The Global Reporting Initiative(GRI) is an independent, international, and non-governmental organization created in 1997. It helps businesses and other organizations take responsibility for their impacts by providing them with the global common language to communicate those impacts. Its goal is to empower disclosure and decisions that are accountable, identify and manage risks, and capitalize on opportunities while creating social, environmental, and economic benefits for all.
The GRI provides standards for sustainability reporting called the GRI Standards. First published in 2010, they are the first and most widely adopted standards for sustainability disclosure. They are divided into Universal Standards that apply to all companies, Sector Standards applicable to companies in specific industries, and Topic Standards that apply to companies depending on their material impacts. In October 2021, the GRI significantly revised its Universal Standards and released its first Sector Standard for Oil and Gas (with 40 expected in the coming years).
GRI has also entered into collaborative agreements with the European Financial Reporting Advisory Group (EFRAG) to draft the European Sustainability Reporting Standards and with the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) to draft the IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards.
