Frequently Asked Questions

The GRI Professional Certification Program

The GRI Professional Certification Program is a sustainability curriculum that delivers globally applicable professional development on the GRI Standards and offers professionals an opportunity for continuous learning and upskilling. The program has two flexible learning routes to choose from - online self-paced (Route A) hosted on the GRI Academy or blended (Route B), delivered together with GRI’s network of Certified Training Partners.

This program was developed in response to a market need, and the continuous calls by sustainability professionals for GRI to develop a certification program. Through this program, professionals will be able to enhance their knowledge, expertise, and skills on sustainability practices, particularly in implementing the GRI Standards, with the overall aim to improve the quality of sustainability disclosures and reporting. For a full list of courses offered by the GRI Academy, please see our complete training curriculum.

• Improve skills of sustainability professionals: and subsequently the quality of sustainability disclosures and reporting
• Provide acknowledgement: way for sustainability professionals to demonstrate knowledge, capability, and competence
• Create credibility and marketability: it is a form of quality assurance for sustainability professionals, improving their marketability
• Maintain and upskill knowledge: continuing education will keep sustainability professionals up to date

The program consists of four courses (see below) that cover the fundamentals of GRI reporting and the certification exam. On the GRI Academy courses page you can find more information about each course, the content and the learning objectives:


  • Introduction to sustainability reporting and the GRI Standards

  • Reporting with GRI Standards

  • Reporting on Human Rights with GRI Standards

  • Integrating the SDGs into sustainability reporting

  • If you are not certified yet, you can become certified by completing the full Certification Program via Route A or Route B and passing the Certification exam.

    The reason for having different learning channels (online – Route A - and face to face – Route B) is to cater to the needs of different types of learners and have a global reach at the same time.

    GRI’s Certified Training Course is a customized training in a peer-to-peer learning environment offering networking opportunities and locally tailored content delivered by 91 training partners across 48 countries offer.


    If you opt for Route B, the GRI Standards Certified Training course, held by our Certified Training Partners, is equivalent to the first two courses


    1) “Introduction to sustainability reporting and the GRI Standards”
    2) “Reporting with GRI Standards Update”.


    In cases where CTPs also license the two additional courses –


    3) “Reporting on Human Rights with GRI Standards”
    4) “Integrating the SDGs into sustainability reporting”,


    these courses can also be taken through a CTP. Otherwise, these courses can be completed directly on the GRI Academy.

    There is a lot of added value to attending a course through a Certified Training Partner including:

    • Local context: The material from Training Partners is certified and includes local cases and examples tailored to the region where the course is being offered. Often, it is also offered in the local language.
    • Peer to peer learning: CTPs provide opportunities for peer-to-peer learning, which is invaluable.
    • Networking opportunities: Through the set-up of face-to-face or remote training sessions, the participants get networking opportunities through the CTP courses.
    • Practical learning: The GRI online courses cover the essentials of reporting, but without the learner practicing the presented concepts, whereas the CTP courses provide practical exercises and case studies.
    • Access to a trainer: The participants get access to the trainer (an experienced sustainability professional) throughout the CTP courses.

    If a participant previously completed the required CEUs in an effort to recertify, any
    additional CEU credits will roll over into the new certification period

    We will only recognize CEU credits towards the extension of you certification if they were obtained after the date you received your certification.

    Besides sustainability reporting professionals (within companies) and consultants, this program is also very useful for anyone who works with sustainability reporting, such as Chief Sustainability Officers and assurers.

    No, for the moment there is no such requirement.

    The GRI Professional Certification Exam

    The Certification exam can only be taken online and only at the GRI Academy. It consists of 40 single and multiple-choice questions and requires a passing score of 75%. If an individual fails the exam, they can retake it 3 times in 6 months with a 7-day cooling off period between attempts.

    The Certification Exam can be taken online through the GRI Academy. Upon completion of the learning path, all eligible candidates will be able to take this Exam at their convenience without having to make an appointment.

    The GRI Professional Certification Program (including the Certification exam) is currently
    offered in both English and Spanish.

    No, the Professional Certification Program requires to follow the compulsory learning path. The courses are a prerequisite to take the Certification exam. In very specific cases, where the Grandfathering policy below applies, experts will be allowed to go directly to the Certification exam without having to go through the required courses by submitting this self-declaration form.

    Yes, participants will receive a certificate of completion for each course and a certificate of achievement once the Certification exam is passed. The certificate of achievement will mention that the participant has acquired the status of “GRI Certified Sustainability Professional”. The certificate is valid for a limited period of time from the date of issue or up until the expiration of the current GRI Universal standards. It must be extended regularly by collecting the required number of CEU credits. Please, check this document for the latest information on CEU requirements.

    Successfully attending the “GRI Certified Training course” with one of our certified training partners, is the equivalent to the first two courses of the Program. To continue the Program, you must select the ‘Route B Learning Path’ from the Course Catalogue in the GRI Academy. Subsequently, you can proceed with the remaining courses and, once completed, the Professional Certification Exam will be unlocked. Alternatively, in cases where training partners license the additional courses from GRI, these courses can also be taken through the training partner.

    Pricing

    The price for the GRI Professional Certification Program is available here. Please note that the price for the full program bought at once is the same as the cumulative price when buying the individual courses plus the exam separately. For the pricing of the courses delivered by our training partners, please contact the relevant partner directly.

    Participants of the GRI Standards Certified Training course, through the GRI Certified Training Partners, get a 25% discount on the Certification Exam fee.

    Discount for students:
    • Students get a 10% discount on the courses and the Certification exam.
    • Bulk discount for universities: (> 25 online users) - 15% discount
    • To receive the 10% student discount coupon, please send a copy of your student ID or proof of enrollment to [email protected]

    Discount for companies:
    • NGOs: 15% discount
    • GRI Community members: 25% discount
    • GRI CST Partners: 15% discount


    Bulk discounts for participants who enroll (at the same time) in the same course(s)
    • 6 – 10 enrollments: 5%
    • 11 – 25 enrollments: 10%
    • > 25 enrollments: 15%

    CEUs (Continuing Education Units)

    The continuing development of professional competence involves a program of advancing educational activities. Continuing Education Units (CEUs) is the term used in this program to describe educational and other activities that assist participants to maintain their GRI Certified Sustainability Professionals status.


    Learn more about the Continuing Education Units (CEUs) and how to maintain your certification status in the CEU requirements document.

    Contact us

    If you're interested in learning more about the courses offered by the GRI Academy, please don't hesitate to contact our team. We will be happy to provide you with additional information and answer any questions you may have.

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