Introduction

We recently interviewed Harold Pauwels, who serves as the Director of Standards at GRI.

Harold is deeply involved in the development of new GRI Standards, and is a leading figure in the evolving field of sustainability reporting.

He collaborates with NGOs, governments, regulatory bodies and companies globally, offering guidance on the use and improvement of GRI’s robust global reporting system, which supports organizations to be transparent and accountable for their impacts, prioritize future-proofing, and ensure high levels of compliance.

Harold's focus is on establishing globally applicable, transparent, credible, open, and standardized reporting practices that can be applied locally.

For companies new to GRI reporting, what are some best practices they should be aware of? There are a number of crucial things that companies reporting for the first time may not be aware of. These include how to identify their stakeholders, understanding how their sustainability strategy plays a key part in their core business, and making sure that their team is capable of carrying out the tasks that will be required of them.

Also, it’s important to work with your team to get an accurate picture of what the most significant impacts and material topics to your business actually are, and to explain the process that was used to determine why something was material to your business.

When you look at companies who’ve been doing GRI reporting for a while, what you see is that they end up ^{approaching sustainability in a strategic manner}. This offers ways to gain a competitive advantage, increase operational efficiency, and develop a comprehensive risk assessment.