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.

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.

• Alcan
• BP
• General Motors
• Microsoft
• GBC Financial Group
• Shell
• Ford

The following partners also provided valuable support to the G3 projects;

• Hewlett Packard
• Deutsche Bank
• Ministerie van Economische Zaken

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

• Microsoft
• ABN-AMRO Bank
• Hewlett Packard

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

Chagan, Ramesh

Manager Corporate Sustainable Development

Kumba Resources

South Africa

Ireton, Karin

Head of Sustainable Development: Markets and Economics

Anglo American

South Africa

Kapelus, Paul CEO African Institute of Corporate Citizenship (AICC) South Africa

Nabide, Isah Kiti

Senior Water Officer- Assessments and National Nile Basin Initiative Focal Officer

Water Resources Management and Development

Uganda

Asia

Arikawa, Michiko

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

Ito, Kayo

Director

Cre-en

Japan

Ku, Kay Y. K. Vice Chairman Hong Kong Council of Social Service China

Lai, Albert Chairman The Conservancy Association China

Legarde Hubo, Colin

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

Bergin, Filippa

Executive Secretary CSR division

Amnesty Business Group

Sweden

Brekau, Uwe

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

Verburg, Johan

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

Teixido, Soledad

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

Macdonald, Helen

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

Mostyn, Sam

Group Executive, Culture and Reputation

Insurance Australia Group

Australia

Saran, Deo Financial Consultant Fiji Sugar Corporation Ltd. Fiji

Wescott, Wayne

Chief Executive Officer

ICLEI Australia/ New Zealand

Australia

External links

• GRI hosted Global Conference on Sustainability Reporting 4-6 October 2006
• Global Reporting Initiative website
• GRI's Sustainability Reporting Framework
• The GRI Register an online directory of all reports using the GRI guidelines - provided by CorporateRegister.com