GRI Launches Climate and Energy Standards to Align Corporate Reporting with Global Climate Goals

Key Impact Points:

• New standards set science-based reporting expectations on GHG emissions, energy use, and just transition impacts.
• GRI 102 and 103 align with IFRS S2 and the GHG Protocol, enabling streamlined, decision-useful sustainability disclosures.
• Organizations gain tools to act on climate accountability, with guidance, training, and early adopter support already in place.

GRI Introduces Climate Change and Energy Standards to Drive Action

The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) has released its Climate Change and Energy Standards—GRI 102 and GRI 103—to enhance corporate accountability on climate impacts and provide globally aligned, decision-useful disclosure tools. Announced during London Climate Action Week, the new standards aim to accelerate meaningful climate action across industries.

Grounded in Science and Global Instruments

GRI 102: Climate Change sets expectations for organizations to disclose greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions based on science-based targets and global climate goals. It uniquely includes metrics on ‘just transition’ impacts affecting workers, communities, and Indigenous Peoples.

GRI 103: Energy focuses on energy use and decarbonization, requiring transparency around renewable vs. non-renewable consumption and energy reduction strategies.

“Climate change is a deeply human issue, as much as it is an environmental one, and these new GRI Standards are unique in bringing these dimensions together,” said Robin Hodess, GRI CEO. “GRI 102 and 103 will enable transparency and action on climate and energy impacts that drives decision-making by companies, regulators, investors and other stakeholders.”

Full Alignment with Global Standards

The new standards are built on authoritative global climate instruments and fully aligned with the GHG Protocol, ensuring consistency and comparability. This allows companies to efficiently meet multiple reporting requirements while reducing duplication.

“GRI’s alignment with the GHG Protocol reinforces a clear message: organizations don’t have to choose between standards,” said Pankaj Bhatia, Co–Director at GHG Protocol (WRI). “This interoperability helps reduce duplication, increase transparency, and accelerate meaningful climate action.”

GRI 102 is also complementary to IFRS S2, with a joint statement confirming that Scope 1, 2, and 3 GHG emissions disclosures under IFRS S2 can satisfy GRI 102 requirements when GHG Protocol methods are used.

“We are delighted that the GRI have granted equivalence to IFRS S2 Climate-related Disclosures for disclosures of GHG emissions under GRI 102,” said Sue Lloyd, Vice Chair of the ISSB. “This will enable companies to prepare just one set of GHG emissions disclosures in accordance with IFRS S2, to meet the requirements in both standards.”

Built Through Inclusive Global Engagement

The standards were shaped over two years by a multi-stakeholder technical committee appointed by the Global Sustainability Standards Board (GSSB). Feedback was gathered from global public consultations and from regions most affected by climate change.

“GRI 102 and 103 have a key role in the advancement of a cohesive and effective global system for climate reporting,” said Carol Adams, Chair of GSSB.

Support Tools for Adoption

To help organizations adopt the standards and extract value from them, GRI has launched:

• A training course: Climate Reporting with GRI and IFRS Standards
• FAQs for both GRI 102 and GRI 103
• A GRI Community early adopter pilot, with case studies due in Q4

Alignment with EFRAG’s ESRS E1 and the SBTi’s Corporate Net Zero Standard further ensures that GRI 102 fits seamlessly into broader sustainability frameworks.

These new tools mark a major step in standardizing corporate climate disclosures and aligning business action with global climate and equity goals.

Related Article: GRI and UN Global Compact Launch Enhanced SDG Reporting Tool for Business