Topic Standards Project for Economic Impact
Review of all GRI impact related standards
Project update
The Global Sustainability Standards Board (GSSB) has appointed a multi-stakeholder Project Working Group to revise GRI's economic impact related Topic Standards. The expert Working Group consists of 17 members from a broad range of organizations representing civil society, mediating institutions, business enterprises, labor and investment institutions.
The Working Group will provide technical expertise to inform the revision of the Topic Standards for the consideration of the GSSB. You can read the Working Group member biographies here.
For more information regarding the responsibilities of the Working Group, please see the Terms of Reference.
The exposure draft for Monetary Flows, under phase one of the GRI Topic Standard Project for economic impact, was made available for public comment between 29 September and 17 December 2025. The exposure draft can be found below:
The exposure drafts for Competition, Corruption and Public Policy, under phase two of the GRI Topic Standard Project for economic impact, were made available for public comment between 21 January and 10 April 2026. The exposure drafts can be found below:
About this project
This project's main objective is to review and update the set of GRI topic standards related to economic impact.The goal is to develop a revised set of new disclosures and standards that represent internationally agreed best practices.
The revision process will use a programmatic approach to align the topic standards. The project will revise the portfolio of economic impact related topic standards in three phases.
Currently, the following economic impact related GRI Topic standards are set to be revised:
Phase 1: Distributed Performance 2016
- GRI 201: Economic Performance 2016
Phase 2: Impact on institutions
- GRI 205: Anti-Corruption 2016
- GRI 206: Anti-Competitive Behavior 2016
- GRI 415: Public Policy 2016
Phase 3: Economic multiplier, Job creation and Goods and services
- GRI 202: Market Presence 2016
- GRI 203: Indirect Economic Impacts 2016
- GRI 204: Procurement 2016
Sustainability reporting with GRI Standards:
GRI is the guardian of the world’s most comprehensive and wide-ranging set of sustainability reporting standards. Through our standards, organizations of all sizes and across all sectors can understand their impact on the world – both positive and negative – inspiring them to make fact-based decisions. Our standards allow others to hold them to account and demonstrate how they play their part in creating a world of shared prosperity and a flourishing planet for future generations.
BACKGROUND
The world has significantly changed over the last decade since our Economic Impact Standards were first published. While the global economy is starting to recover from the pandemic, the situation remains fragile. Growth is forecasted to be slow and, with high interest rates, rising debt levels, and pressure on global trade, there are still many challenges on the horizon for all sizes and sorts of organizations.
There is an urgent need to reconsider the traditional approach of reporting organizational impact on the economy. GDP growth, profitability, and shareholder returns are not a true measure of economic impact. Instead, organizations need to take a more holistic approach, taking into account the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and broader societal and environmental factors.
The GSSB has therefore prioritized the revision of GRI’s economic impact related disclosures and standards to better reflect the socio-economic developments of the last decade, and to align the standards with international authoritative instruments. Through our updated Economic Impact Standards, we will help organizations understand and report how their work impacts their stakeholders and economic systems – not just their finances.
Project Overview
Q3 2023
GSSB approval of the project proposal
Q1 2024
Appointment of the Economic Impact Working Group. Bios available under Related documents
Q2 2024 – Q2 2025
Content development by the Working Group (Phase 1 and Phase 2)
Q3 – Q4 2025
Public comment period for Phase 1 Standard
Q3 2025
GSSB approval of Phase 1 and Phase 2 standards for public exposure
Q1 2026
Public comment period for Phase 2 Standards and analysis of public comments for Phase 1
Q1 2026 – Q2 2026
Analysis of public comments for Phase 2 Standards
Q3 2026
GSSB approval of final draft of Phase 1 Standard for publication
Q4 2026
GSSB approval of final draft of Phase 2 Standard for publication
Related resources
| GRI Topic Standard Project for Economic Impact – Project proposal | file | 18 Sep 2023 | English | 199 KB | |
| GRI Topic Standard Project for Economic Impact – Working group terms of reference | file | 18 Sep 2023 | English | 302 KB | |
| GRI Topic Standard project for Economic Impact Working group member biographies | file | 19 Jan 2024 | English | 513 KB | |
| GRI Topic Standard Project for Economic Impact – Monetary Flows exposure draft | file | 26 Sep 2025 | English | 886 KB | |
| GRI Topic Standard Project for Economic Impact - Monetary Flows Exposure Draft Questionnaire | file | 26 Sep 2025 | English | 236 KB | |
| GRI Topic Standard Project for Economic Impact - FAQs Monetary Flows exposure draft | file | 26 Sep 2025 | English | 169 KB | |
| GRI Topic Standard Project for Economic Impact - Competition Exposure Draft | file | 19 Jan 2026 | English | 641 KB | |
| GRI Topic Standard Project for Economic Impact - Corruption Exposure Draft | file | 19 Jan 2026 | English | 588 KB | |
| GRI Topic Standard Project for Economic Impact - Public Policy Exposure Draft | file | 19 Jan 2026 | English | 665 KB | |
| Topic Standards Project For Economic Impacts FAQ | file | 19 Jan 2026 | English | 233 KB |
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