Multi-Year Agreement Aims to Help SMEs Strengthen Impact Reporting and Respond to Evolving Global Trade Requirements
GRI and the Sri Lanka Export Development Board have signed a multi-year agreement to strengthen sustainability reporting among Sri Lankan exporters, with particular attention to SMEs through tailored support, reporting clinics and digital learning opportunities.
COLOMBO, 21 September 2026: The Global Reporting Initiative and the Sri Lanka Export Development Board have entered into a strategic multi-year cooperation agreement designed to strengthen sustainability and impact reporting across Sri Lanka’s export sector.
The agreement was signed at the Export Development Board on 7 September 2026 by Bastian Buck, Chief Standards Officer of GRI, and Mangala Wijesinghe, Chairman and Chief Executive of the EDB.
According to the official EDB announcement, the partnership will build the capacity of Sri Lankan businesses and EDB officials to understand and report their economic, environmental and social impacts using internationally recognised GRI Standards.
Small and medium-sized enterprises are expected to receive particular attention through tailored support, reporting clinics and digital learning opportunities.
GRI–EDB AGREEMENT: KEY FACTS
- Agreement signed: 7 September 2026
- Organisations: Global Reporting Initiative and Sri Lanka Export Development Board
- GRI signatory: Bastian Buck, Chief Standards Officer
- EDB signatory: Mangala Wijesinghe, Chairman and Chief Executive
- Primary focus: Sustainability and impact reporting
- Priority audience: Sri Lankan exporters, including SMEs
- Planned support: Reporting clinics, tailored interventions and digital learning
What Are the GRI Standards?
The Global Reporting Initiative provides a widely used framework through which organisations can report their impacts on the economy, environment and people.
According to GRI’s official standards information, the framework can be used by large or small organisations in the public or private sectors. Its modular structure includes universal, sector-specific and topic-based standards.
GRI reporting can help an organisation identify its significant impacts, explain how those impacts are managed and present information in a more consistent and comparable manner.
This does not automatically certify that a business is sustainable. It provides a structured reporting framework through which the organisation can disclose relevant information and support its statements with evidence.
Why Sustainability Reporting Matters to Exporters
International customers, investors, regulators and supply-chain partners are placing increasing importance on credible information about environmental, social and governance practices.
Exporters may be asked to provide information about matters such as:
- Energy and resource consumption
- Waste and emissions
- Labour and workplace practices
- Human rights and supply-chain impacts
- Business ethics and governance
- Community and economic impacts
- Management of material sustainability risks
The precise information required will depend on the exporter’s industry, destination market, customer relationships and applicable reporting requirements.
The GRI–EDB agreement is intended to help Sri Lankan exporters improve their understanding of these expectations and develop more credible and transparent reporting practices.
However, the agreement itself does not guarantee new export contracts, automatic compliance with overseas laws or acceptance by every international buyer.
Special Attention for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises
A significant feature of the partnership is its stated focus on SMEs.
Smaller exporters can face difficulties when responding to detailed sustainability questionnaires or requests from international customers. They may not have specialised reporting teams, established data-collection systems or sufficient knowledge of international sustainability frameworks.
The EDB says the partnership will offer tailored interventions, reporting clinics and digital learning opportunities to help businesses respond to sustainability requirements within international value chains.
The announcement has not yet provided the timetable, eligibility requirements, number of participating businesses or registration process for these activities. Exporters should therefore wait for formal programme details from the EDB rather than assuming that participation is already open.
Building on Previous Apparel and Textile Work
The partnership will build on previous GRI–EDB collaboration within Sri Lanka’s textile and apparel sector.
The new agreement is intended to extend sustainable reporting practices into additional priority export sectors. However, the official announcement does not name every sector that will be included.
It would therefore be premature to state that particular industries have been selected until GRI or the EDB publishes a confirmed sector list.
Sri Lanka’s exporters operate across apparel, food and beverages, tea, coconut products, rubber products, spices, gems and jewellery, ICT, engineering services, logistics and other sectors. These industries can face different sustainability impacts and reporting expectations, meaning sector-specific guidance may be important.
Connecting International and Sri Lankan Reporting Frameworks
The partnership is also expected to support technical knowledge exchange and closer alignment among different sustainability-reporting systems.
The EDB announcement specifically refers to:
- GRI Standards
- Sri Lanka’s National Green Reporting System
- IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards
These frameworks are related but do not necessarily serve identical reporting purposes. GRI Standards focus on an organisation’s impacts on the economy, environment and people, while IFRS sustainability standards are principally designed to provide sustainability-related financial information for investors.
The agreement is expected to support greater understanding of how these frameworks may work alongside one another.
Sri Lanka Updates Its National Green Reporting System
The GRI–EDB partnership follows a separate national decision to update Sri Lanka’s National Green Reporting System.
According to the Cabinet Office announcement of 1 June 2026, the updated system contains 76 indicators:
- 31 environmental indicators
- 30 social indicators
- 15 governance indicators
Five reporting levels have also been introduced for participating institutions.
Sri Lanka originally established its National Green Reporting System in 2012. The 2026 revision was undertaken to reflect updated international reporting practices and developments connected with climate change, the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement.
The Central Environmental Authority describes green reporting as a process through which organisations measure, disclose and accept accountability for their sustainability performance.
WHAT THE AGREEMENT DOES — AND DOES NOT — MEAN
It aims to: build reporting knowledge, assist SMEs, provide learning opportunities and improve alignment between international and Sri Lankan sustainability frameworks.
It does not automatically: certify participating exporters, guarantee overseas contracts, prove that a business is sustainable or replace market-specific legal and customer requirements.
Supporting the National Export Development Plan
The EDB says the cooperation agreement is aligned with Sri Lanka’s National Export Development Plan 2026–2030.
The partnership is intended to establish a basis for longer-term institutional cooperation and support exporters as they integrate sustainability considerations into their business practices.
Better reporting could help businesses provide customers and other stakeholders with clearer information. It may also assist companies in identifying gaps in their own environmental, workplace and governance systems.
These are potential benefits rather than guaranteed outcomes. Their practical value will depend on the quality of the training, participation by exporters, availability of accurate business data and the extent to which reporting is followed by measurable improvements.
What Exporters May Need to Prepare
Although detailed participation requirements have not yet been announced, businesses interested in sustainability reporting may eventually need reliable internal information covering areas such as:
- Business operations and supply chains
- Energy, water and material consumption
- Waste and emissions
- Employment and workplace practices
- Occupational health and safety
- Community impacts
- Governance and accountability
- Sustainability policies, targets and results
Businesses should avoid making environmental or social claims that cannot be supported by evidence. Sustainability reporting is most valuable when disclosures are accurate, balanced and transparent about both achievements and areas requiring improvement.
Important Details Still to Be Announced
The public announcement confirms the agreement and its main areas of cooperation, but several operational details have not yet been disclosed.
These include:
- The exact duration of the multi-year agreement
- Programme commencement dates
- Participating export sectors
- SME eligibility criteria
- Registration or application procedures
- Number of businesses expected to participate
- Programme budget and funding arrangements
- Reporting-clinic schedules
- Digital learning platforms and course content
- Monitoring indicators and success measures
- Whether any formal assessment or recognition will be offered
Sri Lanka Directory will update this coverage when confirmed information becomes available from GRI or the EDB.
A Step Towards More Credible Sustainable Trade
The GRI–EDB agreement represents a structured effort to help Sri Lankan exporters understand and respond to changing international expectations around sustainability information.
Its SME focus is particularly important because smaller businesses may otherwise struggle with the knowledge, systems and resources required for credible impact reporting.
The agreement should not be treated as proof that Sri Lankan exports have already achieved higher sustainability standards. Its real impact will depend on how the planned training, reporting clinics, digital learning and technical cooperation are implemented.
If successfully delivered, the initiative could help participating exporters improve transparency, strengthen internal reporting practices and communicate their sustainability impacts more credibly within international value chains.
SLD Perspective
Sri Lanka Directory welcomes initiatives that help Sri Lankan businesses compete internationally through knowledge, transparency and responsible business practices.
For exporters, sustainability reporting should be more than a marketing exercise. Credible reporting requires accurate data, appropriate evidence, clear explanations and a willingness to disclose both progress and continuing challenges.
The GRI–EDB partnership creates an opportunity to improve these capabilities. Exporters should follow official EDB announcements for confirmed programme dates, eligibility requirements and participation instructions.
