GRI Convenes International Discussion on Sustainability Reporting
14 January 2015 at 9:10 am
The organisation behind the world’s most widely used sustainability reporting framework has launched a project aimed at promoting international discussion on the future of sustainability reporting.
Reporting 2025 from the The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) will see the organisation adopt a formal approach to the facilitation of a global conversation on sustainability reporting and disclosures.
According to GRI, the organisation plans to interview thought leaders, from various fields, to identify the main issues that will be – or should be – at the center of companies’ agendas and their public reports and to publish articles, videos and analysis papers for consultation throughout 2015.
“As the practice of reporting continues to mature, it’s crucial that we make sure our activities are leading to a sustainable global economy,” GRI’s Chief Executive Michael Meehan said.
“This means that organisations must do more than merely produce a sustainability report. The data collected needs to empower informed decision-making, not just for management but also for other stakeholders. Reporting 2025 will examine how best to bring this about.”
GRI’s Chief Advisor on Innovation in Reporting, Nelmara Arbex will lead the Reporting 2025 project. Arbex has worked in corporate sustainability for 14 years and in her previous role as GRI’s Deputy Chief Executive, she supervised the development of the G4 Guidelines, which involved thousands of stakeholders in more than 30 countries.
“The GRI Guidelines have evolved over the past two decades as societal expectations of business transparency and good stewardship have developed. During the Reporting 2025 project, I will be speaking with top executives and thought leaders to map out what the sustainability reporting landscape will look like ten years from now,” Arbex said.
Businesses can become involved as members of the GRI Corporate Leadership Group on Reporting 2025, a group that GRI said would allow businesses ready to take the lead in defining the future of sustainability reporting and disclosures to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of reporting.
2013 research by KPMG revealed 83 per cent of Australian companies were using GRI guidelines as their reporting framework.
Reporting 2025 will be supported by global sponsors including the Center for Corporate Citizenship at Boston College.
