SUSTAINABILITY

REPORTING
FRAMEWORKS
And their overlap with the GRI guidelines for reporting
Vinodh Valluri

Treeni Sustainability Solutions

Scope

An overview of several reporting frameworks:

NVGs

and BRR
OECD guidelines
UNGC-COP

A comparative overlay of frameworks

An overview of the GRI-G4 guidelines
Links between GRI-G4 and other frameworks
A brief look at Integrated Reporting

National Voluntary Guidelines

Based on 9 Principles derived from international

literature concerning society, economy & environment
Applicable to ALL companies in India, including MNCs
and MSMEs (Guidance available for both)
Covers all business aspects, including supply chain
Offers guidance via Essential and Leadership Indicators
(Metrics) and Leadership, Integration, Engagement, and
Reporting)
Provides a Suggested Approach and 6 Steps towards
Business Responsibility

9 Principles and Suggested Approach

Vision, Mission,
Values

NVGs

Current Laws

Identify Core Elements

Higher Priority

Determine ambition
for each Principle
(Both Indicators)

Flowchart adapted from NVGs document (Ref. 1)

Lower Priority

Ensure
compliance with
requirements
Define BR policy and
adopt Indicators

SEBI-Business Responsibility Reporting

6 Steps towards Responsible Business

OECD Guidelines

11 Key Concepts and Principles, including Science & Technology,

Competition, and Taxation
Applicable to all countries abiding to the OECD Declaration in International
Investment and Multinational enterprises, but non-binding in nature

National Contact Points (NCPs) are appointed to facilitate and engage with
guidelines implementation and to report to the Investment Committee on a
regular basis
When companies raise need for specific instance help from NCPs, an
indicative timeframe (generally 1 year) is given and a defined procedure is
followed
The Investment Committee oversees the functioning of the guidelines (and
the NCPs), oversees clarifications and communication, and provides
recommendations

UNGC-Communication on Progress
10 Principles in the areas of Human Rights,
Labor, Environment, and Anti-Corruption
COP Policy indirectly aims at UN MDGs

ALL business participants in UNGC MUST

meet minimum requirements and post and
share COP annually

Participating members are at various

levels (GC Learner, GC Active, and GC
Advanced)

Step-by-step guides, reporting templates,

and webinars offered

Annual reporting is required. 1-yr.

deadline, grace period, extensions

Failure to report COP leads to "noncommunicating" status or expulsion!

Comparative Overlay
Foundation/
Purpose

Applicability

Scope

Guidance

NVGs
9 Principles and Core
Elements defined

BRR
To standardize adoption of
guidelines & reporting
process

OECD
UNGC-COP
Declaration on International UNGC 10 Principles as well
Investment & MN Enterprises as broader UN MDGs

ALL businesses in India,

including MNCs and
MSMEs
Includes operations,
processes, and supply
chain
Suggested Approach and
Indicators (Essential &
Leadership)

(Top 100 businesses MUST

report, SEBI) Others are
encouraged
NVGs (with or without BR
capacity); other frameworks

Businesses in nations that

ALL business participants
comply with OECD guidelines in UNGC MUST report COP
Multinational enterprises
GC Learner, GC Active, and
with international investment GC Advanced members

Tailor-made guidance for

Procedural guidance for NCPs Step-by-step guides,
above, Suggested
and Investment Committee templates, and webinars
Framework Report (Parts A,
B & C)

Reporting/
Implementation

Leadership, Integration, Reporting is based on the

Engagement
"Apply or Explain process

NCPs, Investment Committee, Required Annual reporting,

Specific Instances
Deadlines, Grace Period

Remarks

Particularly designed
Improves transparency and Unique role of NCPs and their Failure leads to "nonwith respect to an Indian self-knowledge
interactions with the
communicating" status or
approach
organizations
expulsion!

GRI-G4 Guidelines for Reporting

Ten Principles
Materiality
Stakeholder Inclusiveness
Sustainability Context
Completeness
Balance
Comparability
Accuracy
Timeliness
Clarity
Reliability

Reporting Process

Identification
Prioritization
Validation
Review

GRI-G4 Guidelines for Reporting

Links between GRI and NVGs/BRR

GRI G3.1 and GRI G4 are mostly similar in their overlap

with the NVGs and BRR
GRI Identification step is akin to NVGs calling for
Mission, Vision, and Values to guide reporting process
GRI also supports the Apply or Explain procedure
Both NVGs and GRI framework are applicable to all
organizations regardless of size, sector, and structure
Both NVGs (Principle 4) and SEBI-BRR are similar to the
GRI guidelines in the importance given to Stakeholder
Inclusiveness

What is NOT linked

Links with OECD guidelines

Continued

Links with UNGC-COP

Continued

Integrated Reporting
NVGs

Integrated
Reporting

BRR

OECD

Sustainability
Reporting

UNGC COP

GRI-G4

References
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)

8)
9)
10)

http://www.mca.gov.in/Ministry/latestnews/National_Voluntary_Guidelines_2011_12jul2011.pdf
https://www.globalreporting.org/resourcelibrary/Guidance-on-Alignment-of-the-GRI-Guidelines.pdf
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/2c/The_NVG_Package.png
https://www.unglobalcompact.org/cop/
https://www.unglobalcompact.org/pics/un_images/COP_Diff2.jpg
http://www.oecd.org/daf/inv/mne/48004323.pdf
https://www.globalreporting.org/resourcelibrary/GRIG4-Part1-Reporting-Principles-and-StandardDisclosures.pdf
https://www.globalreporting.org/resourcelibrary/Guidance-on-Alignment-of-the-GRI-Guidelines.pdf
https://www.globalreporting.org/resourcelibrary/GRIG4-Part2-Implementation-Manual.pdf
http://www.sebi.gov.in/sebiweb/home/detail/25774/yes/PR-SEBI-Issues-Frequently-Asked-Questionson-Business-Responsibility-Reports-

Thank You!

@VinValluri
vinodhvalluri@gmail.com
www.vinodhvalluri.weebly.com
www.linkedin.com/in/vinvalluri
www.vinodhvalluri.blogspot.com