Update from the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), guidelines for sustainability reporting.
REMINDER! Call for Nominations to the GRI Board of Directors

The Nominating Committee of the GRI invites nominations for individuals to serve on the first Board of Directors.

The Nominating Committee seeks 9-12 individuals committed to the GRI’s core mission: To elevate the quality and quantity of sustainability reporting worldwide through design and continual enhancement of a sustainability reporting framework using a multi-stakeholder, global consultation process.

The nomination process is open until 15 September 2001. The Nominating Committee solicits nominations from individuals representing business, civil society, environmental, human rights, labour, accounting, research, investment, government, and other interested bodies. Readers are encouraged to forward this call for nominations widely among their relevant and interested networks.

Find detailed information on the nomination process, a Board of Directors description, timeline, nomination forms, and Board Member criteria on our website or contact us.

REMINDER! GRI Briefings in South America

The GRI will hold two briefings in South America in August. The Argentina briefing, hosted by CEADS, will be in Buenos Aires, 6-7August. Instituto Ethos hosts the Brazilian briefing, 9-10 August in Sao Paulo (Agenda in Portugese). Agendas for both briefings are available. For more information, contact Naoko Kubo at the Secretariat.

More Industry Specific Efforts in the Works
In addition to the SPI Financial Services supplement announced last month, the GRI Secretariat is currently in discussion or collaboration with the following:

* UNEP Finance Initiative, Environmental Management and Reporting Working Group, to develop a GRI supplement covering environmental performance indicators for the financial services industry.
* UNEP Tour Operators Initiative. Contact Sarah Raposa.
* The Mining, Minerals and Sustainable Development (MMSD) Program, managed by International Institute for Environment and Development, in collaboration with the Global Mining Initiative, and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. Contact Iain Watt.
* UNEP Mobility Forum, focused on the development of automotive sector indicators. Contact Nancy Bennet.

Spain in the Fast Lane: Guidelines Translated

The June 2000 Guidelines are now available in Spanish. Fundación Entorno recently completed the translation, which will be distributed during the Buenos Aires briefing.

Following a GRI briefing in Madrid in November 2000, the Fundación Entorno conducted two seminars this year in Spain on creating sustainability reports. Twenty-five large Spanish companies attended the first in March, and the second, held in early June, had over 40 companies represented.

"It is rewarding for us to see that Spanish enterprises are interested in sustainability, and are working to implement such principles into their next reports" says Jose Luis Blasco of Fundación Entorno.

Get the facts! How does GRI Relate to Other Initiatives?

The GRI is one of many global initiatives promoting corporate accountability in the social, environmental, and economic spheres.

The Secretariat has worked with numerous organisations to develop fact sheets to describe the unique niche GRI fills, and how the work of GRI fits with related initiatives. Six fact sheets are available in PDF format on our website. If you would like to see the GRI compared with other initiatives or organisations not listed here, send us your ideas.

* The Global Compact
* AccountAbility 1000 (AA1000)
* ISO 14000
* Social Accountability 8000 (SA8000)
* OECD Guidelines for MNE’s
* The Global Sullivan Principles

Mott Foundation Awards Grant for GRI Institutionalisation Work

The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation has generously agreed to grant $400,000 to CERES in support of its work on establishing GRI as an independent institution by 2002. The Mott Foundation has agreed to channel the grant through the United Nations Foundation which will trigger matching funds of $400,000 for both CERES’ and the United Nations Environment Programme’s work on the GRI. The grant will be used to research and develop the governance structures for an independent GRI, such as a Board of Directors and a Stakeholder Council. The grant will also support other initiatives that are required to ensure GRI’s transparent and multi-stakeholder approach in becoming an independent institution.

More Companies Release Sustainability Reports

We have been informed that the following organisations have prepared reports that were influenced by the Sustainability Reporting Guidelines.

* Aéroports de Paris (France)
* BT (UK)
* Co-operative Bank (UK)
* Johnson & Johnson (USA)
* Kesko (Finland)
* Larcovi (Spain)
* Mead (USA)
* Scottish Power (UK)
* Severn Trent (UK)
* Swedbank (Sweden)

Since following the Guidelines is entirely voluntary, companies are not obligated to inform GRI of adoption or use. However, to monitor GRI’s progress, and identify needs for GRI outreach and future Guidelines revisions, the Secretariat asks all such companies to inform the secretariat of their use of the Guidelines at info@globalreporting.org. We are keeping a cumulative list of companies that state they used the Sustainability Reporting Guidelines in preparing their reports.