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

Item 04 – GRI Sector Program – Listof prioritized sectors
1For GSSB approval
Date

4 October 2022

Meeting18 & 19 October 2022

Project

GRI Sector Program

Description

This is the second revision of the list of prioritized sectors for the GRI Sector
Program. This revision reflects the conclusions of Sector Standards projects
undertaken to date, some of which resulted in changes to the scope and name ofa sector, approved Project Proposals, and other inputs which identified gaps orinaccuracies. The refinements are minor in nature and are shown in the list as
track changes.
Some additional changes have been made to the text to bring it up-to-date.
The document is being updated so that it can circulated as an addendum to thedraft GSSB Work Program 2023-2025 when it is released for public consultation.

This document has been prepared by the GRI Standards Division and is made available to observers
at meetings of the Global Sustainability Standards Board (GSSB). It does not represent an official
position of the GSSB. Board positions are set out in the GRI Sustainability Reporting Standards. TheGSSB is the independent standard setting body of GRI. For more information visit
www.globalreporting.org.

© GRI 2022

2Contents
Item 04 – GRI Sector Program – List of prioritized sectors .................................................................... 1
For GSSB approval ............................................................................................................................. 1
Contents .................................................................................................................................................. 2
Background ............................................................................................................................................. 3
Sector list................................................................................................................................................. 3
Priority sectors ........................................................................................................................................ 4
Annex 1 ................................................................................................................................................... 5

Page 2 of 7

3Background

4In February 2019, the Global Sustainability Standards Board (GSSB) approved the GRI Sector

5Program (Sector Program) to improve clarity and consistency in sustainability reporting. The aim of

6the Sector Program is to develop GRI Sector Standards (Sector Standards) for 40 to 45 high-impact

7sectors.

8

The draft GSSB Work Program 2020-2022 proposed a total of 40 sectors categorised by four

9priorities groups. After the exposure of the draft GSSB Work Program 2020-2022, following

10

consideration of stakeholder suggestions and learnings from the pilot projects, a revised list of sectors

11

to be covered by the Sector Program was approved by the GSSB in October 2020.

12

A further revision is proposed in response to the conclusions following the Sector Standards projects

13

undertaken to date, some of which have resulted in changes to the scope and the name of a sector,

14

and reflect research findings and stakeholder input. While most sectors remain unaltered, some have15

been adjusted in their name and description, and a small number of corrections have been made.

16

This revised list will support the upcoming consultation on the draft GSSB Work Program 2023-2025.

17This list of sectors will be further refined on a periodic basis in response to the conclusions of future

18

Sector Standards projects and other inputs.

19Sector list

20

The 40 sectors listed in the Annex will be considered for the Sector Program.

21

The main objective of the composition of the sector list is to accommodate as many potential

22

reporters as possible, while maintaining internal cohesion of each sector and keeping the total

23

number of sectors within the original scope of the program (40 to 45 sectors).

24

As agreed in February 2020, the sectors follow ‘common denominator’ names (e.g. mining, oil and25gas, agriculture) that are intended to be recognizable to all stakeholders. The Standards Division will

26

recommend a sector’s name and a key to link with established classification systems (GICS, ICB,27

ISIC, and SICS) in the relevant project proposal.

28

The sectors, with a brief description of each, are listed by priority group in the Annex.

29

The list is presented to assist in planning the activities of the Sector Program and to engage with

30

interested parties. The final definition of each sector will be decided at the inception of the project, in31

consultation with stakeholders.

32

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33

Priority sectors

34

The key criterion for prioritizing sectors is their sustainability impacts. This should reflect the severity

35of the impacts, as well as the likelihood of their occurrence. It should take into account the overall size

36of the sector, the sector’s distribution around the world, and the number of organizations from that37

sector that are in a position to use the GRI Standards.

38

Ranking sectors according to their sustainability impacts cannot be completely objective but, taking

39

also into account the feedback received from stakeholders, the Standards Division has exercised its

40best judgement.

41

Group 1: Basic Materials and Needs, comprises the sectors that were considered to have the largest

42

sustainability impacts. The pilot projects of oil and gas, coal, agriculture, aquaculture, and fishing were43

selected from this group.

44

A second criterion to define the order of sectors is the potential for exploiting synergies between them.

45

For example, the Sector Standard for mining is expected to share many topics with oil, gas, and coal;46

food and beverages can build upon the knowledge and contacts developed under agriculture,47

aquaculture, and fishing. The three standards in the financial services industry are planned to be48

developed in conjunction.

49

Taking into account the criteria mentioned above, the Standards Division proposes that the following

50

sectors will have Sector Standards developed for them following the completion of the pilot projects:

51

1. Mining52

2. Food and beverages

53

3. Textiles and apparel54

4. Banking

55

5. Insurance56

6. Asset managementCapital markets

57

7. Utilities

58

8. Renewable energy

59

9. Forestry60

10. Metal processing

61
62

Sectors from the remaining groups will be prioritized in due course, following similar criteria.

63

Page 4 of 764

Annex 165

Table 1. List of sectors
SectorDescription of activities

Group 1: Basic materials and needs
Oil and gas

Exploration and production of oil and gas; suppliers of equipment andservices to oil and gas fields; storage and transportation; refining andmarketing of oil and gas products.

Coal

Exploration and extraction of coal; suppliers of equipment and services tocoal mines; storage and transportation; refining and marketing of coalproducts

Agriculture, aquaculture, andfishing

Agriculture, animal husbandry, aquaculture, and fishing. Including rubber
but excluding hunting and forestry.

Mining

Exploration and extraction of minerals, except coal; suppliers of equipment
and services to mining; storage and transportation; refining and marketingof minerals.

Food and beverages

Manufacturing of food, beverages and tobacco.

Textiles and apparel

Manufacturing and retail of textiles, apparel, footwear, and accessories.

Banking

Commercial and investment banks; consumer finance; savings institutions;mortgage finance; micro-finance institutions

Insurance

Life, non-life, and, reinsurance and pension funds.

Asset managementCapital
markets

Asset owners and managersment, investment banks, custody, stock
exchanges

Utilities

Electricity generation (except renewables), transmission and distribution;
gas utilities and distributors; water utilities and services; waste
management.

Renewable energy

Solar and wind project developers; biofuels producers; producers of fuelcells and industrial batteries.

Forestry

Forestry and logging, production of pulp and paper.

Metal processing

Steel and aluminum production; smelting and processing of other metals.

Page 5 of 7Group 2: Industrial
Construction materials

Production of cement, concrete, tiles, bricks, glass and other construction
materials, except steel and timber.

Aerospace and defense

Manufacturing of aircrafts and weapons.

Automotive

Production of road vehicles and auto parts, retail and repair of roadvehicles, car rental and leasing.

Construction

Construction of buildings, civil engineering and other construction activities

Chemicals

Manufacturing of chemical products, including plastics and fertilizers-Machinery and equipment

Manufacturing of machines and equipment, including ships and trains. Can
include all heavy industry not specified elsewhere.

Pharmaceuticals

Manufacturing of pharmaceuticals products; research and development ofidem, biotechnology.

Electronics

Manufacturing and design of electronic products, including computers,
mobile phones and their components; semiconductors.

Group 3: Transport, infrastructure and tourism
Media and communication

Telecom operators, media companies, printing industry.

Software

Software and related services.

Real estate

Real estate developers and services associated.

Transportation infrastructure

Operation of roads, railways, ports, airports, etc.

Shipping

Transportation services by water.

Trucking

Transportation services by road.

Airlines

Passenger airlines.

Trading, distribution, andlogistics

Freight transportation by rail or plane, postal and other logistical services,
storage services, trading services.

PackagingContainers and packaging

HotelsManagement of hotels, resorts and other leisure spaces.

Group 4: Other services and light manufacturing
Educational services

Education services at all levels, including online education.

Household durables

Manufacturing of furniture, household appliances, toys, sporting goods
and similar. Can include all light manufacturing not specified elsewhere.

Managed health care

Health care services, including veterinary.

Page 6 of 7

Medical equipment and services

Manufacturing of medical supplies and equipment.

RetailAll retail services except automotive. Repair services.

Security services and correctionalfacilities

Provision of security services, management of correctional facilities.

Restaurants

Restaurants, bars and cafes; catering services.

Commercial services

Professional services, including lawyers, accountants, consultants,advertising and marketing; business process outsourcing.

Non-profit organizations

Non-governmental organizations, foundations, professional and civicassociations, charities.

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