When we talk about business sustainability, conversations on the subject are more advanced and many companies are already familiar with the concepts. The biggest difficulty in relation to the topic is usually in the justification, in the analysis of results of sustainable measures and in social and environmental impact of operations in the company's day-to-day operations.
In this sense, there are some report models to support your decisions regarding the topic, evaluate whether the efforts are valid and what is possible to invest in. The most assertive and used by large companies is precisely the GRI report.
How can I measure and verify the results of my initiatives in sustainable practices? What should I invest in? What indicators should I analyze? These are questions that the GRI Standards help to decipher.
We have produced a complete post so that you can clear up your basic doubts and better understand how GRI works. Keep reading!
What is GRI?
The Global Reporting Initiative is an international organization that helps companies, governments and other institutions understand and communicate the impact of business on critical sustainability issues. These include climate change, human rights and corruption.
What is it for?
To the GRI guidelines – called G4 – in the preparation of reports, they help to identify the impacts of the organization’s operations on the environment, economy and civil society. The objective is to point out reliable, relevant and standardized information so that your company can assess opportunities and risks based on these impacts and make more informed decisions on the matter.
The guidelines that make up the G4 are universally applicable to companies of all sizes, types and market sectors, and were restructured into a set of standards in late 2016.
This remodeling gave rise to the GRI Sustainability Reporting Standards. These were the first global standards for creating sustainability reports. The indicators are arranged in interrelated modules and represent best practices for reporting the economic, environmental and social impacts of businesses.
The GRI Standards will only be valid from July 1, 2018. Until then, the G4 guidelines remain valid.
How to apply the GRI Standards
Companies can use the GRI Standards to develop their sustainability reports. It is not necessary to use all the patterns. You can use specific parts of the document to report only the information that is valid for your company.
However, attention is needed: each way of using the Standards requires a corresponding declaration of use, which companies must include in any reports with disclosure based on the format provided for by the document.
Why should I prepare a report based on the GRI?
The main reasons that make big companies in the world implement reports based on GRI Standards are:
- – Demonstrate commitment to environmental and social impacts;
- – Transparency in relationships;
- – Demonstrate the ability to participate in competitive markets;
- – Plan activities, become more sustainable and position the company;
- – Follow the legislation.
All these benefits add positive values to the company's image, increased chances of loyalty and data analysis to compare performance with other companies.
How can I get started?
Producing sustainability reports in the GRI format is crucial to increasing the value of the sustainability process. integrated reporting. The choice of which guidance to use or consult will also strongly influence the results obtained through the analysis of the indicators.
If you want to learn more about how to start your GRI Sustainability Reports, Click here! If you still have questions, leave your comment!
