GNFZ certification aligns with GRI for your ESG needs
As global awareness around climate change, sustainability and corporate responsibility grows, net zero and ESG are taking a front seat in public as well as corporate policy. While many governments globally are enforcing regulations, corporate stakeholders are also looking for companies to help them report their ESG performance. Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)’s sustainability reporting framework, paired alongside the Global Network for Zero (GNFZ)’s net zero certification, can provide companies with solid coverage for these reports and sustainability disclosures.
Both GRI and GNFZ contribute to transparency and accountability in ESG and climate-related disclosures, each serving a different role and catering to different stages of an organization’s net zero and/ or ESG journey. Together, they offer a full-scale solution for a company’s sustainability requirements while complementing each other. GRI provides a framework for reporting overall sustainability performance while GNFZ validates that an organization’s net zero plan is credible, and science based. A company can use the GRI framework to generate a comprehensive report of its emissions and sustainability practices, and then seek GNFZ certification to validate climate commitments and ensure that its climate strategy is aligned with achieving net zero. Or the other way, starting with GNFZ net zero certification and then adopting an ESG framework like GRI to generate a corporate sustainability report. Either way, GNFZ certification, based on the GHG Protocol like GRI, provides a third-party validation of report generated based on GRI (or similar ESG) framework.
What is GRI?
The GRI Standards are the most widely used sustainability reporting standards in the world. They provide a comprehensive framework for organizations to disclose their impacts on the economy, environment and society, thus promoting transparency in sustainability and ESG reporting. Key features include:
Modular and Universal: Applies to any organization, regardless of size, industry, or location.
Materiality Focus: Helps companies identify and report on issues that are material to stakeholders.
Global Adoption: Used by thousands of organizations, including many Fortune 500 companies.
How Does GNFZ Fit In?
GNFZ is the world’s premier net zero certification body, offering certification to buildings, portfolios, businesses and more. The data from GNFZ’s platform directly plugs into ESG reports for the environmental sustainability goals.
GNFZ builds on accurate GHG accounting and targets to certify that a company is on a legitimate path to net zero, requiring companies to follow the GHG Protocol and science-based target methodologies. You can use GNFZ to certify that a company’s emissions reduction and net zero pathway meets global standards.
GRI and GNFZ are well aligned, as both GRI and GNFZ use GHG Protocol as their baseline, sharing the same technical core for emissions/ environmental aspect. The GHG Protocol is the most widely used standard for measuring and managing GHG emissions. Developed by the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), it’s the basis for many carbon accounting programs and regulations. It provides a standardized way for organizations to measure, report and manage GHG emissions.
Key features include:
Scope 1, 2 and 3 Emissions: Categorizes emissions based on their source (direct vs. indirect).
Sector-Specific Guidance: Offers detailed methodologies for different industries.
Quantitative Focus: Primarily concerned with emissions measurement, reduction and disclosure.
While GRI uses the GHG Protocol to disclose emissions data in a sustainability report, GNFZ uses it to measure and verify emissions data for net zero certification.
GRI has a much broader scope than GNFZ. GNFZ certification focuses on the quantifiable environmental emissions generated by an organization’s operations that help a company to assess its environmental impacts. GRI focuses on the social and economic impacts of an organization as well, in addition to the environmental impacts.
Alignment between GRI and GNFZ
There is a lot of alignment by way of GRI standards and GNFZ certification complimenting each other, specifically:
GHG Emissions Measurement and Reporting: GNFZ certification requires comprehensive assessments of Scope 1, 2 and 3 GHG emissions for buildings and portfolios. This directly supports GRI disclosures under GRI 305: Emissions, including:
305-1: Direct (Scope 1) GHG emissions
305-2: Energy indirect (Scope 2) GHG emissions
305-3: Other indirect (Scope 3) GHG emissions
Strategic Planning and Target Setting: GNFZ’s certification process includes developing a Net Zero plan, outlining strategies, timelines and budgets for achieving net zero emissions. This aligns with GRI’s emphasis on GRI 103: Management Approach, particularly:
103-2: The management approach and its components
103-3: Evaluation of the management approach
Incremental Progress and Continuous Improvement: GNFZ offers milestone certificates (Assessment Certificate, Net Zero Plan Certificate) before achieving full certification. This incremental approach supports GRI’s principles of:
Stakeholder Inclusiveness: Engaging stakeholders at each stage
Sustainability Context: Reporting within the broader context of sustainability
Moreover, both GRI and GNFZ have a broad stakeholder focus, going beyond investors and consider employees, customers, communities, NGOs and governments. This fosters "double materiality," reporting both company impacts and how sustainability/ environmental issues affect the company financially.
By integrating GNFZ certification into GRI reporting, organizations can provide a comprehensive and credible account of their sustainability efforts, aligning operational actions with global reporting standards. Benefits of GRI and GNFZ integration include, but are not limited to:
Enhanced Credibility: Third-party verification from GNFZ adds credibility to GRI reports, demonstrating commitment to sustainability goals.
Structured Framework: GNFZ’s clear milestones provide a structured path that complements GRI’s reporting requirements.
Improved Stakeholder Communication: Detailed GNFZ documentation can enrich GRI reports, offering stakeholders transparent insights into an organization’s sustainability journey.
In summary, the following table captures the key data points:
| Feature | GNFZ | GHG Protocol | GRI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Certifies? | Yes | No | No |
| Measures? | Indirectly (relies on GHG data) | Yes | Indirectly (relies on GHG data) |
| Reports? | No | No | Yes |
| Net Zero Focus? | Yes | Supports it | Includes it |
| Science-Based? | Yes | Methodologically yes | Not always (depends on user) |
Best of all, GNFZ offers an incremental approach – providing multiple opportunities to earn certificates on the way to achieving net zero certification (at the assessment, planning, implementation and certification stages). These certificates enable you to achieve net zero as well as fulfill your ESG goals as you proceed along your sustainability journey, while keeping your teams motivated.
Ready to integrate GNFZ into your sustainability journey? Here are the next steps:
Reach out to us at GNFZ. We seamlessly integrate at whatever stage of sustainability journey you are currently at – whether you are just getting started or are well on your way and are looking to accelerate your targets.
Start your journey to net zero: Begin with GNFZ platform’s GHG emissions assessment to gather data for GRI 305 disclosures.
Develop a net zero plan to inform GRI 103 disclosures, detailing management approaches and strategies.
Include GNFZ’s milestone certificates in your GRI reports to showcase progress and commitment (GRI 102’s: Topic standards). These are certificates that show the progress you are marking to net zero (think 25, 50, 75%, etc. progress) from an independent, third-party body.
Leverage GNFZ’s structured approach to involve stakeholders, aligning with GRI’s stakeholder inclusiveness principle.