Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) provides sustainability reporting guidelines and support to help organizations measure and report their economic, environmental, social and governance performance and impacts. GRI's guidelines encourage identifying material sustainability impacts, setting targets for improvement over time, and publicly disclosing performance. Using GRI's framework benefits organizations through improved management, reputation, stakeholder engagement, and competitive advantage. Reporting trends show increasing adoption of GRI guidelines worldwide.

1. Reporting and
benchmarking
corporate responsibility
and sustainability efforts
Marjella Alma - Manager External Relations – GRI USA
Venue, Date alma@globalreporting.org
+1 917 690 0909
Global Communications Forum, 16 May 2012

2. Vision of the Global Reporting Initiative
A sustainable global economy where
organizations manage their economic,
environmental, social and governance
performance and impacts responsibly and
report transparently.
Question: what
essential information
did we forget to
account for in the past?

3. GRI is not just about reporting,
it’s about the process

4. The GRI reporting process is
• About identifying your main sustainability impacts
together with your stakeholders
• About understanding the link between your business’
everyday activities and the world around it
• About measuring the activities’ impacts and setting
targets for improvements over time
• About publicly disclosing these impacts and your
performance over time.

5. A shift in corporate reporting
ESG
ESG
ESG
disclosures
ESG
disclosures
disclosures
disclosures
Environ-
mental
Financial report report
Sustainability
report

6. Drivers
• Leading companies
– supply chain management
– efficiency & innovation
• Financial crisis
– shift to longer-term thinking
• Investors & rating agencies
– demand for ESG factors
• Regulatory environment

7. How do you measure sustainability impacts?
Who defines the metrics to measure them?

8. GRI - network organization

9. What does GRI offer?
GRI Mission
To make sustainability reporting standard practice by
providing guidance and support to organizations.

10. GRI creates a..
Sustainability Reporting Framework to measure social,
environmental & economic (ESG) performance of organizations
• Global collaborating non-profit
• Credible, multi-stakeholder
approach
• Global de facto standard
• Offices in
Amsterdam, Beijing, Delhi, Sao
Paulo, New York and
Melbourne.

11. Focus on those topics that matter most
GRI key principle = materiality

12. The GRI Guidelines
Free downloads:
• G3.1 Guidelines
• Sector Supplements
(financial services, electric
utilities, airports, mining and
metals, oil and gas, events,
media etc)
https://www.globalreporting.org/reporting/late
st-guidelines/g3-1-guidelines/Pages/default.aspx

13. The GRI Guidelines
GRI Principles:
These guide the content and quality of your
reporting.
Materiality, boundary-setting, inclusiveness,
stakeholder engagement etc.
GRI reporting elements:
1. Profile Disclosures
Strategy, About, Governance.
2. Disclosures on Management Approach
EC, EN, LA, HR, SO, PR
3. Performance Indicators
EC, EN, LA, HR, SO, PR

14. Recent research shows that..
sustainability reporting is de facto
The largest and most law for business
comprehensive survey
of CR reporting trends
published sustainability reporting enhances
financial value
Vast coverage of 3,400+
companies combined reporting leads to IR
Most comprehensive data integrity is essential
study since the first
report in 1993
leaders choose external assurance
KPMG International Corporate Responsibility Reporting Survey 2011

15. Business case for reporting
Competitive
Opportunities
advantage
Innovation
Attract Improved
investment reputation
Improved
business and trust
models
Stakeholder
Internal Attract talent External
dialogue
Waste, CO2
and water
reduction Governmental and
stock exchange
regulation
Risks

16. Identified benefits
Internal
1. Develop a vision & strategy on sustainability
2. Improve management systems and cut costs
3. Identify strengths & weaknesses
4. Attract & motivate the staff
5. Connect departments & promote innovation
External
1. Enhances reputation, trust and respect
2. Improves transparency and dialogue with stakeholders
3. Demonstrates commitment to sustainability
4. Enables comparability and benchmarking
5. Attract investors
6. Source of competitive advantage & become a “market leader”

17. Supporters of the business case
• Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) [2006]
– Currently represents over $22 Trillion in investment capital
– Close to 1000 signatories
• Investor Network on Climate Risk (INCR) [2003]
– Currently represents over $9 Trillion in investment capital
– 90+ members
• Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) [2002]
– Currently represents over $71 Trillion in investment capital
– act on behalf of 551 institutional investors
• Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change (IIGCC) [2001]
– Currently represents $6 Trillion in investment capital
– 70 members
• Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR) [1972]
– Currently represents over $100 Billion
– 300 members

18. Mainstream involvement

19. Reporting trends
Sustainability Reports in the USA
GRI G3 + G3.1 GRI reference Non-GRI sustainability report
US GRI data partner
47
23
46% growth in
GRI reports
2010 vs 2011
273
187
141
119
71
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

20. Data integrity
100%
90%
80%
21 112 415
41
70%
170
60% 167
50%
Not assured
40% Externally assured
30%
23 125 446
35
20%
87
10% 40
0%
Africa Asia Europe Latin America Northern Oceania
America
* Data from the Sustainability Disclosure Database as of 12 April 2012

21. American GRI reporters
GRI’s Sector Leaders:

22. A GRI report..
makes use of the
G3 or G3.1
Guidelines
includes a
GRI Content Index
and preferably
declares an
Application Level

23. Display data with a GRI content index
As it:
• gives you flexibility to reach different stakeholders in
different ways.
• gives you flexibility to reference already existing
content.
• enhances ease of access for your stakeholders.
• communicates your Application Level.

24. Sustainability disclosure database

25. The GRI benchmarking tool
reportedon and to what extent.
Sector:
Financial
Services

26. GRI info sharing
The Get Started Video
https://www.globalreporting.org/reporting/get-started/Pages/default.aspx
Learning Publications
https://www.globalreporting.org/reporting/reporting-
support/publications/Pages/default.aspx
GRI Webinars
OS – international
OS - USA

27. GRI Certified Training Courses
USA Training Partners
Current
BrownFlynn and Isos Group
To be certified
Boston College, Deloitte and ERM
https://www.globalreporting.org/reporting/reporting-support/gri-training-and-
workshops/certified-training-partners/Pages/United-States.aspx

28. GRI Events
Monthly Organizational Stakeholder Webinars
US Organizational Stakeholder Webinars
General webinars
Friday 20 April – How to create your first GRI
report?
GRI Focal Point USA featuring US Sector Leader Bloomberg

29. Challenges
Mainstreaming sustainability reporting
– continuous development – G4
– integrated reporting - IIRC
Technology developments –
from report to reporting
– stakeholder engagement
– multimedia reporting formats
– XBRL/tagging

30. More involvement with GRI?
• Join the Organizational Stakeholder Program
• Become a US Sector Leader
• Participate in Working Groups
• Participate in Governance Structures

31. Thank you!
More information:
www.globalreporting.org
http://database.globalreporting.org
Venue, Date