GRI reporting on ecosystem services

GRI CREM UNEB report, reliance ecosystem service

Global Reporting Initiative Press Release

Companies to report their impacts and reliance on freshwater, climate regulation and pollination

Global Reporting Initiative Press Release

Under STRICT embargo until:
00.01 CET
Wednesday 5 October 2011

The way a company’s impact and dependence on freshwater, climate regulation and pollination is measured and reported is discussed in a new publication, launched today by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). GRI provides a comprehensive sustainability reporting framework that is widely used around the world.

Many organizations already monitor their pressures on ecosystems – biological environments that include living and non-living things like plants, animals, soil and water – for example, by measuring their emissions and effluents. But this does not take into account all the benefits that people derive from ecosystems, or the company’s reliance on the ecosystems. Organizations are now able to look at ecosystems as service providers, and monitor the impacts and dependencies they have on those ecosystem services.

In cooperation with the United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) and consultancy CREM, GRI proposes a new approach for developing sustainability reporting indicators to help companies report their impacts and reliance on ecosystem services.

The new publication, Approach for reporting on ecosystem services: Incorporating ecosystem services into an organization’s performance disclosure, released today, looks at emerging thinking around ecosystem services and gives organizations options for reporting. It outlines the ways that companies can monitor and report their relationship with ecosystem services.

Jolanda van Schaick, one of the authors and Senior Consultant at CREM, said:

“Ecosystems are not just about exotic plants and rare animals, they also provide services, like freshwater, pest regulation and natural medicines. Companies have an impact on these services, and also depend on them to support operations. Today’s publication paves the way for guidance to support companies that want to report these impacts and dependencies, and encourages transparency around their relations with ecosystem services.”

Monica Barcellos, one of the authors and Head of Business, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services at UNEP-WCMC said:

“Several organizations are exploring ways to report impacts on ecosystem services, but no global agreement on the most appropriate way has been found yet. The discussions and ideas collected in this publication provide a good basis for possible future designing of generally accepted reporting indicators.”

The new publication suggests indicators that organizations could use to assess and report their impacts on ecosystem services. Some examples of reporting indicators on Ecosystem Services include:

• Nature and amount of natural resources harvested, produced, traded and/or consumed (e.g., crops, fish, timber, fiber) by the organization in relation to safe ecological limits
• Volume of water consumed by the organization by source related to total water availability in areas of operation, including identification of water sources significantly affected by withdrawal of water
• Economic cost to the organization due to climate related disasters (e.g., flooding, crop failure)
• Volume of inputs from sources complying with internationally recognized responsible production standards

People interested in organizations reporting their relationships with ecosystem services can take part in the open Public Comment Period for the next generation of GRI’s Sustainability Reporting Guidelines – G4. GRI is now asking the public to suggest topics that could be included in the Guidelines, and in future reports from companies.

-Ends-

Contact:
For more information, contact:

Lucy Goodchild
Manager Press & Communications

Global Reporting Initiative
Tel: +31 (0)20 531 0067
Out of office hours: +31 (0)6 303 99 531
Email: goodchild@globalreporting.org

Website: Global Reporting

Notes to Editors:

1. For a copy of the publication, contact Lucy Goodchild at GRI. Approach for reporting on ecosystem services: Incorporating ecosystem services into an organization’s performance disclosure will be available on GRI’s website from Wednesday 5 October 2011.

2. To respond to the G4 Public Comment Period, visit Get involved click here

3. About the Global Reporting Initiative

The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) produces a comprehensive Sustainability Reporting Framework that is widely used around the world, to enable greater organizational transparency. The Framework, including the Reporting Guidelines, sets out the Principles and Indicators organizations can use to report their economic, environmental, and social performance. GRI is committed to continuously improving and increasing the use of the Guidelines, which are freely available to the public.

Website: GlobalReporting.org

4. CREM offers consultancy, research and training in the field of sustainable development on international, national and local level. Our key areas of expertise include CSR and chain management, biodiversity and natural resources, local sustainable development and waste management. Started out in 1989 CREM's team currently consists of around 30 dedicated consultants with a multidisciplinary background and a broad international experience. www.CREM.nl

5. About UNEP-WCMC
UNEP-WCMC is the specialist biodiversity information and assessment centre of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), run collaboratively with WCMC, a UK charity, based in Cambridge, U.K. UNEP-WCMC’s mission is to evaluate and highlight the many values of biodiversity and put authoritative biodiversity knowledge at the centre of decision-making. Since its establishment in the 1970s, the Centre has been at the forefront of the compilation, management, analysis and dissemination of global biodiversity information, and has an outstanding record of achievement.

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