Updated GRI Standards: What Are the Implications for Materiality?

Last October, the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) announced the biggest update of its standards since 2016. Beyond legal requirements, the GRI has been identified as one of the most comprehensive and internationally recognized sustainability standards setter for corporate reporting. Scheduled to be applicable by 2023, these changes require companies to increase their level of transparency and to dedicate further resources into non-financial reporting. One of the key updates is the introduction of sector standards, providing additional guidelines for comparability of companies from the same industries. Another important change in the GRI Universal Standards is the revised approach on how organization should conduct their materiality assessment. This article focuses on the proposed changes and what it means for companies which have selected the GRI Standards as their ESG reporting framework.

How to Strengthen ESG Reporting with the Updated GRI Standards

In the corporate world, sustainability reporting requirements are continuously increasing through national and international directives. In the EU, the upcoming Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) will impact the reporting guidelines of a large number of European companies. Beyond legal requirements, the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) have been identified as the most comprehensive and internationally recognized sustainability standards setters for corporate reporting. At the end of 2020, GRI counted more than 38,000 GRI reports from organizations, including 73% of the world's 250 largest companies.

Leveraging Double Materiality to Identify Emerging ESG Risks

If there is one thing that the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated, it is that society can face major challenges, virtually overnight. Companies need to have a sharp view on both short-term impacts and risks further on the horizon in order to steer their business and build resilience to deal with change. Capturing emerging risks in the ESG approach is therefore essential. Additionally, as of 2023, the EU Commission requires companies to apply the concept of “Double Materiality” as part of its new Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). One of the main questions that therefore arises is: how do you ensure your materiality assessment covers these new perspectives on materiality?

Impact of Sharpened ESG Reporting Requirements

Non-financial reporting regulations are evolving at a high pace – especially in Europe. Spurred by the need to redirect finance towards achieving the EU Green Deal and the Paris Agreement, companies will have to become more transparent on their environmental and social impacts, and their strategy to mitigate ESG risks. But before you can ‘talk the walk’, you’ll need to figure out how to walk, and where towards. This article gives a brief overview of the implications of the most important European non-financial reporting requirements for companies operating in Europe, and how to get ready for them.

Sign up for IMD’s Winning Sustainability Strategies online program

Designed to integrate ESG in your corporate strategy, the Winning Sustainability Strategies online program from IMD Business School in Lausanne teaches how to build a strong business case for sustainability and how to develop opportunities for innovation. Due to its practical approach, the program has proven to be highly appreciated by executive and senior management level participants. Moreover, it is suitable for larger groups of corporate participants to obtain a more thorough understanding of doing well by doing good.

Start of the IMD Winning Sustainability Strategies Online Program

Following the publication of the book Winning Sustainability Strategies, IMD Lausanne is launching an online program aimed at business executives, strategy practitioners and sustainability professionals who are interested in the business case for sustainability and its strategic implications. Facilitated by the authors Jan van der Kaaij, Managing Partner of Finch & Beak, and IMD professor Benoit Leleux, the program starts on 21 September 2020 and is designed to help integrate sustainability in your strategy so you can maintain your competitive edge.

5 Tips for a Flying Start of your DJSI 2019 Cycle

Now the list of all eligible companies for its 2019 assessment is revealed, companies are getting ready for the 2nd of April, when the new questionnaire will be released. The added value of ESG benchmarking comes from the fact that it provides insights of where your company's sustainability approach is doing well, and which areas are up for of improvement. Especially the Dow Jones Sustainability Index provides a high level of richness in its feedback that can serve as drivers for the internal departments and pointers for the continuous improvement of your program. The overall goal is to accelerate your company's impact through a sustainability program with a clear direction, delivering positive results in the ESG benchmarks as a positive outcome.

Turning ESG Results into Actions

Addressing the increasing awareness of ESG factors within the investment community, this resource helps to unravel the complexities associated with the outcomes of ESG ratings and identify a clear course of action for improving ESG performance over the long term.

Conducting a Materiality Scan

Companies and individuals frequently must cope with limited bandwidth in terms of attention and resources. Hence, it is important to select a limited number of high-impact sustainability efforts, instead of the all-too-common machine gun approach of spraying efforts large and thin. Effective implementation requires sniper precision in the definition of sustainability targets and dedicated efforts in execution. A materiality analysis provides guidance for focus, and the Materiality Map makes it possible to develop this in a quick-and-dirty fashion.

Are You Among 2018’s DJSI Sustainability Stars?

On 13th September 2018, RobecoSAM and S&P Dow Jones Indices announced the results of the annual Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) review. We are happy to announce that all our customers from eight different countries entered or continued their inclusion in the DJSI, of which four are now industry leaders. Among the companies that were newly added in this year’s Indices are Diageo, General Mills, Assicurazioni Generali, and BBVA whereas Henkel, BASF, and Bayer have been deleted from the index.