The importance of this Standard

These sectors have been prioritized based on their widely documented impacts across economic, environmental, and social dimensions, including impacts on climate change and biodiversity, food security, farming and fishing practices, and community engagement.

Agriculture, aquaculture, and fishing industries share common impacts associated with the production of food and non-food products and are fundamental to supporting food systems and producing materials like fibers and fuels. Transparency around these impacts enables sustainable development by contributing to preserving biodiversity and natural resources, mitigating climate change, and adapting farming and fishing practices to minimize impacts.

This project aims to help agriculture, aquaculture, and fishing organizations identify likely material topics, improving the way they disclose and manage their impacts. 

Public comment period

A public comment period is underway to gather input on the exposure draft for a Sector Standard for Agriculture, Aquaculture, and Fishing. Developed by a working group, the objective of the public comment period is to test the clarity, feasibility, completeness, and relevancy of the exposure draft's content, including:

• Whether the topics identified as likely material for organizations in the agriculture, aquaculture, and fishing sectors accurately reflect the sectors' most significant impacts on the economy, environment, and people
• That the disclosures included for each topic are relevant for organizations in the sectors to report information on their impacts 

Register for a free webinar focused on Aquaculture and Fishing:

28 June 2021 - 10.30 a.m. CEST

5 July 2021  - 11 a.m. EDT (17:00 CEST)

To understand more, access the exposure draft and submit feedback via this online questionnaire.

Download our information leaflet.

About this project

In 2019, the Global Sustainability Standards Board (GSSB), GRI's independent standard setting body, initiated a project under the Sector Program to develop a Standard for Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fishing. 

The aim of this project is to identify and describe the most significant impacts and stakeholder concerns for the agriculture and fishing sector from a sustainable development perspective, which will serve as a foundation for increased transparency and more consistent reporting for organizations in the sector.

The project follows the GSSB Due Process Protocol.