The year 2018 is coming to an end and for many companies, a new financial year will begin in January. For companies that publish a sustainability report 2018 according to GRI guidelines due to their reporting cycles, it is advisable to take now the necessary preparatory measures. The GRI report season starts these days for those companies that follow this recommendation.
Procedure to prepare your GRI report
Reporting companies should now inform all necessary departments regarding the reporting and data collection. Due to the cross-sectional nature of sustainability management, it may be necessary to involve the majority of all corporate departments. The starting point of the project should then be the analysis of the actual state. As a result of a possible stakeholder identification, the materiality analysis should be initiated in a timely manner. Here, the most important sustainability aspects in a companies’ sphere are filtered in dialogue with the stakeholders. This can then be followed up by data and key figure collection, ideally as early as the beginning of 2019, when the financial year 2018 has come to an end for most companies. Concrete sustainability goals are also collected at the operational and strategic level, including related implementation measures. Optionally, new goals and activities are formulated.
Related to this year’s GRI report season, we would like to give you some suggestions:
- In line with the 2011 CSR definition of the EU, focusing on ecological and social impacts can be a key driver for sustainability-related developments in a company. Concrete examples regarding the topic ‘impacts’ are: a plastic packaging manufacturer contributes to plastic pollution, enterprises contribute to climate change, fast food restaurants are contributing to obesity, etc.
- This is a first step towards a reflexive entrepreneurial action
- The subsequent addressing of key challenges leads to increased credibility and reputation of a company which can lead to a significant contribution to sustainable development
- This is based on a serious stakeholder dialogue at eye level
Important information for your GRI report season
- If the report should align with GRI recommendations it is mandatory now to publish its sustainability report according to GRI Standards (G4 Guidelines are no longer applicable, see also DFGE blog post from the 4th July 2018)
- Companies that are required by the CSR law to report about CSR issues and wish to publish a non-financial report instead of the non-financial statement could use GRI as a support, but then further information is needed (including supply chain risks, due diligence processes and outcomes, etc.)
- Appropriate data collection systems should already be implemented and responsibilities assigned
Resources for your GRI report season
- GRI’s Reporter-Service
- GRI Download-Center
- DFGE-Blog from the 21st June 2016
- FAQ
Support by the DFGE
The DFGE has been supporting companies in their sustainability efforts since 1999 and has extensive expertise in CSR reporting and accounting. With customized service packages, the DFGE advises companies based on their individual needs. As part of this year’s GRI report season, we assist you in the materiality analysis, in the data and key figures collection as well as in the complete creation of a GRI report. If you have any questions about this or any other requests, please contact us via or by phone on 08192-99733-20.
