Our mission is to enable organizations to be transparent and take responsibility for their impacts. To achieve that, we strive to support best practice sustainability reporting, based on the world’s most widely used standards for disclosing those impacts – the GRI Standards.
That is why we have launched a bold new brand, supported by a refreshed and modern website, realigned to meet the needs of all users of the Standards.
So, take a deep dive into the Standards today – which cover topics ranging from anti-corruption to water, biodiversity to occupational health and safety, tax to emissions. And explore our services while learning about how we operate and collaborate to secure a more sustainable future for all.
Transparency on oil and gas sector impacts
GRI’s first Sector Standard is one step closer, with a public comment period underway. A proposed sustainability reporting standard for companies operating in the oil and gas sector is open until 6 October. Provide your input today.
Sector Standards Project for Oil, Gas and Coal
Now open the public consultation for oil and gas until 6 October
Read the exposure draft and provide your feedback using this online survey
Why oil, gas and coal
Oil, gas and coal are the first projects for development under the new GRI Sector Standards program. These sectors were prioritized because of their widely documented impacts across economic, environmental and social dimensions, such as impacts on climate change, biodiversity and human rights.
The project aims to identify and describe the sectors’ significant impacts and stakeholder concerns from a sustainable development perspective and create a foundation for improving transparency and more consistent reporting from organizations in these sectors. This new addition to the GRI Standards will support organizations in high-impact sectors to identify and address their external impacts, empowering engagement with stakeholders and bringing consistency in how sectors report on sustainable development concerns.
Originally this Standard was proposed to cover oil, gas and coal. On the advice of project working group (PWG), coal will be developed as a separate Sector Standard.
We need your input
The exposure draft, as developed by the project working group, identifies reporting across the 22 most critical sustainability topics for organizations with oil and gas activities – covering climate change, the environment, health and safety, employment, communities, and governance. To contribute to the public comment, download the exposure draft and fill out the online survey by 6 October 2020.
We have developed the following materials to assist you in your review:
- An explanatory memorandum sets out the objectives of the GRI Sector Standard: Oil and Gas project and the significant proposals contained in the exposure draft
- A list of questions included in the survey
- A GRI Sector Program information sheet summarizes the concept and proposed structure and explains how they will work in conjunction with the exposure draft of the Universal Standards
About the project
Oil and gas is the first project to be developed under the new GRI Sector Standards project.
In April 2020 the GSSB decided to split the scope of the project, and develop a sector standard for oil and gas and a separate standard for coal. The development of these standards follows different timelines. For more information please see the meeting paper .
The exposure draft for a Sector Standard: Oil and Gas, as developed by the project working group, identifies reporting across the 22 most critical sustainability topics for organizations with oil and gas activities – covering climate change, the environment, health and safety, employment, communities, and governance.
An expert and multi-stakeholder project working group was appointed by the Global Sustainability Standards Board (GSSB), the independent body responsible for setting the GRI Standards and is leading the development of the Sector Standard.
The project will follow the GSSB’s Due Process Protocol, the implementation of which will be overseen by the Due Process Oversight Committee.
Learn more about the GRI Sector Standards Program here.
Meet our working group
An expert multi-stakeholder project working group (PWG) appointed by the Global Sustainability Standards Board (GSSB) is leading the development of the Sector Standard.
Click here for member biographies.
Watch our introductory video about the GRI Sector Program
Project timeline
For more information about the development process and project schedule, see the Terms of Reference. This timeline may be subject to change.
March 2019: Project commencement
July 2019 – June 2020: Development of recommendations for oil and gas *
8 July – 6 October 2020: Public comment period
Q3 2020 – Q2 2021: Consideration of received comments and revisions
Q3 – Q4 2021: The expected release of Sector Standard: Oil and Gas
*July 2019 – Ongoing development of recommendations for draft Sector Standard: Coal
Related documents
| GRI Sector Program Description | file | 07 Feb 2019 | English | 449 KB | Show More |
| Oil, Gas and Coal Sector Standard Project Proposal | file | 26 Mar 2019 | English | 322 KB | Show More |
| Terms of Reference: GRI Project Working Group for the Oil, Gas, and Coal Sector | file | 27 Mar 2019 | English | 266 KB | Show More |
| GSSB Terms of Reference | file | 18 Oct 2018 | English | 130 KB | Show More |
| GSSB Work Program 2017-2019 | file | 31 Jan 2018 | English | 320 KB | Show More |
| GSSB Due Process Protocol 2018 | file | 18 Oct 2018 | English | 276 KB | Show More |
| GRI Universal Standards project exposure draft | file | 19 Sep 2020 | English | 2.5 MB | Show More |