2006, Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)
The goal of sustainable development is to “meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” As key forces in society, organizations of all kinds have an important role to play in achieving this goal.
Yet in this era of unprecedented economic growth, achieving this goal can seem more of an aspiration than a reality. As economies globalize, new opportunities to generate prosperity and quality of life are arising though trade, knowledge-sharing, and access to technology. However, these opportunities are not always available for an ever-increasing human population, and are accompanied by new risks to the stability of the environment. Statistics demonstrating positive improvements in the lives of many people around the world are counter-balanced by alarming information about the state of the environment and the continuing burden of poverty and hunger on millions of people. This contrast creates one of the most pressing dilemmas for the 21st century.
One of the key challenges of sustainable development is that it demands new and innovative choices and ways of thinking. While developments in knowledge and technology are contributing to economic development,they also have the potential to help resolve the risks and threats to the sustainability of our social relations, environment, and economies. New knowledge and innovations in technology, management, and public policy are challenging organizations to make new choices in the way their operations, products, services, and activities impact the earth, people, and economies.
The urgency and magnitude of the risks and threats to our collective sustainability, alongside increasing choice and opportunities, will make transparency about economic, environmental, and social impacts a fundamental component in effective stakeholder relations, investment decisions, and other market relations. To support this expectation, and to communicate clearly and openly about sustainability, a globally shared framework of concepts, consistent language, and metrics is required. It is the Global Reporting Initiative’s (GRI) mission to fulfil this need by providing a trusted and credible framework for sustainability reporting that can be used by organizations of any size, sector, or location.
Transparency about the sustainability of organizational activities is of interest to a diverse range of stakeholders, including business, labor, non-governmental organizations, investors, accountancy, and others. This is why GRI has relied on the collaboration of a large network of experts from all of these stakeholder groups in consensus-seeking consultations. These consultations, together with practical experience, have continuously improved the Reporting Framework since GRI’s founding in 1997. This multi-stakeholder approach to learning has given the Reporting Framework the widespread credibility it enjoys with a range of stakeholder groups.
Interactive navigation that presents the Guidelines in a logical, progressive process that mirrors the steps a reporting organization might typically follow is available at the Global Reporting Initiative website.
