GRI Standards for ESG Reporting - Guidelines

» Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Universal Standards

Why these three standards come first?

The Universal layer (GRI 1, GRI 2, GRI 3) is mandatory for every organisation that claims it is “in accordance with the GRI Standards.” GRI 1 supplies the rules and vocabulary, GRI 2 gives the background facts about the organisation, and GRI 3 sets the only approved method for deciding which sustainability topics are material. Everything else in the GRI library hangs off this trio.

GRI 1 Foundation – highlights in plain language

Legal status & reach
GRI 1 is adopted by the Global Sustainability Standards Board and is binding on any reporter seeking formal accordance. It insists on an impact‑based approach: companies must describe how they cause, contribute to or are directly linked to changes in the economy, environment and people.

Core ideas introduced
• Impact – any positive or negative change the organisation triggers.
• Material topic – an issue linked to the most significant impacts.
• Stakeholder – anyone affected by or able to affect the organisation.
• Value chain – the full span of upstream and downstream activities.
These terms are normative; you cannot swap in homemade definitions.

Seven reporting principles

1. Accuracy – correct, sufficiently detailed data.

    

2. Balance – good and bad results side‑by‑side.

    

3. Clarity – plain language and helpful visuals.

    

4. Comparability – consistent metrics across time and peers.

    

5. Completeness – cover all significant impacts and boundaries.

    

6. Timeliness – stick to a predictable publication rhythm.

    

7. Verifiability – keep evidence that an auditor can test.

Requirements vs guidance
Dark‑grey boxes use shall and are compulsory; light‑grey boxes use should and are best practice. A small flowchart shows how to decide between the “Core” and the more demanding “Comprehensive” level of accordance.

Six‑step workflow every report must follow

1. Define purpose and key audiences.

    

2. Set reporting period and organisational boundaries.

    

3. Identify and assess impacts (method in GRI 3).

    

4. Pick matching Topic or Sector Standards.

    

5. Compile the disclosures and content index.

    

6. Publish, including a Statement of Use and any assurance opinion.

   GRI 2 General Disclosures – what it asks you to reveal

GRI 2 gives readers the context they need before judging performance numbers. Its 30 disclosures fall into four straightforward groups:

A. Organisation & reporting practice – basic identity, entities included, reporting period, restatements, assurance, description of activities and workforce profile.

B. Governance – board structure, committee duties, conflict‑of‑interest rules and how critical concerns reach the top table.

C. Strategy & policies – policy commitments, targets, remuneration links, remediation processes, legal compliance.

D. Stakeholder engagement – how stakeholders are identified, how often dialogue happens, and collective‑bargaining coverage.

Most points need short factual statements (for example, disclosure 2‑5 simply asks whether the report was assured, by whom, and under which standard). Where numbers are needed, the PDF includes layout examples such as the workforce template on page 55 and the CEO‑pay‑ratio example on page 70.

GRI 3 Material Topics – the approved materiality method

GRI 3 tells reporters to list all actual and potential impacts linked to their operations and value chain, score each for severity or likelihood, then publish the shortlist of material topics together with a management approach for each one.

Three key disclosures
• 3‑1 – Describe the identification and assessment process.
• 3‑2 – Present the final list of material topics, their boundaries and which Standard is used for each.
• 3‑3 – Explain the policy, actions, resources, targets, governance and grievance mechanisms for every material topic.

» Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Sector Standards

Why GRI issues sector‑specific standards?

Certain industries generate unique or more severe sustainability impacts that are not fully captured by the universal disclosures or the single‑topic standards. The Sector Standards therefore extend – they do not replace – the reporter’s duties. Each document begins with a concise description of the sector, identifies typical activities in the value chain and then sets out extra disclosures labelled with “shall.” Wherever a Topic Standard already covers the same subject, the sector text simply deepens the requirement (for instance, adding methane‑measurement nuances to GRI 305 Emissions). Companies active in more than one high‑impact sector must apply each relevant Sector Standard.

GRI 11 Oil & Gas Sector — what reporters must add

Oil & Gas is singled out because it combines very high greenhouse‑gas emissions with site‑specific environmental risks such as spills, flaring and methane leaks. The standard opens with a description of the upstream, midstream and downstream value chain, then introduces five “sector‑context” disclosures. These ask for headline numbers that orient the reader: annual hydrocarbon production split by product type, the share of unconventional resources, lifecycle phase of major assets, reserves data and the percentage of production operated under joint ventures.

Beyond those context items, GRI 11 adds twenty‑nine topic‑level disclosures grouped into nine impact themes. A few examples illustrate the flavour:

• OG‑2 Methane intensity – the company shall report methane emissions in kilograms per barrel‑of‑oil‑equivalent, explain the measurement hierarchy (direct sensors vs emission factors) and describe its leak‑detection‑and‑repair policy.

   

• OG‑3 Flaring – both gross and routine flaring volumes are required, alongside a narrative on reduction targets and timelines.

   

• OG‑11 Decommissioning – expected plug‑and‑abandon liabilities must be quantified and linked to the financial provisions on the balance sheet.

   

• OG‑21 Indigenous Peoples – the reporter must describe impact assessments, consent processes and any grievances raised by indigenous communities in the reporting year.
  

GRI 12 Coal Sector  — industry‑specific elements in plain words

Coal remains the single largest source of power‑sector CO₂ and a major driver of particulate pollution. The Coal Standard therefore zeroes in on items such as methane from underground seams, tailings management and the social consequences of mine closure.

After an overview of open‑cast and underground mining stages, four context disclosures set the scene: thermal vs metallurgical coal sales, total methane liberated, number and height of tailings dams, and land hectares disturbed versus rehabilitated.

The twenty‑four topical disclosures then address five pillars:

1. Climate and methane – reporters must disclose absolute Scope 1 and Scope 3 emissions, a methane‑capture plan and progress against national coal‑phase‑out commitments.

    

2. Land disturbance and biodiversity – hectares newly disturbed and rehabilitated, overlap with protected areas and offset strategies.

    

3. Tailings and waste – dam safety classifications, independent inspection results and emergency‑preparedness measures.

    

4. Worker safety – frequency of fatal and high‑potential incidents, plus narrative on dust‑exposure controls.

    

5. Community resettlement – number of households resettled, livelihood restoration support and grievance statistics.
   

GRI 13 Agriculture, Aquaculture & Fishing Sector — extra disclosures in everyday English

The agri‑food system occupies 38 per cent of global land and is linked to deforestation, water stress and labour‑rights challenges. GRI 13 is therefore broad: it covers crops, livestock, fish farming and wild‑capture operations.

Six context disclosures request concise metrics: total area farmed, area in high‑conservation‑value zones, volume of water withdrawn, proportion of feed sourced from certified suppliers, percentage of wild catch certified as sustainable and number of smallholders supported through extension services.

The twenty‑six topic disclosures roll up into six clusters:

• Land use and conversion – annual hectares converted, deforestation‑free commitment status.

   

• Soil and nutrient management – nitrogen‑surplus per hectare, use of regenerative practices.

   

• Biodiversity and ecosystem services – presence of threatened species, pollinator‑support programmes.

   

• Water stewardship – withdrawal intensity, shared‑basin engagement actions.

   

• Labour and livelihoods – percentage of seasonal workers, living‑wage coverage, smallholder‑contract terms.

   

• Animal welfare – mortality rates, use of antibiotics categorised by WHO importance.
  

GRI 14 Mining Sector — key additions without the jargon

Mining supplies minerals critical for the energy transition yet brings acute risks: tailings‑dam failures, deep‑aquifer water draw‑down, biodiversity loss and community conflict. GRI 14 starts with five context disclosures covering ore grades, life‑of‑mine plans, tailings storage capacity, total land disturbed and number of operating vs closed sites.

Thirty‑one topical disclosures follow, organised under seven themes:

1. Waste & tailings – dam construction method (upstream/downstream), independent safety reviews, volume of waste rock and overburden.

    

2. Water – total abstraction from high‑stress basins, recycling rate, community‑shared water initiatives.

    

3. Biodiversity – overlap with key biodiversity areas, mitigation hierarchy application and post‑closure habitat outcomes.

    

4. Climate & energy – GHG emissions, renewable‑energy share and decarbonisation roadmap for mobile equipment.

    

5. Occupational safety – rate of fatalities and permanently disabling injuries, high‑potential incident reviews.

    

6. Community engagement – free‑prior‑informed‑consent processes, grievance mechanism statistics, community‑investment spend.

    

7. Closure & rehabilitation – ratio of fully rehabilitated land to land disturbed, financial assurance posted for closure.
   

» Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Environmental Topic Standards

How the environmental Topic Standards fit with the Universal layer?

Every organisation that identifies environmental impacts as material must apply the relevant Topic Standards from the 300‑series in addition to the Universal requirements. Each Topic Standard supplies a clear objective, a brief list of mandatory disclosures and, where needed, calculation guidance or definitions. Eight environmental standards are currently in force: Materials (301), Energy (302), Water and Effluents (303), Biodiversity (304), Emissions (305), Waste (306 – 2020 revision), Environmental Compliance (307) and Supplier Environmental Assessment (308). Reporters pick the ones that correspond to their material topics; they are free to use more, but not less, than the set triggered by the assessment in GRI 3.

GRI 301 Materials — focus and disclosures

Purpose. The Materials Standard concentrates on the quantity and origin of raw materials used and reclaimed. Its intent is to encourage resource efficiency and circular‑economy practices.

Required disclosures
• 301‑1 – Report total weight or volume of materials used, broken down by non‑renewable and renewable category.
• 301‑2 – State the percentage of recycled or reused input materials.
• 301‑3 – Explain programmes for reclaiming products and packaging, and give tonnage recovered and reused.
➜ Guidance notes advise companies to distinguish biobased from fossil‑based inputs and to refer to ISO 14021 when defining “recycled content.”

GRI 302 Energy — core content in simple terms

Purpose. This standard addresses the amount of energy consumed and saved, both within operations and along the value chain.

Required disclosures
• 302‑1 – Provide total fuel and electricity consumed inside organisational boundaries, specifying renewable share.
• 302‑2 – Estimate energy consumed outside the organisation (e.g. upstream extraction, downstream product use).
• 302‑3 – Disclose energy‑intensity ratio (e.g. gigajoules per tonne of product).
• 302‑4 – Quantify reductions in energy consumption achieved through efficiency projects.
• 302‑5 – Describe how product or service redesign has lowered energy demand for end users.
➜ A short appendix clarifies the conversion factors and default calorific values to use when national data are absent.

GRI 303 Water & Effluents (2018) — what to report?

Purpose. The 2018 update tightens the focus on water stress, basin context and management of discharges.

Required disclosures
• 303‑1 – Summarise interactions with water in the value chain and identify water‑stressed basins.
• 303‑2 – Describe management of water‑related impacts, including engagement with other basin users and pollution‑prevention measures.
• 303‑3 – Report total water withdrawal, specifying source (surface, groundwater, third‑party) and percentage in water‑stressed areas.
• 303‑4 – Provide total volume of water discharged back to the environment, with quality parameters if locally regulated.
• 303‑5 – Disclose total water consumed (withdrawal minus discharge) and explain any significant change from the previous year.
➜ The guidance recommends using the WRI Aqueduct or WWF Water Risk Filter for basin‑stress classification.

GRI 304 Biodiversity — essentials without jargon

Purpose. Biodiversity reporting revolves around site location, impacts on protected areas and efforts to restore habitats.

Required disclosures
• 304‑1 – List operational sites owned, leased or managed in or near protected areas or key biodiversity areas.
• 304‑2 – Describe significant impacts of activities, products and services on biodiversity, including type of habitat affected.
• 304‑3 – State the size and location of habitats protected or restored, plus methods used.
• 304‑4 – Identify IUCN Red List or national‑conservation‑list species with habitats in areas affected by operations.
➜ The standard encourages referencing the mitigation hierarchy (avoid‑minimise‑restore‑offset) when discussing impact management.

GRI 305 Emissions — greenhouse gases and more

Purpose. This is the flagship climate‑change standard and also covers other atmospheric pollutants such as NOx and SOx.

Required disclosures
• 305‑1 – Direct (Scope 1) GHG emissions, by gas and in CO₂‑equivalent.
• 305‑2 – Energy‑indirect (Scope 2) emissions, location‑ and market‑based.
• 305‑3 – Other indirect (Scope 3) emissions, identifying the most relevant categories.
• 305‑4 – GHG emissions intensity ratio.
• 305‑5 – Total GHG emission reductions achieved and methods used.
• 305‑6 – Emissions of ozone‑depleting substances.
• 305‑7 – Emissions of NOx, SOx and other significant air pollutants.
➜ Calculation guidance aligns to the GHG Protocol and ISO 14064. Scope 2 results must be split into location‑based and market‑based if renewable‑electricity certificates are used.

GRI 306 Waste (2020 revision) — the waste hierarchy in practice

Purpose. The revised standard moves away from simple tonnage reporting and asks for discussion of impacts and management as well as volumes.

Required disclosures
• 306‑1 – Describe waste generation and significant waste‑related impacts.
• 306‑2 – Explain how those impacts are managed, including the rationale for disposal or recovery routes.
• 306‑3 – Report total waste generated, split by hazardous and non‑hazardous.
• 306‑4 – Give tonnage diverted from disposal (re‑use, recycling, composting, recovery).
• 306‑5 – State tonnage directed to disposal (landfill, incineration, deep well injection) and the treatment method.
➜ The guidance recommends connecting the narrative back to a recognised waste‑hierarchy diagram to show progress towards circularity.

GRI 307 Environmental Compliance — a single but powerful metric

Purpose. This standard tracks non‑compliance with environmental laws and regulations.

Required disclosure
• 307‑1 – Report the monetary value of significant fines and the total number of non‑monetary sanctions for non‑compliance in the reporting period. If no such cases exist, state that fact clearly.
➜ The note to preparers emphasises that pending cases should be disclosed if the potential fine is expected to be significant.

GRI 308 Supplier Environmental Assessment — extending responsibility upstream

Purpose. Makes organisations look at environmental impacts in their supply chain.

Required disclosures
• 308‑1 – State the percentage of new suppliers screened using environmental criteria during the reporting period.
• 308‑2 – Provide the number of suppliers identified as having significant actual or potential negative environmental impacts and describe actions taken.
➜ The guidance encourages aligning the screening process with ISO 20400 on sustainable procurement.

» Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Social Topic Standards – Workforce

How standards fit together?

The 400‑series begins with internal workforce issues and gradually widens to human‑rights impacts in the supply chain and neighbouring communities. Each standard gives a clear objective, two to five mandatory disclosures and concise guidance. Organisations apply only the standards that match the material topics identified through GRI 3, but many reporters adopt the full set because workforce and community impacts are common across industries.

GRI 401 Employment — key points

Purpose. Tracks new‑hire and turnover trends and ensures benefits are equal for all employees.
Mandatory disclosures
• 401‑1 – New employee hires and employee turnover, by age group, gender and region.
• 401‑2 – Benefits provided to full‑time employees that are not given to temporary or part‑time staff.
• 401‑3 – Parental‑leave return‑to‑work and retention rates.
➜ Guidance encourages aligning metrics with ILO definitions of full‑time, part‑time and contract status.

GRI 402 Labor/Management Relations — advance notice explained

Purpose. Measures how far in advance employees are informed of major operational changes.
Mandatory disclosure
• 402‑1 – Minimum notice periods for operational changes, and whether these are specified in collective agreements.
➜ The note clarifies that notice can be expressed in weeks, shifts or production cycles, depending on the industry norm.

GRI 403 Occupational Health & Safety — essentials

Purpose. Ensures systematic management of workplace hazards and transparent reporting of injuries and ill‑health.
Mandatory disclosures
• 403‑1 – Health‑and‑safety management system description and coverage.
• 403‑2 – Hazard identification, risk assessment and incident‑investigation processes.
• 403‑3 – Occupational health‑services provision.
• 403‑4 – Worker participation, consultation and communication on safety matters.
• 403‑5 – Worker training on OH&S.
• 403‑6 – Promotion of worker health (beyond hazard prevention).
• 403‑7 – Prevention and mitigation of OH&S impacts directly linked by business relationships.
• 403‑8 – Workers covered by an OH&S management system.
• 403‑9 – Work‑related injuries, with rate calculations spelled out.
• 403‑10 – Work‑related ill‑health statistics.
➜ Definitions align with ILO codes; lost‑time‑injury frequency must exclude commuting incidents unless local law says otherwise.

GRI 404 Training & Education — snapshot

Purpose. Captures investment in employee development and career management.
Mandatory disclosures
• 404‑1 – Average hours of training per year per employee, by gender and category.
• 404‑2 – Programs for upgrading employee skills and for transition assistance.
• 404‑3 – Percentage of employees receiving regular performance and career‑development reviews.
➜ Guidance notes that digital platforms and micro‑learning can be counted if formally recorded.

GRI 405 Diversity & Equal Opportunity — core metrics

Purpose. Promotes balanced representation at all organisational levels.
Mandatory disclosures
• 405‑1 – Diversity of governance bodies and employees by gender, age group, minority/under‑represented group membership and other indicators.
• 405‑2 – Ratio of basic salary and remuneration of women to men for each employee category.
➜ The standard recommends using national census categories for ethnicity where legal to do so.

GRI 406 Non‑Discrimination — recording incidents

Purpose. Tracks grievances related to discrimination and corrective actions taken.
Mandatory disclosure
• 406‑1 – Number of discrimination incidents and actions taken.
➜ Incidents may come from grievance systems, legal cases or regulator findings; zero incidents must still be stated.

GRI 407 Freedom of Association & Collective Bargaining — supply‑chain reach

Purpose. Ensures respect for organising rights within the organisation and its business relationships.
Mandatory disclosure
• 407‑1 – Operations and suppliers where these rights may be at risk, and measures taken to support them.
➜ Common actions include neutrality pacts, worker‑dialogue programs and contract clauses.

GRI 408 Child Labor — what to declare

Purpose. Prevents involvement in child labour across the value chain.
Mandatory disclosure
• 408‑1 – Operations and suppliers at significant risk for child labour, plus prevention and remediation measures.
➜ Risk mapping should consider country‑sector combinations flagged by ILO‑IPEC.

GRI 409 Forced or Compulsory Labor — key line

Purpose. Guards against forced labour practices.
Mandatory disclosure
• 409‑1 – Operations and suppliers at risk for forced labour, with steps taken to address it.
➜ The guidance cites employer‑paid recruitment fees and retention of passports as red‑flag indicators.

GRI 410 Security Practices — human‑rights training

Purpose. Prevents excessive use of force by security personnel.
Mandatory disclosure
• 410‑1 – Percentage of security personnel trained in the organisation’s human‑rights policies or procedures.
➜ Applies to both in‑house and contracted guards.

GRI 411 Rights of Indigenous Peoples — respecting FPIC

Purpose. Ensures recognition of land, cultural and consent rights.
Mandatory disclosure
• 411‑1 – Incidents of violations involving the rights of indigenous peoples and actions taken.
➜ A zero‑incident statement is needed if no cases occurred.

GRI 412 Human Rights Assessment — broad due diligence

Purpose. Checks that human‑rights impacts are identified and acted upon.
Mandatory disclosures
• 412‑1 – Number and percentage of operations assessed for human‑rights risks.
• 412‑2 – Employee training on human‑rights policies.
• 412‑3 – Significant investment agreements that include human‑rights clauses.
➜ Aligns with UN Guiding Principles Reporting Framework.

GRI 413 Local Communities — engagement and impact management

Purpose. Gauges community engagement and social‑impact performance.
Mandatory disclosures
• 413‑1 – Operations with local‑community engagement, impact assessments and development programs.
• 413‑2 – Operations with significant actual or potential negative impacts on communities.
➜ The text clarifies that impact assessments should address both social and environmental dimensions.

GRI 414 Supplier Social Assessment — extending vigilance upstream

Purpose. Screens suppliers for social impacts and manages high‑risk cases.
Mandatory disclosures
• 414‑1 – Percentage of new suppliers screened using social criteria.
• 414‑2 – Negative social impacts identified in the supply chain and actions taken.
➜ Screening criteria often mirror the 407‑409 indicators plus health‑and‑safety checks.

» Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Social Topic Standards – Marketplace

Why these standards sit apart from workforce topics?

While the first half of the 400‑series focuses on employees, suppliers and communities, the closing group looks outward toward marketplace behaviour and customer relationships. They ask how the organisation influences public policy, safeguards product safety, communicates honestly and protects personal data. As with all Topic Standards, they are applied only when the underlying impacts are deemed material via GRI 3, but many consumer‑facing firms adopt them by default.

GRI 415 Public Policy — political engagement in a nutshell

Purpose. To shine a light on lobbying, political donations and any other channels through which a company tries to shape legislation or regulation.

Mandatory disclosures
• 415‑1 – Total monetary value of political contributions—cash and in‑kind—by country and recipient/beneficiary. If the organisation made no contributions, it must declare that explicitly.
➜ Guidance encourages listing trade‑association fees separately if a significant portion funds lobbying.

GRI 416 Customer Health & Safety — headline requirements

Purpose. Ensures that products and services are assessed for health and safety risks and that incidents are tracked transparently.

Mandatory disclosures
• 416‑1 – Percentage of significant product or service categories assessed for health and safety impacts at each lifecycle stage (design, production, use, disposal).
• 416‑2 – Number of incidents of non‑compliance with health and safety regulations and voluntary codes, plus any resulting fines or warnings.
➜ The note clarifies that a “significant category” is one representing either a high proportion of revenue or elevated risk.

GRI 417 Marketing & Labelling — clarity and honesty for consumers

Purpose. Promotes accurate, ethical information in marketing communications and product labelling.

Mandatory disclosures
• 417‑1 – Requirements for product and service information and labelling. Must cover the content, origin, safe‑use, disposal and environmental/social impacts where relevant.
• 417‑2 – Incidents of non‑compliance with regulations or voluntary codes concerning product and service information and labelling.
• 417‑3 – Incidents of non‑compliance with marketing communications rules, including advertising and sponsorship.
➜ The guidance suggests citing the specific legislation or industry code breached, such as EU Regulation 1169/2011 for food labelling.

GRI 418 Customer Privacy — safeguarding personal data

Purpose. Measures how well the organisation protects customer information against unauthorised access or leaks.

Mandatory disclosure
• 418‑1 – Total number of substantiated complaints and identified data breaches concerning customer privacy, classified by type of impact (loss of data, theft, leakage) and outcome (fines, settlements, remediation).
➜ If zero incidents occurred, that must be stated plainly. The guidance advises alignment with recognised frameworks such as ISO/IEC 27701 or NIST Privacy Framework.

» Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Economic Topic Standards

Why economic impacts belong in ESG reporting?

The economic component of ESG addresses how an organisation creates, distributes and safeguards financial value while interacting with governments, communities, suppliers and capital providers. The GRI 200‑series Topic Standards capture that dimension. Although some figures echo the statutory accounts, the disclosures go further, emphasising geographic distribution, tax transparency and how economic decisions support—or undermine—sustainable development. With the 2024 launch of Biodiversity 101, GRI also modernises the way organisations describe dependencies and impacts on nature, integrating financial‑risk logic and ecosystem‑service language now echoed in the TNFD framework.

GRI 201 Economic Performance — beyond the income statement

Purpose. Shows how the organisation’s financial results translate into direct economic value for stakeholders.

Mandatory disclosures
• 201‑1 – Direct economic value generated and distributed, split into revenues, operating costs, employee wages, payments to providers of capital, government taxes and community investments.
• 201‑2 – Financial implications and other risks and opportunities due to climate change. Reporters should quantify potential impacts on revenues, expenditure or assets where practicable.
• 201‑3 – Coverage of the organisation’s defined‑benefit pension obligations.
• 201‑4 – Financial assistance received from government, including tax relief, grants, export credits or royalty holidays.
➜ Guidance asks reporters to connect climate‑related opportunities (201‑2) to physical and transition risk categories used in TCFD.

GRI 202 Market Presence — local value in focus

Purpose. Assesses how hiring and pay practice support local economies.

Mandatory disclosures
• 202‑1 – Ratio of standard entry‑level wage compared with local minimum wage, by gender.
• 202‑2 – Proportion of senior management hired from the local community at significant locations of operation.
➜ “Local” can be defined at city, regional or national level, but must be consistent year‑on‑year.

GRI 203 Indirect Economic Impacts — ripple effects

Purpose. Captures infrastructure investments and other development initiatives that stimulate the broader economy.

Mandatory disclosures
• 203‑1 – Infrastructure investments and services supported, with current or expected positive and negative impacts.
• 203‑2 – Significant indirect economic impacts identified, and the extent of those impacts—such as job creation in the value chain or enhanced skills in the local workforce.
➜ Reporters should distinguish between commercial investments and philanthropic donations.

GRI 204 Procurement Practices — steering spend responsibly

Purpose. Highlights the share of procurement budget spent locally and prompts discussion about supplier development.

Mandatory disclosure
• 204‑1 – Proportion of spending on local suppliers at significant locations of operation.
➜ Local supplier can mean within the same country or narrower, but the chosen definition must be explained.

GRI 205 Anti‑Corruption — measuring integrity

Purpose. Ensures anti‑bribery controls are in place and incidents are disclosed.

Mandatory disclosures
• 205‑1 – Operations assessed for corruption risks.
• 205‑2 – Communication and training on anti‑corruption policies.
• 205‑3 – Confirmed incidents of corruption and actions taken.
➜ Training figures should include board members and governance committees, not just employees.

GRI 206 Anti‑Competitive Behaviour — fair markets

Purpose. Deals with legal actions for anti‑trust and monopoly practices.

Mandatory disclosure
• 206‑1 – Legal actions for anti‑competitive behaviour, anti‑trust and monopoly practices, including outcomes and fines.
➜ Even dismissed cases should be disclosed if the allegation was material.

GRI 207 Tax (2019) — transparency standard

Purpose. Brings corporate tax strategy, governance and country‑by‑country figures into the ESG domain, aligning partly with OECD BEPS 13.

Mandatory disclosures
• 207‑1 – Approach to tax, including tax governance, control framework and risk management.
• 207‑2 – Tax governance, control and risk management processes.
• 207‑3 – Stakeholder engagement and management of concerns related to tax.
• 207‑4 – Country‑by‑country reporting of revenues, profit/loss, number of employees, tangible assets, and tax paid and accrued.
➜ The country list must match the consolidated financial statements and cannot be aggregated into regions.

Biodiversity 101 — nature beyond 304

Why a new standard? GRI 304 remains in force but focuses on site‑specific impacts. Biodiversity 101 introduces a cross‑cutting narrative requirement akin to GRI 3, asking organisations to explain dependencies, impacts, risks and opportunities related to ecosystems across the entire value chain.

Core narrative elements
• Description of the organisation’s most significant dependencies on ecosystem services such as pollination, water purification or coastal protection.
• Overview of actual and potential impacts on biodiversity, including land‑use change, pollution, invasive species and climate change.
• Management approach that links dependencies and impacts to governance, strategy, targets, actions and resource allocation.
• Metrics drawn from globally recognised sources (e.g. STAR, MSAT, TNFD LEAP indicators) where available.
➜ The standard strongly encourages alignment with TNFD disclosures so that nature‑related risks and opportunities can be integrated into financial reporting.

Adaptation Notice under the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)

This text has been adapted in accordance with the guidelines set forth by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). In our efforts to ensure transparency, accountability, and alignment with sustainable practices, we have carefully reviewed and incorporated GRI principles into the content. This adaptation process reflects our commitment to high-quality, accurate, and comprehensive sustainability reporting, ensuring that the information presented adheres to internationally recognized standards.

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