core sector communique

New sustainability reporting guidance released for public consultation Sustainability experts, organizations and professionals can help shape the  future of corporate sustainability reporting, as the Global Reporting Initiative  (GRI) publishes an exposure draft of new guidance for public feedback. GRI produces a comprehensive sustainability reporting framework that is  widely used around the world. GRI is now working on the next generation  of its Sustainability Reporting Guidelines – G4. As part of the development  process, the second Public Comment Period is now open for organizations  and individuals to share their views and help shape the structure and  content of G4. Nelmara Arbex, Deputy Chief Executive of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI),  who is leading the G4 development process, said: “We are at a point  now where companies and other organizations have to be transparent about  their economic, environmental and social performance: customers, suppliers,  investors , governments and other stakeholders expect it. This exposure  draft of the new generation of Guidelines – G4 – shows how G4 will help all  organizations take a step towards much more focused, relevant reports,  covering material topics.” The G4 development is focused on five main areas – Boundary,  Application Levels, Governance and Remuneration, Supply Chain,  and Disclosures on Management Approach – and Working Groups  have produced new and updated content. This content is now  available for public comment. Individuals and organizations can  provide feedback by answering questions about the new content  and providing editorial suggestions and comments in the text of the  exposure draft. GRI invites all interested people and organizations to participate in the  second G4 Public Comment Period. Feedback on the draft documents  will guide the GRI Secretariat, Working Groups, and governance bodies  to finalize the development of G4. The content is available online from 25 June to 25 September 2012.  It is available in English, and respondents can log in and out of the  system as many times as they like. Notes: 1. About the Global Reporting Initiative The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) produces a comprehensive  Sustainability Reporting Framework that is widely used around the world,  to enable greater organizational transparency. The Framework, including  the Reporting Guidelines, sets out the Principles and Indicators organizations  can use to report their economic, environmental, and social performance.  GRI is committed to continuously improving and increasing the use of the  Guidelines, which are freely available to the public. GRI, a multi-stakeholder foundation, was set up in the US in 1997 by  CERES and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP). In 2002,  GRI moved its central office to Amsterdam, where the Secretariat is  currently located. GRI has regional ‘Focal Points’ in Australia, Brazil, China,  India and the USA, and a worldwide network of 30,000 people. 2. About G4 G4 is GRI’s fourth generation of Sustainability Reporting Guidelines  and is now in development. G4 is part of GRI’s commitment  to the continuous development of its Guidelines. G4 aims to meet  the following development priorities: • to offer guidance in a user-friendly way, so that beginners can easily  understand and use the Guidelines • to improve the technical quality of the Guidelines’ content in order to  better support reporting organizations when preparing the report  information and information users when using it • to align with other international disclosure standards and relevant metrics • to improve guidance on identifying “material” content – from different  stakeholders perspective – to be included in the sustainability reports • to offer guidance on how to link the sustainability reporting process to the  preparation of Integrated Report aligned with the guidance to be  developed by International Integrated reporting Council (IIRC) G4 will be launched at GRI’s Global Conference in May 2013.