V. Kann Rasmussen Foundation, and the Soros Foundation.
In-kind support
People
Board of Directors
- Dr. Judy Henderson (Australia)Chair Northern River Catchment Management Authority, NSW Government
- Mr. Kumi Naidoo (Africa) Secretary General, CIVICUS (World Alliance for Citizen Participation)
- Dr. Mervyn E. King S.C. Chairman Brait South Africa Ltd. Chair, GRI Board of Directors
- Mr. Ignasi Carreras (Spain) Director Centre for Social Entrepreneurship and Responsibility Escuela Superior de Administración y Dirección de Empresas (ESADE)
- Mr. Ernst R. Ligteringen (International)Chief Executive, Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)
- Mr. Ricardo Young Silva (Brazil)President of the Board, Instituto Ethos de Empresas e Responsabilidade Social
- Mr. Björn Stigson (International)President, World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)
- Sir Mark Moody-Stuart (United Kingdom)Chairman, Anglo American plc
Mr. Sean Harrigan (United States)Past Executive Director, States Council, Region 8, United Food and Commercial, Workers Union Mr. John Evans (International)General Secretary, Trade Union Advisory Committee to the OECD Mr. Kishor A. Chaukar (India)Managing Director, Tata Industries Ltd. Mme. Jacqueline Aloisi de Larderel (International)Former Assistant Executive Director, United Nations Environmental Programme, Division of Technology, Industry and Economics (DTIE)
- Mr. Roger Adams (United Kingdom)Executive Director – Technical, Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA)
Technical Advisory Committee members
- Roger Adams, TAC Chair Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), UK.
- Rob Frederick, Brown-Forman Corporation USA
- David Russell Dow Europe GmbH, Switzerland
- Dr Craig Mackenzie Centre for Ethics in Public Policy and Corporate Governance, UK
- Maria Sillanpää The Smart Company, UK
Saliem Fakir Sustainability Institute, South Africa
- Michael Nugent International Federation of Accountants (IFAC), Australia
- Tom Etty Netherlands Trade Union Confederation (FNV), the Netherlands
- Hidemi Tomita Sony Corporation, Japan
- Aditi Haldar Confederation of Indian Industry, India
Stakeholder Council Members
Africa
Manager Corporate Sustainable Development
Kumba Resources
South Africa
Head of Sustainable Development: Markets and Economics
Anglo American
South Africa
Kapelus, Paul CEO African Institute of Corporate Citizenship (AICC) South Africa
Senior Water Officer- Assessments and National Nile Basin Initiative Focal Officer
Water Resources Management and Development
Uganda
Asia
Assistant Manager CSR Office
Panasonic
Japan
Copeland Chiu, Anne Chair, Sustainable Development Committee International Finance Corporation China
[[Erni, Marilou ]] Executive Director
Petron Foundation
Philippines
Haldar, Aditi Counsellor - Environment Confederation of Indian Industry India
Inanaga, Hiroshi Chief Executive Officer, Tohmatsu Evaluation and Certification Organization Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu (Japan) Japan
Director
Cre-en
Japan
Ku, Kay Y. K. Vice Chairman Hong Kong Council of Social Service China
Lai, Albert Chairman The Conservancy Association China
Senior Program Coordinator
Center for Social Responsibility/Foundation for People Development
Philippines
Saxena, Yogendra Kumar Vice President, Environment, Health & Safety Gujarat Ambuja Cements Ltd. India
Waheed, Ambreen Executive Director RBI - Responsible Business Initiative Pakistan
Europe
Executive Secretary CSR division
Amnesty Business Group
Sweden
Senior Manager International Chemicals Policy
Bayer
Germany
Brooker, Tauni Director UK URS United Kingdom
Enell, Magnus President and Adj Professor Enell Sustainable Business AB Sweden
Habbard, Pierre Consultant Trade Union Advisory Committee to the OECD France
King, Henry LCA Group Manager Unilever Research Port Sunlight Laboratory United Kingdom
Kuszewski, Judy Senior Advisor SustainAbility Ltd. United Kingdom
van der Gaag, Pieter head of Communications Netherlands Committee for IUCN Netherlands
Policy advisor Corporate Social Responsibility project
Oxfam Novib/Oxfam International
The Netherlands
Latin America
Coelho Monteiro, Ruth President Sindicato dos Trabalhadores nas Indústrias do Vestuário da Baixada Santista (SINDIVEST) - FORÇA SINDICAL Brazil
Madriñán de la Torre, Santiago Executive Director Consejo Empresarial Colombiano para el Desarrollo Sostenible - CECODES Colombia
Prini Estebecorena, Enrique Legal Manager CEADS - Consejo Empresario para el Desarrollo Sostenible Argentina
[[Reis Ursini, Tarcila ]] Uniethos Research Manager
Ethos Institute
Brazil
President
PROhumana Foundation
Chile
Wells, Christopher SRI Manager ABN AMRO Bank/Banco Real Brazil
North America
Blackburn, William R. President William Blackburn Consulting, Ltd. United States of America
Chapman, Peter Executive Director Shareholder Association for Research and Education Canada
Cohen, Mark A. Senior Associate Dean and Justin Professor of American Competitive Business Owen Graduate School of Management, Vanderbilt University United States of America
Gereluk, Winston Academic Coordinator for Industrial Relations & Human Resources programs Athabasca University Canada
Freundlich, Paul The Fair Trade Foundation United States of America
Gorte, Julie Fox Director, Calvert Social Research Department Calvert Group United States of America
Kane, Constance F. Senior Consultant/Africa Division World Education International United States of America
Kreis, Erin E. Manager, Corporate Relations General Motors Corporation United States of America
Lund, Ronald E. Past President and GRI Liaison The Auditing Roundtable United States of America
Director, Community Relations & Social Development
Newmont Mining Company
USA
Rosenbaum, Ruth Executive Director Center for Reflection, Education and Action (CREA) United States of America
Tepper Marlin, Alice President Social Accountability International United States of America
Oceania
Burrow, Sharan Leslie President Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) Australia
Funnell-Milner, Linda Director Corporate ResponsAbility Australia
Group Executive, Culture and Reputation
Insurance Australia Group
Australia
Saran, Deo Financial Consultant Fiji Sugar Corporation Ltd. Fiji
Chief Executive Officer
ICLEI Australia/ New Zealand
Australia