GRI launches Sustainability Innovation Lab in Singapore with IFRS Foundation

The Global Reporting Initiative will launch a Sustainability Innovation Lab headquartered in Singapore, partnering with the IFRS Foundation to help companies meet GRI and ISSB disclosure requirements. The lab targets the Asia-Pacific region, where 81% of listed companies report with GRI, making it directly relevant to Indian reporters navigating multiple standards.

The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) announced the upcoming launch of the Sustainability Innovation Lab (SIL), with the IFRS Foundation as Convening Partner. The SIL will help companies meet changing sustainability disclosure needs by enhancing reporting capabilities using both the GRI Standards and the IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards. With 81% of listed companies in the Asia-Pacific region currently reporting with GRI and strong regional interest in adopting ISSB Standards, the SIL will be headquartered in Singapore with a launch event scheduled for November 20 and additional offices in Asia at the outset.

The initiative affects listed companies and supply-chain entities across Asia-Pacific facing multiple, sometimes divergent, sustainability reporting requirements. Representatives from GRI, the ISSB, and other key stakeholders will collaborate to identify emerging disclosure topics, develop best practices and data-driven solutions, and build the capacity of supply chains to meet new information requirements. Companies reporting to multiple stakeholders stand to benefit from efforts to streamline reporting processes and promote greater alignment across global standards, addressing a recognised sustainability capacity and expertise gap.

Companies should monitor the SIL's November 20 launch event and the practical solutions, training, and guidance it develops for using GRI and IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards together. Reporting teams should track the lab's outputs on interoperability between standards as a means to reduce duplicated effort. Supply-chain participants should watch for capacity-building programs designed to help them meet new information requirements flowing from larger reporters adopting the GRI and ISSB frameworks.

Key figure — Asia-Pacific GRI adoption: 81% of listed companies report with GRI