Reporting only what matters
GRI | Global Reporting Initiative
GRI is an independent international organization that establishes guidelines for good sustainability reporting. The guidelines distinguish between general and specific standard disclosures. The general disclosures mainly relate to the company strategy as well as to the business model and corporate governance; the specific disclosures, on the other hand, relate directly to thematic sub-areas of sustainability such as CO2 emissions, child labor, sustainability in the supply chain, etc. The specific disclosures are based on the company’s sustainability performance.
The special feature of GRI is that companies themselves can determine the sub-items of the report depending on their importance for the company and stakeholders. We help you to capture the essentials and provide you with individual support throughout the entire process.
Dr.-Ing. Thomas Fleissner
Founder and CEO of DFGE
“In order to make it easier for German companies in particular to participate in the GRI, I have been acting voluntarily for several years as Chairman of the Peer Review Committee for the translation of the GRI Standard into German.”
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There is something for everyone!
According to the principles of the GRI Standard Guidelines, it is important to report only what is essential. For this purpose, a materiality matrix is created.
After the industry comparison, which provides a list of potentially material aspects, the assessment of these aspects is carried out by the decision-makers of your company. Stakeholders are included to gather feedback. The synthesis of the information is mapped in a materiality matrix.
- Study of up to 20 companies showing what topics are included in their reports, if the topics are present in their materiality matrix, the sectorial topics
- Stakeholder engagement package
- Shortlist of potential topics with their “boundaries” (where they occur)
- Survey designed by us on this basis, to be filled by the decision-makers
- A materiality matrix and a list of material topics and boundaries
- Decision-making tool for the report contents and the CSR strategy
- A materiality matrix and list of material topics and boundaries
- Gap analysis and data collection plan.
- Collection of data and plausibility
- Provision of draft with raw structure, texts and indicators
- Delivery of GRI index to be added to the final report
You want a GRI-compliant report, but don’t know what your competitors and partners are doing, what a materiality matrix is, or whether the existing data is sufficient? Then the 360° solution is just right for you!
We will conduct an industry comparison, compile a materiality matrix and a list of relevant aspects, and take care of the data compilation. In the process, you provide the data, evaluate the material aspects and update your sustainability report.
We advise you individually and conduct internal training and workshops for your team. Furthermore, we take over subtasks during your GRI participation.
- Workshops & trainings
- Tailor-made consulting services
- Validation of your responses
Your Advantages
- Scaleability: You determine the structure of your report.
- Time Saving: You can focus on the communication itself, not the technical aspects.
- Scientific: Compliance with the GRI guidelines
- Reliable: Using an internationally recognized standard to structure your CSR report.
- Relevant: DFGE helps you select only the relevant issues and prioritize them according to your business and your stakeholders’ views.
More about the GRI-Process
The GRI process prescribes certain principles for the report’s content as well for its quality, e.g. concerning diligence, comparability, reliability and completeness of the presented information. With regards to content, the principles are stakeholder integration, completeness (all important CSR fields should be covered), sustainability context (how can the company’s activities be seen as a whole?) and materiality (priorization of the most important CSR areas).
The implementation of these principles normally results in a materiality matrix (with the topics which are seen as being important by the stakeholders and the company) and a list of the material aspects incl. description.
Why GRI at all?
- Measurement and control of progess becomes possible
- CSR strategy and economic interest are brought in line
- Only material topics are reported
- Acknowledged standard which includes stakeholders
- Data can be compared over a period of time
