Sustainability reporting frameworks

Understanding GRI Standards involves learning how to use the Global Reporting Initiative’s framework to report an organization’s environmental, social, and governance (ESG) impacts transparently and consistently, helping stakeholders assess sustainability performance.

The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) is an international organization that provides widely used standards for sustainability reporting, helping organizations disclose their environmental, social, and governance (ESG) impacts in a transparent and consistent manner.

Understanding GRI Standards Structure involves familiarizing yourself with the modular framework of the GRI Standards, which includes Universal Standards, Sector Standards, and Topic Standards—each guiding how to report on general disclosures, industry-specific issues, and material topics in a clear, consistent, and comprehensive way.

Applying GRI Principles for Reporting
Focuses on using the GRI principles to ensure sustainability reports are balanced, accurate, timely, and relevant, providing a true reflection of an organization's impacts.

Defining Report Content and Quality
Involves determining what information to include in the report based on stakeholder interests and organizational priorities, while ensuring the data is reliable, clear, and comparable.

Identifying Stakeholders and Material Topics
Covers the process of engaging stakeholders to understand their concerns and identifying key environmental, social, and economic topics that significantly impact the organization and its stakeholders.

Data Collection and Analysis
Focuses on gathering accurate and relevant data to measure sustainability performance and using analysis to inform reporting and decision-making.

Aligning with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Explains how to link GRI-reported topics and indicators to the UN SDGs, demonstrating the organization’s contribution to global sustainable development objectives.

Creating a GRI-Based Sustainability Report

Planning the Report
Involves establishing clear objectives, identifying key stakeholders, and determining the scope of the report. This phase sets the foundation for aligning the report with organizational strategy, regulatory requirements, and global sustainability trends, ensuring the inclusion of material issues.

Structuring According to GRI Index
Entails organizing the report based on the GRI Standards Index, ensuring comprehensive coverage of universal, sector-specific, and topic-specific disclosures. This structure provides transparency and consistency, facilitating stakeholder comparison and benchmarking.

Writing Narratives and Disclosures
Focuses on crafting detailed narratives that contextualize the data, providing insight into performance, challenges, and strategies for improvement. Clear, balanced disclosures are essential to communicate an organization’s sustainability journey with credibility and depth.

Publishing and Communicating the Report
Involves determining the appropriate channels for dissemination, ensuring accessibility and transparency for diverse stakeholders. This phase emphasizes effective communication strategies, integrating digital platforms and stakeholder engagement to maximize the impact of the report and align with corporate governance and sustainability goals.

GRI in Practice: Case Studies and Real Reports

Review of Real-World GRI Reports
This module offers an in-depth analysis of actual GRI-compliant sustainability reports from diverse industries, highlighting the application of GRI standards in practice. Participants will examine the structure, content, and transparency of these reports to understand best practices and identify areas for improvement.

Common Pitfalls and Best Practices
Explores common challenges faced by organizations when implementing GRI reporting, such as misaligned materiality assessments, data quality issues, and gaps in stakeholder engagement. The session provides actionable insights into overcoming these obstacles and leveraging best practices for more effective and credible reporting.

External Assurance and Third-Party Review
Discusses the importance of third-party verification and external assurance in enhancing the credibility and reliability of GRI reports. This section covers different assurance frameworks, the process of engaging external auditors, and how to incorporate their findings into the report for greater transparency.

GRI and Integrated Reporting
Examines the integration of GRI standards with financial and non-financial reporting, focusing on the synergy between GRI’s sustainability disclosures and integrated reporting frameworks. This approach enables organizations to present a cohesive narrative that aligns sustainability performance with financial results, offering a comprehensive view of long-term value creation.

Future of GRI and ESG Reporting

Global Trends in Sustainability Disclosure
This module delves into the evolving landscape of sustainability reporting, examining global trends that are shaping ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) disclosure frameworks. Participants will explore the increasing demand for transparency, the rise of regulatory requirements, and how organizations are adapting to meet investor and stakeholder expectations.

GRI’s Collaboration with IFRS, EFRAG, and Others
Focuses on the growing convergence between GRI standards and other key reporting frameworks such as the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and the European Financial Reporting Advisory Group (EFRAG). This section covers the collaborative efforts to streamline and harmonize ESG disclosures, creating a more integrated approach to sustainability and financial reporting.

Digital and Real-Time ESG Reporting
Examines the shift towards digital and real-time ESG reporting, where organizations are leveraging advanced technologies such as blockchain, IoT, and AI to collect, analyze, and report data. The module explores how these innovations are improving the accuracy, timeliness, and accessibility of sustainability information, allowing for more dynamic and responsive reporting.

Emerging Topics: Climate Risk, Biodiversity, Human Rights
Addresses the rising prominence of emerging sustainability issues in ESG reporting. This includes the growing focus on climate risk disclosures, the protection of biodiversity, and the integration of human rights considerations into business operations. The module explores the regulatory and reporting frameworks surrounding these topics, and how companies can align their strategies with global sustainability goals.

The Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB)

This course introduces the SASB framework, which provides industry-specific sustainability disclosure standards that help businesses communicate financially material ESG information to investors. It covers SASB’s approach to materiality, sector-specific metrics, and how SASB complements other frameworks to support transparent, decision-useful sustainability reporting.

CDP (formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project)

CDP is a global nonprofit that runs a leading disclosure system for companies, cities, states, and regions to report their environmental impacts. This course explores how CDP collects data on climate change, water security, and deforestation, and how organizations use CDP reporting to manage risks, demonstrate transparency, and meet investor and regulatory expectations

The International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC)

The IIRC is a global coalition that developed the Integrated Reporting (<IR>) Framework, which promotes a holistic approach to corporate reporting by combining financial and non-financial information. This course covers how organizations use the <IR> Framework to communicate value creation over time, linking strategy, governance, performance, and sustainability in a concise and integrated report.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

The SDGs are a set of 17 global goals established by the United Nations to address critical social, environmental, and economic challenges by 2030. This course explores how organizations can align their strategies and reporting with the SDGs to drive positive impact, demonstrate accountability, and contribute to global sustainable development efforts.