GRI-25: quotes from supporters

Tellus Institute is proud to have played a central role in conceiving and shaping GRI. The partnership was based on a suite of shared values, including accountability, inclusiveness, transparency, and transformative change that underpinned GRI’s emergence as a leader in sustainability reporting, and must endure as it confronts the challenges of the next 25 years.

Launching the global standard for corporate sustainability reporting in 1997, now used by tens of thousands of companies worldwide, helped kick off a global movement to bring climate disclosure to the marketplace. 25 years later, we are on the cusp of a long-awaited moment as the U.S. now nears adoption of a mandatory rule that would require companies to disclose their climate risks. GRI has been a true partner in helping to advance one of the most fundamental aspects of sustainable business leadership: corporate sustainability reporting. Congratulations on your remarkable achievement of 25 years.

GRI stands out as a true pioneer of the sustainable business movement. Its work, standards, and multi-stakeholderism have become a global reference point for where business is and where it needs to be. The next 25 years will only see increasing urgency. The OECD looks forward to cooperating with GRI on shaping business conduct that works for people, planet and society.

Participating in the founding Steering Group was a seminal experience. I learned the art of creating voluntary standards through multistakeholder processes. It inspired GHG Protocol and countless other efforts. I made life-long friends. GRI’s legacy is expansive, durable, and mission critical. Congratulations on 25 years of advancing corporate responsibility and accountability.

My congratulations to the Global Reporting Initiative on its 25th anniversary. Initiatives such as the GRI are vital to better understanding the impacts of industry and business on the environment. In times of climate crisis, every individual, government, business and organization must step up and we must all hold each other to account as we journey towards a low-carbon, nature positive and sustainable future.

GRI Standards have provided a global baseline for sustainability reporting for 25 years. The robust interactions across stakeholder groups, challenging each other to push harder for accountability that benefits society and the environment, are critical to change for the future. Reporting on impact through this multi-stakeholder approach and focussing on material impacts benefits investors and makes sure their funds contribute to sustainable development.

Responsible business relies on companies disclosing if they are or may be impacting people and planet, and how they handle those impacts. GRI has been a pioneer in providing guidance and standards to organizations on what they need to report on publicly. With the revision of the GRI Universal Standards to better reflect human rights, companies have a key reference point to report meaningfully on human rights and improve their record. We look forward to continued collaboration with GRI, to increase business accountability for human rights impacts.

The Global Reporting Initiative was the early trail blazer in setting standards for sustainability reporting. I think it’s fair to say that without their work it would have not been possible to establish the International Sustainability Standards Standards Board and the European Sustainability Reporting Board. Thank you GRI!

On behalf of the global accountancy profession, IFAC salutes GRI and its long-standing commitment to transparency in sustainability reporting, for the good of all stakeholders. Over the course of its 25-year history, GRI has never wavered from its vision of enabling a sustainable future enabled by transparent and open dialogue about impacts, and we look forward to continuing to work together.

Over the past 25 years, GRI laid the groundwork that allowed organisations like the World Benchmarking Alliance to emerge and build upon. We look forward to continue working together with GRI as we seek to close the corporate accountability gap.

Congratulations to our friends at the Global Reporting Initiative on their 25th anniversary! For a quarter century, GRI has set the standard for impact reporting. We at B Lab are honored to call them a partner in building a more inclusive, equitable, and regenerative economic system. Thank you, GRI, for 25 years of courageous and visionary leadership; we certainly are fortunate to stand on your shoulders.

GRI was in the vanguard, creating a global common language for companies to report to stakeholders on their impacts. In 25 years, they have changed the way companies think about and report on sustainability. Their role going forward remains central as we build a global comprehensive corporate reporting system for sustainability information.

Governance and transparency are non-negotiables for a sustainable future, and I am proud of how the Tata Group and TCS have supported GRI, as they set the standards for organizations globally to build trust and deliver real ESG impact for the world. Please accept my heartiest congratulations on this momentous milestone.

I very much appreciate the significant role GRI has played in developing global sustainability reporting. GRI’s work on best practices has been invaluable input to the development of the EU’s own standards. But our collective job is not yet finished so we are glad for GRI’s continued commitment to a sustainable future.

Sustainability is not about doing what you can do but what we need to do. It is not about meeting one or a few goals but reaching a complete set of goals to assure a future for coming generations and global sustainable development for all. Understanding the importance of the whole set of goals and integrating them in core business plans, making sustainability a material asset to companies, is an important step. Sustainability should be seen as an opportunity and not primarily as a cost. In this, GRI has played an important role during the last 25 years. The work will be even more important in the years to come.

At SECO, we are proud to have accompanied GRI for the past decade on its journey to promote credible sustainability reporting. Personally, I particularly remember a ceremony where I had the privilege to hand out certificates of achievement to over 70 proud Peruvian SMEs that had just completed their first GRI reports. We look forward to continued collaboration with GRI, in support of our shared aims to advance transparency and responsible business.

In recent years, interest in and demand for sustainability data has grown. From our vantage point at the intersection of Swiss economic policy and the dynamics in partner countries all over the world, we notice that companies of all sizes face increasing pressure to disclose their non-financial impact vis-à-vis a widening set of stakeholders. We are therefore happy to count on GRI as our competent partners in advancing sustainability reporting, thus enabling transparency, accountability, and meaningful action.

LSEG congratulates GRI on this impressive 25-year milestone and extends our gratitude for their continued leadership. By creating the first set of global ESG disclosure guidelines, GRI pioneered the space. They have since released GRI Standards enabling thousands of organizations to transform their business models and tell their story through GRI reports. The industry is at a critical tipping point, and we wish GRI continued success facilitating the transition to a more sustainable future for all.

GRI is a pioneer in the field of sustainability reporting and has been one of the most popular standards used in Singapore. It has brought to bear its influence on the shaping of the collective response to our sustainability challenges in the quarter century since its establishment. I wish GRI every success in maintaining its relevance to businesses and the communities in which they operate!

During these past 25 years, the GRI has not only been a reference as a reporting methodology, but a beacon for transparency and accountability for all types of organizations. For me, it´s an honor to be part of a team that, on a daily basis and at an international level, contributes to having a more sustainable world.

Heartiest congratulations to GRI’s 25th anniversary! CDL takes pride in being the first Singapore company to publish a sustainability report in 2008, GRI has remained as core in our blended reporting framework developed over the last 15 years. Here’s wishing GRI many more years of empowering corporates in sustainability communication.

Twenty-five years! In 1997, the year that GRI was founded, non-financial reporting was only about environmental matters. I congratulate GRI on their successful and impactful initiative to develop a standard not just for environmental, but for "Triple P" reporting. Non-financial reporting is here to stay! I am also proud to have contributed to moving the GRI headquarters to Amsterdam in 2002.

Happy 25th anniversary GRI! Congratulations on a quarter century of remarkable impact. We know the transparency revolution is just getting started and that we need the corporate sector to focus even more attention on its environmental and social impacts – which means that GRI’s important work is just beginning. The next 25 years will be even more critical for GRI to be at the forefront of driving the transition to sustainability at pace and scale.

State Street is proud of our longstanding partnership with the Global Reporting Initiative. GRI’s guidance on stakeholder engagement and materiality, in particular, have helped us scale our reporting toward the comprehensive ESG report structure that we have today. We are pleased to have such a strong foundation that allows us to provide the information our many stakeholders expect to better understand our ESG performance.

As a Community Member since 2007, we saw the importance GRI played in shaping and standardizing sustainability reporting, which has now become the most commonly used standard to support interested parties. We look forward to more great work to keep up with the evolving sustainability landscape.

In a period of great change within the European and international reporting landscape, GRI confirms its primary role as leading guide for companies that focus on robust and transparent reporting on impacts and performance. Enel supports GRI's pioneering and continuous improvement work and encourages an ongoing dialogue in view of a common growth path and constant evolution – to ensure that companies are able to represent value creation in an increasingly complete and transparent way, considering the interest of all stakeholders.

GRI has contributed significantly to laying the foundations for non-financial accountability, with the corresponding impact on achieving sustainability, becoming a world benchmark. For Abertis, this shared path has allowed us to consolidate a solid system in the area of non-financial accountability in the organization, which has been key to the development of a management model focused on achieving objectives that transcend purely financial results.

Vancity encourages change within the financial services sector by accurately measuring and openly reporting on how our own actions are improving the well-being of people, communities, and the environment. Since we first piloted the GRI guidelines in 1999, the GRI’s work has helped us do this. Congratulations!

We congratulate GRI on its 25th anniversary. We have been using GRI sustainability reporting guidelines and standards ever since our first sustainability report was published back in 2009. Its guidance has been crucial in structuring and developing our reporting activities, and we look forward to improving our disclosure following GRI best practices.