The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) has opened a worldwide public consultation to update its labour-related disclosure standards, aiming to provide clearer, more robust expectations for how organisations address human rights risks across their operations and value chains.
Announced on International Human Rights Day, the consultation runs until 9 March 2026 and marks the final stage of GRI’s comprehensive review of all labour-focused standards. Feedback is being sought on proposed revisions to four key Topic Standards:
- GRI 414: Workers in Business Relationships
- GRI 409: Forced Labour
- GRI 408: Child Labour
- GRI 407: Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining
The update responds to persistent global labour challenges, including worker poverty, rising informal employment, gender inequality, and the slow pace of eliminating child and forced labour. It also reflects mounting pressure on companies to address negative impacts on workers throughout their value chains.
The exposure drafts propose expanded disclosures on labour rights, due diligence processes, working conditions, incident reporting, and grievance mechanisms. They introduce stronger requirements for documenting incidents, prevention measures, and remediation actions, as well as deeper insights into policies and assessments covering both direct operations and business relationships.
“Respect for workers’ rights is non-negotiable for any organization that claims to do business responsibly,” said Harold Pauwels, GRI Standards Director. He added that the revised Standards aim to set clearer expectations for how companies identify labour-related impacts and risks, engage workers, and drive improvements across value chains. Pauwels encouraged stakeholders to contribute to the consultation to ensure the final Standards are ambitious, effective, and aligned with international best practice.
