In the face of a growing global waste crisis, Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) is developing a new standard to help organisations report on and better understand their waste impacts.

• • A fundamental shift in the perception of waste – from an unwanted burden to a source of valuable materials;
  • Greater emphasis on how decisions on procuring and using materials relate directly to waste generation and waste quality;
  • New disclosures to understand how discarded waste has been created and the significance of this impact;
  • Recognition of an organisation’s impacts in the value chain and reporting how this is managed.

Judy Kuszewski, chair of the GRI Global Sustainability Standards board, said the standard will help companies better understand and measure their waste impacts, disclosing reliable and comparable data that ultimately supports better decisions. It also encourages creativity and lateral thinking – something that’s needed to tackle the issue internationally.

“The draft GRI Waste Standard recognizes that our linear, ‘take-make-waste’ approach is contributing towards a global waste crisis. As the world moves to a more circular economy, in which we treat waste as an input material for production, a new approach to reporting is needed.

“Our public comment period is now open for contributions from anyone – irrespective of sector, type of business or region – to inform the development of the waste standard and help us ensure it is fit for purpose and as relevant as possible.”

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