GRI to launch new Sustainability Reporting standard for food and beverage companies

KUALA LUMPUR, 29 SEPTEMBER 2026 —

The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) announced on 29 September 2026 that it will develop a new sustainability reporting standard for food and beverage companies, marking the first time the organisation will pilot a streamlined approach to sector‑specific standard development.

The move comes as GRI seeks to accelerate the delivery of sector standards, which it says can currently take a long time to develop. The new food and beverage standard will be the first to use GRI’s new “streamlined approach”, designed to reduce the time needed for development. GRI said the food and beverage sector was chosen to pilot the new approach because of the scale and breadth of its sustainability impacts.

GRI’s sustainability reporting standards are among the most widely accepted global frameworks for corporate sustainability disclosure. They are developed by the Global Sustainability Standards Board (GSSB) and are intended to provide consistent reporting across companies and industries, thereby giving investors and other stakeholders clearer information on sustainability matters.

The organisation’s first sector standard was published in 2021 for the oil and gas sector, followed by standards for coal, agriculture, aquaculture and fishing, mining, and textiles and apparel.

Sectors are prioritised for standard development based on the seriousness and likelihood of their impacts, the overall size of the sector, its global distribution and the number of organisations that could use the GRI Standards. On its project page, GRI noted that the food and beverage industries are responsible for around one third of global emissions, have a direct impact on people’s health, and present safety risks for their workers.

The forthcoming standard will cover food processing, manufacturing of alcoholic and non‑alcoholic beverages, and tobacco products, and will consider impacts across companies’ own operations and value chains, including connections with agriculture, aquaculture and fishing.

“The food and beverage sector touches almost every part of society, while its value chains are closely connected with some of the most pressing sustainability challenges we face. From climate change and biodiversity loss to working conditions and public health, companies need to understand and transparently report their impacts,” GRI said.

The new standard is expected to provide guidance on how companies can measure and disclose their impacts on climate change, biodiversity, working conditions and public health, among other issues. By focusing on the most significant impacts and stakeholder expectations, the standard aims to help companies identify the most material sustainability issues in their sector and report them consistently.

For Malaysian food and beverage firms, the new standard could mean a shift in reporting practices. Companies that are already using GRI Standards will need to adapt their disclosures to align with the sector‑specific guidance once it is released. The standard’s emphasis on value‑chain impacts could also prompt firms to engage more closely with suppliers in agriculture, aquaculture and fishing, sectors that are integral to Malaysia’s food and beverage supply chain.

The announcement is likely to influence market expectations for sustainability reporting in the region. Investors and analysts who rely on GRI disclosures will now have a more detailed framework for assessing the environmental and social performance of Malaysian food and beverage companies. The standard’s focus on climate change, biodiversity loss, working conditions and public health aligns with the growing demand from investors for transparent and comparable sustainability data.

GRI’s decision to pilot the streamlined approach in the food and beverage sector signals a broader strategy to speed up the development of sector standards. While the exact timeline for the release of the new standard has not been disclosed, GRI’s statement indicates that the organisation is committed to delivering industry‑specific impact reporting guidance more quickly than in the past.

The development of the new food and beverage standard is a significant step for the global sustainability reporting landscape. It reflects the increasing recognition that sector‑specific guidance is essential for companies to report on the most material impacts of their operations and supply chains.

For Malaysian firms, the new standard will likely become a key tool for meeting investor expectations and demonstrating responsible business practices in an industry that plays a central role in the country’s economy and society.