Amid mounting concerns over the climate crisis, the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) has announced the release of two transformative reporting standards designed to advance organisational accountability and accelerate meaningful climate action.
The new GRI 102: Climate Change and GRI 103: Energy Standards set a new benchmark for transparent, science-based sustainability reporting, reflecting global efforts to harmonise frameworks in the face of escalating environmental risks.
Recognising the urgent need for comprehensive, global responses to climate change, GRI developed these standards to empower organisations worldwide.
Central to GRI 102: Climate Change is the principle that “achieving substantial reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is the primary mitigation step organisations can take”.
The standard establishes rigorous reporting expectations based on science-based targets and global climate goals, while incorporating ‘just transition’ metrics to ensure organisations account for impacts on workers, local communities, and Indigenous Peoples.
GRI 103: Energy offers a detailed focus on an organisation’s energy-related activities, requiring disclosures on decarbonisation efforts, renewable and non-renewable energy use, and how and where energy reductions occur.
This positions responsible energy use as a cornerstone of forward-looking climate change mitigation strategies.
Both standards are grounded in the latest scientific and authoritative global guidance on climate change and are fully aligned with the GHG Protocol.
This alignment streamlines reporting for organisations and enhances the relevance and utility of disclosed information for stakeholders across industries and markets.
Launching the new standards at London Climate Action Week, GRI CEO Robin Hodess emphasised their pivotal role, stating: “Climate change is a deeply human issue, as much as it is an environmental one, and these new GRI Standards are unique in bringing these dimensions together.
“GRI 102 and 103 will enable transparency and action on climate and energy impacts that drives decision-making by companies, regulators, investors and other stakeholders.
“It is also significant that GRI 102 and IFRS S2 are complementary, and can be used together to disclose climate-related impacts, risks and opportunities.
“The result is sustainability reporting that supports real world solutions to one of our greatest challenges.”
Carol Adams, Chair of the Global Sustainability Standards Board (GSSB), added: “Amid an escalating climate emergency, the GRI Standards for Climate Change and Energy get to the heart of why companies need to be accountable for their impacts on people and planet, an essential precursor to understanding related risks and opportunities.
“By supporting organisations to disclose their climate change impacts in a comprehensive and comparable way, including the impacts of transition and adaptation plans, GRI 102 and 103 have a key role in the advancement of a cohesive and effective global system for climate reporting.”
Prioritising streamlining and interoperability, Pankaj Bhatia, Co–Director at GHG Protocol (WRI), said: “GRI’s alignment with the GHG Protocol reinforces a clear message: organisations don’t have to choose between standards.
“By using a common foundation for emissions data, companies can meet global reporting needs efficiently and consistently.
“This interoperability helps reduce duplication, increase transparency, and accelerate meaningful climate action.
“We’re proud to support this step toward a more streamlined, impactful disclosure ecosystem.”
A newly-published joint statement confirms that GRI 102 and the IFRS S2 Climate-related Disclosures can be used together.
This includes confirmation by the GSSB that organisations can use equivalent disclosures in IFRS S2 on Scope 1, 2, and 3 GHG emissions to meet corresponding requirements in GRI 102, as long as emissions are measured in accordance with the GHG Protocol and referenced in the GRI content index.
Sue Lloyd, Vice Chair of the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB), expressed strong support: “We welcome the publication of GRI’s new Climate Change and Energy Standards. We are working together with the GRI to enhance the interoperability and efficiency of reporting using our respective standards.
“In this regard, we are delighted that the GRI have granted equivalence to IFRS S2 Climate-related Disclosures for disclosures of GHG emissions under GRI 102.
“This will enable companies to prepare just one set of GHG emissions disclosures in accordance with IFRS S2, to meet the requirements in both standards.
“Beyond this, the two standards can be used together, assisting preparers in providing information to investors and a broader range of stakeholders about their climate-related impacts, risks, and opportunities in an efficient manner.”
GRI 102: Climate Change 2025 builds upon and replaces key disclosures from GRI 305: Emissions 2016 and GRI 201: Economic Performance 2016, while GRI 103: Energy 2025 supersedes and expands upon GRI 302: Energy 2016.
The two standards were developed through a two-year, global multi-stakeholder process and benefit from extensive public consultation, including input from regions most affected by climate change.
Specialists in human rights, just transition, science-based targets, energy systems, and carbon credits contributed to their development.
GRI has also prioritised alignment with other major standards.
Besides its recognised equivalency with ISSB S2, there is close interoperability with the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS), particularly aligning GRI 102 with the ESRS E1 Climate Change Standard.
Furthermore, the target-setting component of GRI 102 is in line with the Science-based Targets initiative’s (SBTi) Corporate Net Zero Standard.
To help organisations transition to the new standards, GRI is offering practical resources, including a new Climate Reporting course in the GRI Academy, detailed FAQs, and an early adopter pilot program, with case studies to follow later in the year.
The launch event on June 26 in London gathered senior leaders, sustainability experts, and key stakeholders to deliberate on the next generation of climate reporting, highlighting how the new GRI Climate Change and Energy Standards will enable organisations to meet the demands of global frameworks while driving genuine progress on climate action.
