Take a Dive Into the GRI Conference Marketplace!

​The 5th GRI Conference opens its doors tomorrow, in eager anticipation of the 1,150 registrants looking to sharpen their knowledge on the cutting-edge tools and techniques that will carry us forward into the new era of digital, responsive and interactive corporate disclosure.

With over 40 engaging sessions, four high level plenaries, and 200 leading speakers, the GRI Conference also offers a vibrant Marketplace, showcasing a diverse range of organizations, products, services and information.

Exhibiting organizations range from leading financial data and media companies, to those producing software reporting tools, to information providers. All will be available to answer delegates’ questions during the three conference days.

EY
“The GRI conference brings together over 1000 sustainability leaders and we wanted to take this opportunity to engage directly with those leaders as well as showcase some of our own thinking around how businesses are showing and can show more innovation in being more purposeful and sustainable,” explained Lamia Senousi, Global Climate Change & Sustainability Services, EY. “We want to engage in a debate and to talk about a different way of doing business through innovation and critical thinking.”

De Groene Zaak
Another exhibiting organization, De Groene Zaak (part of the Dutch Sustainable Business Association) is looking forward to reaching innovative sustainable leaders who are eager to join the community of Dutch Green Business. “We are seeking for new collaborations in order to build on a sustainable and meaningful economy,” explains Ise van den Hoogen. “Delegates should come and visit our booth to hear more about our vision and the activities we organize for the members of our community. With a nice chat we can explore how we can collaborate in the future.”

Greenstone
Katherine Prove from Greenstone explains their reason for exhibiting: “Working with clients in more than 90 countries, we’re exposed daily to the challenges that diverse, global organizations face when trying to report their sustainability position. We see the GRI Global Conference as the go-to global event for sustainability leaders to share and explore the latest trends in non-financial reporting. Our clients tend to be sustainability or CSR professionals who have the responsibility (and challenge) of managing, defining, measuring and reporting large volumes of non-financial data and then confidently communicating it to stakeholders across the business. If that’s you – we’d love to talk to you!”

RobecoSAM 
Delegates can learn about the business value of sustainability from an investor perspective at the RobecoSAM booth. “We will explain the the benefits to measure and improve your companies sustainability performance from an operational as well as corporate perspective,' Robert Dornau. "It is also an opportunity for companies to ask questions about our Corporate Sustainability Assessment that forms the basis to select companies for the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices or to select the weights of companies for the newly launched S&P ESG index family.”

A sustainable journey to the Marketplace
One of the exhibitors, Matthias Mengeling from WeSustain, is cycling from Hanover to Amsterdam (400km) to attend the Conference. “With our tools we strive to actively contribute towards a more sustainable economy and to make social responsibility an integral part of every company and organization. We are looking forward to getting new impetus for our work through an interactive dialogue with stakeholder groups, prospective clients and experts from all over the world.” Make sure you stop by the WeSustain booth and congratulate Matthias on his sustainable journey!

Harnessing the power of light in the Marketplace
Conference delegates are also encouraged to visit the Enel booth during the Conference to view ongoing demonstrations of how the organization is bringing light to developing countries by re-using plastic bottles. Enel is partnering with Liter of Lights, the world’s largest community for solar energy projects, in order to develop sustainable lighting in disadvantaged communities around the world.

The Marketplace will be open during the following times:
Wednesday 18 May     09:00 – 20:00 
Thursday 19 May         09:00 – 18:00
Friday 20 May              09:00 – 14:30 

Full contact details of all of the exhibitors are available on the GRI Conference App, and below you can see a snapshot of all of the organizations on hand to advise delegates on some of the latest solutions and technologies in sustainability and reporting over the next three days:

Bloomberg L.P.  
Financial software, data, and media company with a strong focus on sustainability.

Credit360 
Sustainability software company specializing in a range of sustainability themes including reporting (GRI, external assurance), community involvement (LBG), energy and carbon management, business ethics and responsible sourcing.

Dutch Sustainable Business Association 
Sustainable Business Association in the Netherlands, uniting over two hundred pioneering companies.

Enel
Multinational manufacturer and distributor of electricity and gas across Europe, North and Latin America at the forefront of environmental and social sustainability.

EY    
Multinational professional services firm, helping organizations retain the confidence of investors, manage risk, strengthen controls and achieve their potential.

Greenstone  
Provider of non-financial reporting software solutions covering Environment, Health & Safety, CSR Frameworks, Supplier Portal and other non-financial KPIs.

GRI 
International independent organization that has pioneered corporate sustainability reporting since 1997.

GSSB
The Global Sustainability Standards Board - global standard setter for sustainability reporting.

GRI GOLD Community
GRI’s collaborative, global multi-stakeholder network comprised of organizations committed to demonstrating how greater transparency is a catalyst for change towards a more sustainable economy and world. 

RobecoSAM  
International investment company with a specific focus on sustainability investments.

Strategic Agenda 
Organization providing translation services to international development organizations and multinationals.

thinkstep  
Sustainability software and consulting company offering product sustainability software suites and corporate sustainability software solutions that simplify reporting, risk management, audits, strategy, and resource optimization.

Tofuture Oy 
A Finnish company dedicated to creating business value by combining knowledge and technology to develop sustainability management software solutions.

tuyu
Produces custom-made sustainable fair trade corporate gifts and fair trade merchandise.

WeSustain 
Develops web-based software for enterprise sustainability management (ESM).

WikiRate 
Provides information on companies’ social and environmental practices, allowing consumers and stakeholders such as policymakers and the media to be better informed.

The Marketplace is also the central location for all Conference catering and networking; the lunch buffet, networking breaks and coffee moments will take place at the catering points displayed on the Marketplace map in the GRI Conference App. Delegates can also find the GRI GOLD Community exclusive area located within the Marketplace.

GRI™ is an international independent organization that has pioneered corporate sustainability reporting since 1997. GRI helps businesses, governments and other organizations understand and communicate the impact of business on critical sustainability issues such as climate change, human rights, corruption and many others. With thousands of reporters in over 90 countries, GRI provides the world’s most trusted and widely used standards on sustainability reporting, enabling organizations and their stakeholders to make better decisions based on information that matters. Currently, 38 countries and regions reference GRI in their policies. GRI is built upon a unique multi-stakeholder principle, which ensures the participation and expertise of diverse stakeholders in the development of its standards. GRI’s mission is to empower decision-makers everywhere, through its standards and multi-stakeholder network, to take action towards a more sustainable economy and world.