Companies to benefit as CDP and GRI collaborate to harmonize reporting frameworks

CDP, the only global platform for companies and cities to disclose and manage their environmental impacts, and Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), providers of the most widely used comprehensive sustainability reporting guidelines in the world, have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that will see the two non-profits work together to align areas of their reporting frameworks.

By working together to promote the harmonization and clarification of corporate sustainability reporting guidelines, standards and frameworks, CDP and GRI will improve the consistency and comparability of environmental data, making corporate reporting more efficient and effective and ease the reporting burden for companies.

This is an important step toward global standardization of corporate natural capital disclosure to capital markets.  By enabling more efficient valuation of natural resources in this way, both organizations hope to accelerate progress to a resource-efficient economy.

Ernst Ligteringen, chief executive of GRI said: “The partnership between GRI and CDP will help bring greater clarification and alignment to reporting and enhance its value for a range of information users, including investors. The G4 Guidelines have seen full alignment with CDP on GHG emission indicators. Our collaboration will make an important contribution to rebuilding the architecture of corporate market information related to sustainability.”

CDP’s chief executive officer Paul Simpson said: “We share the common goal of driving investment decisions and corporate actions to value and protect the Earth’s natural capital.  This alignment will enable companies to elicit the maximum benefit from their reporting efforts and encourage more sustainable decisions.”

The MOU details commitment across all levels by both CDP and GRI and includes practical areas for collaboration, such as communications, information exchange and the creation of a joint work plan.

The MOU was signed by both parties on 24 May 2013 at the 2013 GRI Global Conference on Sustainability and Reporting that took place on 22-24 May 2013 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

About CDP

CDP is an international, not-for-profit organization providing the only global system for companies and cities to measure, disclose, manage and share vital environmental information.  CDP works with market forces, including 722 institutional investors with assets of US$87 trillion, to motivate companies to disclose their impacts on the environment and natural resources and take action to reduce them.  CDP now holds the largest collection globally of primary climate change, water and forest risk commodities information and puts these insights at the heart of strategic business, investment and policy decisions.  CDP is the secretariat of the Climate Disclosure Standards Board that works on the integration of climate change and natural capital-related information into mainstream corporate disclosure so as to link it with financial information.  Please visit www.cdp.net or follow us @CDP to find out more.

About GRI

The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) promotes the use of sustainability reporting as a way for organizations to become more sustainable and contribute to a sustainable global economy. GRI’s mission is to make sustainability reporting standard practice. To enable all companies and organizations to report their economic, environmental, social and governance performance, GRI produces free Sustainability Reporting Guidelines. GRI is an international not-for-profit organization, with a network-based structure. Its activity involves thousands of professionals and organizations from many sectors, constituencies and regions. Please visit www.globalreporting.org

For media information:

Catherine von Altheer

Communications manager. CDP

+ 44 (0) 20 7970 5682

+ 44 (0) 7794 003 903
catherine.vonaltheer@cdp.net

Stephen Rylance
Senior Manager, Press & Communications
Global Reporting Initiative
Tel: +31 (0) 20 531 00 00 or M +31 (0) 6 303 995 31

Email: rylance@globalreporting.org