Event industry urged to give feedback on GRI guidelines

The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), expected to be launched in full later this year, is a set of international guidelines on reporting an events’ impact. The draft will be divided into sections as PDFs that can be commented on.

The Event Organiser Sector Supplement framework is designed to complement standards such as the upcoming BS8901 (ISO 20121).

Whilst BS8901 requires a management system approach to sustainability, GRI is a framework on how to report on a specific environmental, social and economic issue, for example the environmental impact of transporting delegates and staff to a meeting.

The reporting framework is written with events of any type and size in mind. Webinars are planned to discuss the implications of the report.

Manchester-based Sustainable Events is the lead consultant on the supplement. Its business development manager Charlie Banks told C&IT that, following the Public Comment Period, the GRI Working Group will review and consider all feedback received to finalise the Sector Supplement.

"The significance of having a public commentary period is that the event industry has an opportunity to really comment on what they feel is important to consider for the final draft. This way, the final event organiser sector supplement will be relevant for the industry it is meant for, and will hopefully mean an increase in not only sustainability reporting, but also in sustainable event management," she added.