Barbara Strozzilaan 336
1083 HN Amsterdam
The Netherlands
gssbsecretariat@globalreporting.org

GSSB summary of the virtual meeting
held on 1 July 2021
Approved by the GSSB on 27 October 2021

© GRI 2021

1Contents
Participants.............................................................................................................................................. 3
List of abbreviations ................................................................................................................................ 3
Decisions and action items ..................................................................................................................... 4
Session 1: Welcome ............................................................................................................................... 5
Session 2: Topic Standard Project for Human Rights - Update.............................................................. 5
Session 3: GRI Topic Standard Project for Biodiversity - Project proposal ............................................ 6
Session 4: GRI Sector Program - Approval final version of GRI 11: Oil and Gas Sector 2021 .............. 7Session 5: Any other business and close of public meeting ................................................................... 9Page 2 of 102Participants

3Present:

456NameConstituency

Judy Kuszewski

Chair

Robyn Leeson

Vice-Chair

Loredana Carta

LaborPeter Colley

Labor

Giulia Genuardi

Business enterprise

Evan Harvey

Investment institution

Joseph Martin

Business enterpriseJennifer Princing

Business enterprise

Corli le RouxMediating institution

Kim Schumacher

Civil society organization

Kenton Swift

Civil society organization

Michel Washer

Business enterprise

Apologies:NameConstituency

Vincent Kong

Business enterpriseRama Krishnan Venkateswaran

Investment institution

Gustavo SinnerMediating institution

In attendance from GRI:NamePosition

Bastian Buck

Chief of Standards

Mia d’Adhemar

Senior Manager

Elodie ChêneManager

Miguel Perez Ludena

Research Lead

List of abbreviations
GSSB
SD

Global Sustainability Standards Board
Standards Division

Page 3 of 10

7Decisions and action items

8Decisions

9GSSB Decision 2021.17 GSSB resolves to approve Item 02 – GRI Sector Standards Project for Oil

10and Gas - GRI 11: Oil and Gas Sector 2021.

11

GSSB Decision 2021.18 GSSB resolves to approve that re-exposure of GRI 11: Oil and Gas 2021 is12

not needed.

13GSSB Decision 2021.19 GSSB resolves to approve that Item 05 - GRI Topic Standard Project for

14Biodiversity - Project proposal be shared with the GRI Board and the Stakeholder Council for15

feedback.

16

Action items
GSSB
Session 3 and 4•

GSSB members will vote electronically on the approval for
sending Item 05 – GRI Topic Standard Project for Biodiversity Project proposal to the GRI Board and the Stakeholder Councilfor feedback.

•GSSB members will vote electronically on the approval of Item
02 – GRI Sector Standards Project for Oil and Gas - GRI 11:Oil and Gas Sector 2021 with the effective date of 1 January2023, subject to the proposed changes agreed with the GSSB.

•GSSB members will vote electronically on the resolution toapprove that re-exposure of GRI 11: Oil and Gas 2021 is notneeded.

•GSSB to send any feedback on Item 03 – GRI Sector
Standards Project for Oil and Gas - Draft Basis for conclusions
to the SD by email.

Standards Division
Session 2, 3 and 4•

SD to provide further feedback and analysis of the Topic
Standard Project for Human Rights scoping survey feedback
with recommendations in advance of the next GSSB meeting.

•

SD to provide GSSB members with information for casting
electronic votes for on the approval for sending Item 05 – GRIPage 4 of 10

Topic Standard Project for Biodiversity - Project proposal to theGRI Board and the Stakeholder Council for feedback.
•SD to provide GSSB members with information for casting
electronic votes on the approval of Item 02 – GRI Sector
Standards Project for Oil and Gas - GRI 11: Oil and Gas Sector
2021 and approval of issuing the final Sector Standard GRI 11:
Oil and Gas Sector 2021 without re-exposure.

•SD to finalize the basis for conclusions for GR GRI 11: Oil andGas Sector 2021 and prepare for launch of the final Sector
Standard.

17

Session 1: Welcome

18

The Global Sustainability Standards Board (GSSB) Chair Judy Kuszewski (henceforth the Chair)

19

welcomed the GSSB and presented an overview of the meeting agenda.

20

Session 2: Topic Standard Project for21

Human Rights - Update

22

The Standards Division (SD) reviewed progress on Phase 2 of the Topic Standard Project for Human23Rights, including the results of a scoping survey to identify the priority human rights issues for the24

update and development of the GRI Topic Standards. They also presented next steps for the project25

and stated that a proposal for next steps will be submitted to the GSSB in September 2021.

26

The GSSB questioned how decisions would be made on which Topic Standards to review based on

27

the feedback received, and the SD confirmed that the GSSB will have the ability to review the28

feedback in more detail before making informed decisions about further actions.

29

No further comments were raised.

30

Actions:

31
32•

SD to provide further feedback and analysis of the Topic Standard Project for Human Rights
scoping survey feedback with recommendations in advance of the next GSSB meeting.

Page 5 of 10

33

Session 3: GRI Topic Standard

34

Project for Biodiversity - Project35

proposal

36

The GSSB was presented with Item 05 – GRI Topic Standard Project for Biodiversity - Project37

proposal for discussion before a future electronic vote for approval.

38

The SD presented the details of the proposed project to review GRI 304: Biodiversity 2016 for GSSB39discussion and approval to send the proposal to the GRI Board and Stakeholder Council for feedback,40

as required by the GSSB Due Process Protocol.

41

The SD highlighted the proposed accelerated timeline for the project, which would allow the revised

42Standard to be released following and building on the momentum created by the anticipated approval

43of the update to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity in October 2021.

44

GSSB member stressed the need to find qualified Technical Committee members. The SD agreed

45

and stated that GSSB members will be able to review the qualifications and approve the members of46

the Technical Committee.

47

GSSB members raised concerns about an accelerated timeline for such a complex topic and48

Standard. The SD acknowledged that the timeline is ambitious, but stated that quality will not be

49

sacrificed for the timeline, which would be adjusted if necessary, but also that with the proper

50

technical qualifications, momentum and resources the timeline would be achievable.

51

The vote on the approval of Item 05 – GRI Topic Standard Project for Biodiversity - Project proposal

52

will be conducted electronically and the results of that vote will be registered in a separate document53– see Item 02 – Summary of electronic votes.

54

GSSB Decision 2021.19 .

55

Actions:

56•SD to provide GSSB members with information for casting electronic for on the approval for

57

sending Item 05 – GRI Topic Standard Project for Biodiversity - Project proposal to the GRI

58

Board and the Stakeholder Council for feedback.

59•GSSB members will vote electronically on the approval for sending Item 05 – GRI Topic

60

Standard Project for Biodiversity - Project proposal to the GRI Board and the Stakeholder

61

Council for feedback.

Page 6 of 1062

Session 4: GRI Sector Program -63

Approval final version of GRI 11: Oil

64

and Gas Sector 2021

65

The GSSB was presented with Item 02 – GRI Sector Standards Project for Oil and Gas - GRI 11: Oil66

and Gas Sector 2021, Item 03 – GRI Sector Standards Project for Oil and Gas - Draft Basis for

67

conclusions, and Item 04 – GRI Sector Standards Project for Oil and Gas - Input on GRI Topic

68

Standards for discussion and future approval by electronic vote.

69

The SD presented an overview of the issues raised through feedback from GSSB members and70

through feedback solicited from Oil, Gas, and Coal Working Group member IPIECA

71

The SD presented proposed changes in response to the feedback received which were discussed

72

and agreed as follows:73•Proposed change 1: Further clarify the activities described are within the confines of the74

sector as it is described in the Standard, as follows:

75‘The impacts of an organization vary according to the types of activities it undertakes. The

76

following list outlines some of the key activities of the oil and gas sector, as defined in this77

Standard. This list is not exhaustive.’

78•Proposed change 2: Revise topic statement to specify Scope 3 other indirect (Scope 3) GHG

79emissions occur upstream and downstream, as follows:

80‘Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions comprise air emissions that contribute to climate change,

81such as carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4). This topic covers direct (Scope 1) and82

energy indirect (Scope 2) GHG emissions related to an organization’s activities, as well as

83

other indirect (Scope 3) GHG emissions that occur upstream and downstream of the84

organization’s activities.’

85•

Proposed change 3: Replace the word ‘burned’ with ‘consumed’, as follows:86‘Signatories of the Paris Agreement have committed to keeping global warming ‘well below

87

2°C’, yet fossil fuel reserves that are currently available globally far exceed the maximum

88

amount that can be consumed while remaining within this limit.’

89•

Proposed change 4: Add a reference to Rio Declaration, which defines the concept of CBDR,

90

as follows:91

A reference to the Rio Declaration to be added to lines 373-375 and to the Bibliography.

Page 7 of 10

92•

Proposed change 5: Add a footnote to clarify that there are multiple potential scenarios or93

pathways to achieving net-zero by 2050, as follows:

94‘3 IEA’s Net‐Zero Emissions by 2050 Scenario is designed to show what is needed95

by various actors, by when, for the world to achieve net‐zero energy-related and96

industrial process CO2 emissions by 2050, however it is just one possible pathway to achieve

97

net-zero emissions by 2050.’

98•

Proposed change 6: Remove explicit reference to renewables at line 499, as follows:

99‘Actions to reduce these emissions can include, for example, diversification into lower carbon

100businesses, such as renewables.’101

A broader list of approaches is also listed in detail at lines 488-491.

102

•

103

Proposed change 7: Add reference suggested, as follows:
Add Paris Agreement to Authoritative Instruments in the Bibliography.

104
105

The SD proposed 1 January 2023 as the effective date for the Oil and Gas Sector Standard. It also106

confirmed that the approval of GRI 11: Oil and Gas Sector 2021 had no implications for other GRI

107

Standards.

108

The SD also solicited feedback on the Draft Basis for Conclusions (Item 03) or Input on GRI Topic

109

Standards (Item 04). No further comments were raised.

110

Adherence to due process

111

The Chief of Standards confirmed that all steps laid out in the Due Process Protocol were followed in112

the development of GRI 11: Oil and Gas Sector 2021 and advised the GSSB that there were no113

significant changes between the exposure draft and the final approved Standard that would require114

re-exposure.

115

Vote on final Sector Standard

116

The Chair called for a vote on the approval of the final Sector Standard GRI 11: Oil and Gas Sector

117

2021, with the effective date of 1 January 2023, subject to the proposed changes agreed with the118

GSSB.

119

The vote on the approval of Item 02 – GRI Sector Standards Project for Oil and Gas - GRI 11: Oil and120

Gas Sector 2021 will be conducted electronically and the results of that vote will be registered in a121

separate document – see Item 02 – Summary of electronic votes.

122

GSSB Decision 2021.17 GSSB resolves to approve Item 02 – GRI Sector Standards Project for Oil

123

and Gas - GRI 11: Oil and Gas Sector 2021.

Page 8 of 10124

Vote on need for re-exposure

125

The Chair called for a vote on the final Sector Standard GRI 11: Oil and Gas Sector 2021 to be issued

126

without re-exposure.

127

The vote on the approval of issuing the final Sector Standard GRI 11: Oil and Gas Sector 2021

128

without re-exposure will be conducted electronically and the results of that vote will be registered in a129

separate document - – see Item 02 – Summary of electronic votes.

130

GSSB Decision 2021.18 GSSB resolves to approve that re-exposure of GRI 11: Oil and Gas 2021 is131

not needed.

132

The Chair stated that a withdrawal of a superseded Sector Standard is not applicable in this case,133

because there is no existing Sector Standard.

134

Next steps and launch

135

The SD outlined the steps for the close of the process and the launch of the Sector Standard, to136

coincide with the launch of the Universal Standards, tentatively scheduled for the first week of137

October 2021.

138

Actions:139•SD to provide GSSB members with information for casting electronic votes on the approval of140

Item 02 – GRI Sector Standards Project for Oil and Gas - GRI 11: Oil and Gas Sector 2021

141

and approval of issuing the final Sector Standard GRI 11: Oil and Gas Sector 2021 without re-142

exposure.

143•GSSB members will vote electronically on the approval of Item 02 – GRI Sector Standards

144

Project for Oil and Gas - GRI 11: Oil and Gas Sector 2021 with the effective date of 1 January

145

2023, subject to the proposed changes agreed with the GSSB.

146

•147
148

GSSB members will vote electronically on the resolution to approve that re-exposure of GRI
11: Oil and Gas 2021 is not needed.

•GSSB to send any feedback on Item 03 – GRI Sector Standards Project for Oil and Gas -149

Draft Basis for conclusions, and Item 04 – GRI Sector Standards Project for Oil and Gas -150

Input on GRI Topic Standards to the SD by email.

151
152

•SD to finalize the basis for conclusions for GR GRI 11: Oil and Gas Sector 2021 and prepare
for launch of the final Sector Standard.

153

Session 5: Any other business and154

close of public meeting
Page 9 of 10

155

No other business was raised, and the Chair closed the meeting at 15.25 CEST (Central European156

Summer Time).

Page 10 of 10