years as the catalyst
for a sustainable future

1997-2022

The 27th of September 2022 marks a quarter of a century since the founding of GRI.
From that spark of an idea 25 years ago, GRI’s ambition has continued to burn brighter– underpinned by the belief that transparency is the gateway to dialogue about impacts,
which instigate organizations to embrace sustainability.
The early days
GRI’s origin story dates back to the 1990’s, and thepublic outcry from the environmental damage causedby the Exxon Valdez oil spill of 1989. Bob Massie,
President of CERES (the Coalition for EnvironmentallyResponsible Economies), and Allen White (TellusInstitute) then started work on a ‘universal environmental
reporting framework’, with the aim of creating the world’s
first accountability mechanism to ensure companies
adhere to responsible environmental conduct principles.
In September 1997, this led to the Global Reporting
Initiative being founded in Boston, USA, by CERES
and Tellus with involvement of the UN Environment
Programme. After a decision to broaden the focus
beyond the environment to include social, economic
and governance issues, an exposure draft of the‘GRI Guidelines’ were made available in 1999. Rightfrom the beginning, GRI’s multi-stakeholder approach
was evident – with extensive consultation and a pilot
phase involving 31 companies, prior to the first GRI
Guidelines launching in 2000.
GRI was inaugurated as an independent organization
at a ceremony at the UN headquarters in New York in
2002, and later that year set up its permanent secretariat
in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, with a staff of ten. By
this early stage, around 100 major companies aroundthe world were using the new GRI Guidelines forreporting – a number set to rise dramatically in theyears to come.

The second edition of the GRI Guidelines (2002)

Rapid global growth
New versions of the Guidelines were quick to follow,
with G2 (2002) then G3 (2006), each freely provided as apublic good and expanding the scope of subjects covered
and the relevance of the framework for organizations andstakeholders alike. This phase also saw GRI ramp up it’sengagement with key partners, including in 2003 thelaunch of the Organizational Stakeholders Program(precursor to the GRI Community) and establishmentof the Stakeholder Council as an advisory forum.
As the practice of sustainability reporting continued tospread around the world, GRI expanded it’s global reach,with regional offices established in strategic locations.
The first was Brazil (2007), followed by Greater China(2009, Beijing before moving to Hong Kong in 2019),
South Asia (2010, New Delhi), North America (2011,New York), Africa (2013, Johannesburg), HispanicAmerica (2014, Bogota) – and, most recently, ASEAN(2019, based in Singapore).

In 2017, GRI and UN Global Compact launched aseries of SDG reporting resources, positioning GRI
reporting as a central reference point when it comes tohow business account for their SDG impacts. To thisday, GRI continues to develop and offer SDG reporting
tools, guidance and leadership forums.

The advent of standards
GRI’s regional network

Rapid global growth continued...
Over the years, GRI has introduced new training andservices options, such as the Certified Training Partners(2008) and Certified Software & Tools (since 2010).
Meanwhile, GRI events – in-person and, increasingly,
online – have provided opportunities for sustainability
practitioners to share experiences and accessthought leadership.
GRI was also an early adaptor of sustainability reporting
e-learning, and has provided courses for over ten years.
In 2020, GRI launched the world’s leading online
training portal for impact reporting, the GRI Academy,
which since 2021 has included the Professional
Certification Program.

In 2013, GRI held a global conference in Amsterdamthat saw the roll-out of G4. This was a significant
move towards more standardized and comparable
sustainability reporting, clarifying principles anddisclosures for organization to adhere to. This process
deepened significantly in 2016, as GRI transitioned
to be a global standard-setter.
The launch of the GRI Standards, for the first time,
provided internationally accepted sustainability
reporting standards, with a modular structure that hascontinued to be regularly updated. This moment also
saw GRI’s governance structure adapt to reflect that offinancial standards – creating the Global Sustainability
Standards Board and adhering to a defined due
process – all the while staying true the unique multistakeholder ethos.

Analysis in 2009 revealed that 1,350 companies
globally were reporting their impacts using the GRI
Guidelines. By 2015, the number of GRI reporters
passed 5,000 – and since 2020, more than 10,000
organizations in over 100 countries report each yearwith the GRI standards.

Sustainable development moves up
the agenda

GRI suite of standards: universal, sector and topic

In 2012, the Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable
Development saw many countries raise their ambitionin support of sustainability. Brazil, Denmark, Franceand South Africa formed the Group of Friends ofParagraph 47 to advance corporate sustainability
reporting, with GRI and UNEP as its secretariat.

New or revised topics, like tax (2019) and waste(2020), have since been added to the Standards, whilea Sector Program commenced in 2019, leading toSector Standards covering oil, gas, coal, agriculture,aquaculture and fishing. This will expand to at least
40 sectors over the next few years.

This moment was an important precursor to theSustainable Development Goals launch in 2015, laying
the ground for SDG 12.6 – the target to encouragecompanies to adopt sustainable practices and integratesustainability reporting.

A significant revision to the Universal Standards took
place in 2021, which strengthened the very foundationsof all reporting through GRI. Importantly, this update
meant GRI became the first and only organization to
set reporting standards that fully reflect due diligence
expectations for sustainability impacts, including on
human rights, as set out in intergovernmental
instruments by the UN and OECD.

An evolution of the GRI brand over the past 25 years

1997

2000

GRI founded inBoston, USA

2002

1st version of GRI
Guidelines launched

2003

GRI G2
Guidelines launched

2006

Membership program
launched

GRI G3
Guidelines launched

GRI relocated toAmsterdam

2016

2015

2017
Guidance forcorporate reportingon SDGs launched incollaboration with UN
Global Compact2012

2008

Rio +20 UN
Conference onSustainable
Development

Certified Training
Partner Program
established2013

SDG frameworkadopted. Target 12.6
calls for corporatetransparency.

GRI Sustainability
Reporting Standards
launched

GRI G4
Guidelines launched

2019

2020

Sector Program
launched

Waste Standard
launched

Revised Universal
Standards publishedTax Standard
launched

GRI Academy
launched

Lauch of first GRI
Sector Standard(Oil and Gas)

Influencing policy and regulation
Integration of GRI’s Guidelines and then Standards
into policies, as set by governments, regulators andstock exchanges, has mirrored the global growth in
GRI reporting. By 2015, GRI was referred to in policies
in 23 markets – and fast forward to 2022, there are 168
policies across 67 countries and regions that reference
or require the use of the GRI Standards.
Since 2018, the EU Non-Financial Reporting Directive
saw mandatory disclosure for larger European companies– and by 2020, more than 50% of EU businesses
required to comply with the Directive said they used
GRI to do so.

2021

2022
Launch of Sector
Standards for coal,agriculture, aquaculture& fishing
25th anniversary

In 2021, GRI and the European Financial Reporting
Advisory Group (EFRAG) entered into an agreement bywhich GRI provided technical input to the development ofthe new European Sustainability Reporting Standards(ESRS), a central component of the incoming Corporate
Sustainability Reporting Directive.
Hot on the heels of GRI’s work with EFRAG,in early 2022 GRI and the newly formed International
Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB, under the IFRSFoundation) started a collaboration to align standard
setting activities in recognition of a ‘two pillar’sustainability disclosure system – with both financial
and impact reporting on an equal footing.

Where next for GRI?
In reaching this 25-year milestone, GRI can be permitted to look back with somepride on how far we have come. In 1999, just one-in-three of the largest companies
produced a sustainability report. By 2020, 96% of the G250 do so – with 73% using
the GRI Standards. It’s clear that GRI has had a big part to play in this progress.
Yet our journey and our mission is far from over. The consistency of sustainability
reporting around the world remains patchy, while ‘greenwashing’ concerns persist.
And there is more to do to ensure that reflection on impacts, by organizations and theirstakeholders, translates into meaningful action and change.
The emergence of new sustainability disclosure standards, from the EU and ISSB,
signals changes in the reporting landscape. Looking ahead, I am convinced thatGRI has a crucial role to play, utilizing our expertise to ensure that impact reporting,as enabled by the GRI Standards, delivers the accountability needed to secure asustainable future. I am excited and optimistic about what our next 25 years will bring.
Eelco van der Enden, CEO of GRI

www.globalreporting.org

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