The GRI Standards explained

Long before the ISSB and the ESRS, companies reported on sustainability using the GRI Standards, and many still do: they are used in more than a hundred countries and are referred to by stock exchanges and regulators. They now sit alongside the newer standards, covering impacts while the ISSB covers financial effects, and the ESRS borrowed much of their impact approach. This guide explains the three series, how material topics are chosen, the two ways of reporting, works through a mining company's material topics, and covers the new climate, energy and biodiversity standards and how GRI fits with the ESRS and IFRS S2.

By Awais Jameel, Chartered Accountant. Reviewed by Muhammad Bilal, Chartered Accountant. 4 minute read.

Short answer

The GRI Standards, issued by the Global Reporting Initiative, are the most widely used framework for reporting a company's impacts on the economy, the environment and people, including human rights. They have three series. The universal standards apply to every reporter: GRI 1 Foundation, GRI 2 General Disclosures and GRI 3 Material Topics, all 2021 versions. Sector standards, such as GRI 11 for oil and gas, GRI 13 for agriculture and GRI 14 for mining, list the topics likely to be material in high-impact sectors. Topic standards set disclosures for specific topics, and are being renewed: GRI 101 Biodiversity applies from 1 January 2026, and GRI 102 Climate Change and GRI 103 Energy from 1 January 2027. Materiality under GRI is impact materiality: a company reports on its most significant impacts. It can report in accordance with the standards, meeting nine requirements, or with reference to them.

At a glance

Issued by
GRI, an independent body
Focus
Impacts the company has
Series
Universal, sector, topic
Materiality
Impact materiality
Two options
Full or with reference
New climate standard
GRI 102 from 2027
The GRI Standards explainedIssued by: GRI, an independent body; Focus: Impacts the company has; Series: Universal, sector, topic; Materiality: Impact materiality; Two options: Full or with reference; New climate standard: GRI 102 from 2027.KEY FACTS AT A GLANCEThe GRI Standards explainedIssued byGRI, an independent bodyFocusImpacts the company hasSeriesUniversal, sector, topicMaterialityImpact materialityTwo optionsFull or with referenceNew climate standardGRI 102 from 2027Tax BakersThe GRI Standards explainedIssued by: GRI, an independent body; Focus: Impacts the company has; Series: Universal, sector, topic; Materiality: Impact materiality; Two options: Full or with reference; New climate standard: GRI 102 from 2027.KEY FACTS AT A GLANCEThe GRI Standards explainedIssued byGRI, an independent bodyFocusImpacts the company hasSeriesUniversal, sector, topicMaterialityImpact materialityTwo optionsFull or with referenceNew climate standardGRI 102 from 2027Tax Bakers
Key facts at a glance, as set out in this guide.

What are the three series of GRI Standards?

  • Universal standards: GRI 1 Foundation sets the requirements and reporting principles; GRI 2 General Disclosures covers the organisation, governance, strategy, policies and stakeholder engagement; GRI 3 Material Topics explains how to determine material topics and what to report about each. See the GRI universal standards.
  • Sector standards: for sectors with high impacts, listing likely material topics and extra disclosures: GRI 11 Oil and Gas, GRI 12 Coal, GRI 13 Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fishing, and GRI 14 Mining, which applies from 1 January 2026, with more sectors planned.
  • Topic standards: disclosures on specific topics, such as water, waste, occupational health and safety, local communities and anti-corruption. See GRI topic standards.

See sustainability reporting explained.

How are material topics chosen under the GRI Standards?

A company identifies its actual and potential, negative and positive impacts on the economy, the environment and people, including on human rights, across its activities and business relationships, and assesses their significance: for negative impacts, severity and likelihood, with severity taking precedence for human rights. Its material topics are those reflecting its most significant impacts. This is the same idea as the impact side of double materiality under the ESRS, but GRI does not require a separate financial materiality assessment. See double materiality explained. See impact materiality.

What is the difference between in accordance with and with reference to?

To report in accordance with the GRI Standards, a company meets nine requirements in GRI 1, including applying the reporting principles, reporting all GRI 2 disclosures, determining material topics under GRI 3, reporting the relevant topic standard disclosures for each, giving reasons for any omission, publishing a GRI content index and a statement of use, and notifying GRI. A company that cannot meet them all can report with reference to the GRI Standards, using selected disclosures and saying which, with a content index. Claims must match what was done.

GRI Standards in practice: a mining company's material topics

A mining company determines its material topics using GRI 3 and the topics listed in the GRI 14 Mining sector standard.

A mining company's material topics and GRI standardsA mining company's material topics and GRI standardsStandard usedExample disclosureClimate changeGRI 102 from 2027(GRI 305 before)Scope 1, 2 and 3;transition planWaterGRI 303Water withdrawalin stressed areasBiodiversityGRI 101Sites nearprotected areasTailings and closureGRI 14 sectorstandardTailings facilitiesand closure plansHealth and safetyGRI 403Fatalities andinjury ratesCommunitiesGRI 413Engagement andgrievances
Sector and topic standards together set the disclosures.

Each material topic is reported with GRI 3's management disclosures, explaining the impacts, policies, actions and effectiveness tracking, plus the topic standard disclosures. From its 2027 report, climate moves to GRI 102, which requires a transition plan disclosure where the company has one and emissions on the GHG Protocol basis, replacing GRI 305. Tailings and mine closure come from the sector standard. The content index maps each disclosure to its location. See the GHG Protocol explained.

What are the new GRI climate, energy and biodiversity standards?

GRI 101 Biodiversity 2024 replaced GRI 304 from 1 January 2026, with more focus on the locations of impacts and the supply chain. GRI 102 Climate Change 2025 and GRI 103 Energy 2025 apply from 1 January 2027, replacing GRI 305 Emissions, part of GRI 201 and GRI 302 Energy; GRI 102 covers transition plans, adaptation, targets, scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions, removals and carbon credits, and a just transition. In June 2025, GRI and the IFRS Foundation set out how GRI 102's emissions disclosures align with IFRS S2's.

How do the GRI Standards fit with the ESRS and IFRS S2?

The ESRS adopt GRI's approach to impact materiality, and GRI and EFRAG have published an interoperability index showing where reporting under the ESRS also meets GRI requirements. Companies reporting under the ISSB standards often use GRI for impact reporting alongside, since the ISSB covers only financial effects; see GRI and the ISSB. For companies outside the CSRD, GRI remains a common choice for voluntary reports. See the ISSB standards and ESRS compared and the EU voluntary standard.

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Questions people ask

What are the GRI Standards?

A set of sustainability reporting standards from the Global Reporting Initiative for reporting a company's impacts on the economy, the environment and people.

What are the three types of GRI Standards?

Universal standards for every reporter, sector standards for high-impact sectors, and topic standards for specific topics.

Do the GRI Standards use double materiality?

No. They use impact materiality, reporting the most significant impacts on the economy, environment and people.

When does GRI 102 Climate Change apply?

From 1 January 2027, replacing GRI 305 Emissions and part of GRI 201.

Sources

Every fee, date and rule on this page was taken from these official and primary sources.

  1. Global Reporting Initiative: the GRI Standards
  2. GRI 103: Energy 2025, effective 1 January 2027
  3. BDO: GRI updates 2025 to 2027

Rules and fees change. If you are reading this long after October 11, 2026, confirm the figures with the source before you rely on them.

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