A Modern Identity Reflecting GRI's Purpose

Launch of user-focused website and bold new brand
Sep 22, 2020 8:00 AM ET

September 22, 2020 /3BL Media/ - The global leader in impact reporting has launched a refreshed brand and website, created to support the continued delivery of sustainability standards that meet the needs of all stakeholders.

The bold and clear brand reflect GRI’s mission: to enable organizations around the world to demonstrate transparency and take responsibility for their impacts. GRI’s logo, colors, imagery and key messaging have all been revised to align with this aim.

The new website positions GRI as the global source for sustainability reporting best practice. Following stakeholder testing and research, the website content and structure have been realigned to meet user needs – including companies, policymakers, capital markets and civil society. It is also optimized for mobile devices, reflecting changes in communications consumption.  

The website user journey encompasses five pathways:

  1. The Standards – easy access to GRI’s core product
  2. How to use the Standards – resources and guidance for all users
  3. Reporting support – services, tools and information for reporters
  4. Public policy and partnerships – engagement with governments, markets and others
  5. About GRI – governance, news, funding, regional activities, and more

Peter Paul van de Wijs, GRI Chief External Affairs officer, said:

“Our new branding differentiates GRI in the marketplace, by delivering a strong and recognizable identity that helps us communicate our role as the global catalyst for transparency. This is about much more than a new logo or a splash of color; it is about articulating what we offer and how we help organizations progress towards a sustainable future.

As the pandemic has further reinforced, online communications are hugely important. I am pleased therefore that we can do more to meet the needs of stakeholders' dependent on mobile devices. The new website provides improved access to the GRI Standards and our other resources, as well as clear information and support, helping us to drive the uptake and quality of sustainability reporting around the world.”

GRI recognizes the integral support provided by brand design and innovation consultancy LPK, who contributed their expertise and ideas to focus and develop the GRI brand.

The growth of GRI as the world’s leading provider of sustainability standards has been mirrored by year-on-year increases in web traffic. In 2019, there were 186,000 unique downloads of the GRI Standards, a 44% rise on the previous year.

In response to COVID-19, GRI has transitioned its busy schedule of events to be provided fully online, further signaling its commitment to providing digital engagements that are globally accessible to all.

Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) is the independent, international organization that helps businesses and other organizations take responsibility for their impacts, by providing them with the global common language to report those impacts.

The GRI Standards are the world’s most widely used and comprehensive sustainability reporting standards, which are developed through a multi-stakeholder process and made available as a free public good.