Overview
Introduced: 1997 (Latest update effective January 1, 2023)
Effective from: January 1, 2023 (Revised Universal Standards)
Last modified: Ongoing updates through 2025
Region(s): Global
About
The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) provides the world’s most widely adopted sustainability reporting standards, enabling organizations to transparently communicate their impacts on the economy, environment, and society. These standards embrace the concept of double materiality, which includes both the organization’s impacts on the external environment and society, as well as sustainability issues impacting the organization itself.
GRI Standards are utilized globally by public, private, and non-profit organizations of all sizes, including SMEs, multinational corporations, NGOs, and government entities. As of 2024, over 78% of the world’s largest 250 corporations utilize GRI standards for their sustainability reporting.
Criteria for compliance
Entities covered
Voluntary framework: Open to organizations worldwide regardless of size, industry, or geographic location.
Particularly beneficial for companies aiming to demonstrate transparency, credibility, and accountability to investors, stakeholders, regulators, and customers.
Reporting structure
The GRI framework is divided into three main categories:
Universal standards (mandatory foundation)
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GRI 1: Foundation (sets principles and reporting framework)
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GRI 2: General Disclosures (organization profile, strategy, governance, stakeholder engagement)
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GRI 3: Material Topics (identification and reporting of material issues)
Topic-specific standards
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GRI 200: Economic (e.g., economic performance, anti-corruption)
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GRI 300: Environmental (e.g., GHG emissions, energy, biodiversity, water, waste)
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GRI 400: Social (e.g., labor practices, human rights, diversity and inclusion, health and safety)
Sector standards (specific sectors, updated periodically)
- Standards tailored to specific sectors (e.g., oil and gas, agriculture, finance) to ensure relevant industry-specific disclosures.
Key reporting obligations include:
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Clear reporting on identified material topics and associated metrics.
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Description of management approach to address each material topic.
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Comprehensive organizational context, including governance structures and stakeholder engagement practices.
Access the full list of standards here.
Compliance timelines
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Continuous adoption: Organizations integrate GRI reporting within their annual reporting cycles.
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January 1, 2023: Latest revised Universal Standards became effective.
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Ongoing: Topic-specific standards updates continue through 2025.
Third-party auditing
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Strongly encourages, but does not mandate, external third-party assurance.
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Assurance practices are widely adopted by organizations to improve the credibility, accuracy, and reliability of disclosed sustainability information.
Penalties for non-compliance
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No formal penalties, voluntary framework.
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Non-adherence or incomplete reporting can negatively impact organizational credibility, stakeholder trust, and market reputation.
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Some jurisdictions reference the standards in mandatory reporting frameworks, potentially involving local compliance obligations.
Jurisdictions aligned
GRI standards are integrated, referenced, or recognized in jurisdictions worldwide, including:
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Indonesia (mandatory for listed companies)
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India (voluntary; widely used)
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European Union (alignment through European Sustainability Reporting Standards – ESRS)
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Brazil, Chile, South Africa, Singapore, Japan (various degrees of adoption and referencing within regulatory frameworks)
