GRI 417: MARKETING AND LABELING

2016

GRI

417
 Contents

Introduction 3

GRI 417: Marketing and Labeling 5

1. Management approach disclosures 5

2. Topic-specific disclosures 6
Disclosure 417-1 Requirements for product and service information and labeling 6
Disclosure 417-2 Incidents of non-compliance concerning product and service
information and labeling 7
Disclosure 417-3 Incidents of non-compliance concerning
marketing communications 8

References 9

About this Standard

Responsibility This Standard is issued by the Global Sustainability Standards Board (GSSB).
Any feedback on the GRI Standards can be submitted to
standards@globalreporting.org for the consideration of the GSSB.

Scope GRI 417: Marketing and Labeling sets out reporting requirements on the topic of
marketing and labeling. This Standard can be used by an organization of any size, type,
sector or geographic location that wants to report on its impacts related to this topic.

Normative This Standard is to be used together with the most recent versions of the following
references documents.
GRI 101: Foundation
GRI 103: Management Approach
GRI Standards Glossary

In the text of this Standard, terms defined in the Glossary are underlined.

Effective date This Standard is effective for reports or other materials published on or after
1 July 2018. Earlier adoption is encouraged.

Note: This document includes hyperlinks to other Standards. In most browsers, using ‘ctrl’ + click will
open external links in a new browser window. After clicking on a link, use ‘alt’ + left arrow to return to
the previous view.

2 GRI 417: Marketing and Labeling 2016

Introduction

A. Overview An organization then selects from the set of topic-

specific GRI Standards for reporting on its material
This Standard is part of the set of GRI Sustainability topics. These Standards are organized into three series:
Reporting Standards (GRI Standards). These Standards 200 (Economic topics), 300 (Environmental topics) and
are designed to be used by organizations to report 400 (Social topics).
about their impacts on the economy, the environment,
and society. Each topic Standard includes disclosures specific to
that topic, and is designed to be used together with
The GRI Standards are structured as a set of GRI 103: Management Approach, which is used to
interrelated, modular standards. The full set can be report the management approach for the topic.
downloaded at www.globalreporting.org/standards/.
GRI 417: Marketing and Labeling is a topic-specific
There are three universal Standards that apply to every GRI Standard in the 400 series (Social topics).
organization preparing a sustainability report:
GRI 101: Foundation
GRI 102: General Disclosures B. Using the GRI Standards and making claims
GRI 103: Management Approach
There are two basic approaches for using the GRI
Standards. For each way of using the Standards there
GRI 101: Foundation is the starting point for using is a corresponding claim, or statement of use, which
the GRI Standards. It has essential information an organization is required to include in any published
on how to use and reference the Standards. materials.

Figure 1
1. T
 he GRI Standards can be used as a set to prepare
Overview of the set of GRI Standards a sustainability report that is in accordance with
the Standards. There are two options for preparing
Foundation Starting point a report in accordance (Core or Comprehensive),
for using the depending on the extent of disclosures included in
GRI Standards the report.
GRI
101 An organization preparing a report in accordance
Universal with the GRI Standards uses this Standard,
Standards
GRI 417: Marketing and Labeling, if this is one of its
General Management material topics.
Disclosures Approach

GRI GRI 2. S elected GRI Standards, or parts of their content,

102 103 can also be used to report specific information,
without preparing a report in accordance with
To report contextual To report the the Standards. Any published materials that use
information about management approach
an organization for each material topic
the GRI Standards in this way are to include a
‘GRI-referenced’ claim.

See Section 3 of GRI 101: Foundation for more

Economic Environmental Social
information on how to use the GRI Standards,
Topic-
specific
and the specific claims that organizations are
Standards
GRI GRI GRI required to include in any published materials.
200 300 400
Select from these to report specific disclosures
for each material topic

GRI 417: Marketing and Labeling 2016 3

 C. Requirements, recommendations and guidance

The GRI Standards include:

Requirements. These are mandatory instructions.

In the text, requirements are presented in bold font
and indicated with the word ‘shall’. Requirements are
to be read in the context of recommendations and
guidance; however, an organization is not required to
comply with recommendations or guidance in order
to claim that a report has been prepared in accordance
with the Standards.

Recommendations. These are cases where a particular

course of action is encouraged, but not required. In the
text, the word ‘should’ indicates a recommendation.

Guidance. These sections include background

information, explanations and examples to help
organizations better understand the requirements.

An organization is required to comply with all applicable

requirements in order to claim that its report has been
prepared in accordance with the GRI Standards. See
GRI 101: Foundation for more information.

D. Background context

In the context of the GRI Standards, the social

dimension of sustainability concerns an organization’s
impacts on the social systems within which it operates.

GRI 417 addresses the topic of product and service

information and labeling and marketing communications.
This includes customer access to accurate and
adequate information on the positive and negative
economic, environmental, and social impacts of the
products and services they consume – both from
a product and service labeling and a marketing
communications perspective.

Fair and responsible marketing communications,

as well as access to information about the composition
of products, and their proper use and disposal, can help
customers to make informed choices.

These concepts are covered in key instruments of

the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and
Development: see References.

The disclosures in this Standard can provide information

about an organization’s impacts related to product and
service labeling and marketing communications, and how
it manages these impacts.

4 GRI 417: Marketing and Labeling 2016

GRI 417:
Marketing
and Labeling

This Standard includes disclosures on the management approach and topic-specific

disclosures. These are set out in the Standard as follows:

• Management approach disclosures (this section references GRI 103)

• Disclosure 417-1 Requirements for product and service information and labeling
• Disclosure 417-2 Incidents of non-compliance concerning product and service
information and labeling
• Disclosure 417-3 Incidents of non-compliance concerning
marketing communications

1. Management approach disclosures

Management approach disclosures are a narrative explanation of how an organization manages a material topic,
the associated impacts, and stakeholders’ reasonable expectations and interests. Any organization that claims its
report has been prepared in accordance with the GRI Standards is required to report on its management approach
for every material topic, as well as reporting topic-specific disclosures for those topics.

Therefore, this topic-specific Standard is designed to be used together with GRI 103: Management Approach in order
to provide full disclosure of the organization’s impacts. GRI 103 specifies how to report on the management approach
and what information to provide.

Reporting requirements
1.1 The reporting organization shall report its management approach for marketing and labeling
using GRI 103: Management Approach.

GRI 417: Marketing and Labeling 2016 5

 2. Topic-specific disclosures

Disclosure 417-1
Requirements for product and service information and labeling

Reporting requirements

The reporting organization shall report the following information:

a. Whether each of the following types of information is required by the organization’s procedures
for product and service information and labeling:
i. The sourcing of components of the product or service;
ii. Content, particularly with regard to substances that might produce an environmental
Disclosure
or social impact;
417-1 iii. Safe use of the product or service;
iv. Disposal of the product and environmental or social impacts;
v. Other (explain).
b. Percentage of significant product or service categories covered by and assessed for compliance
with such procedures.

Guidance

Background of a product or service, the disposal of the product,

Customers and end users need accessible and or the sourcing of its components. Access to this
adequate information about the positive and negative information helps customers to make informed
environmental and social impacts of products and purchasing choices.
services. This can include information on the safe use

6 GRI 417: Marketing and Labeling 2016

 Disclosure 417-2
Incidents of non-compliance concerning product and service
information and labeling

Reporting requirements

The reporting organization shall report the following information:

a. Total number of incidents of non-compliance with regulations and/or voluntary codes concerning
product and service information and labeling, by:
Disclosure i. incidents of non-compliance with regulations resulting in a fine or penalty;
417-2 ii. incidents of non-compliance with regulations resulting in a warning;
iii. incidents of non-compliance with voluntary codes.
b. If the organization has not identified any non-compliance with regulations and/or voluntary
codes, a brief statement of this fact is sufficient.

2.1 When compiling the information specified in Disclosure 417-2, the reporting organization shall:
2.1.1  exclude incidents of non-compliance in which the organization was determined not to
be at fault;
2.1.2  if applicable, identify any incidents of non-compliance that relate to events in periods
prior to the reporting period.

Guidance

Guidance for Disclosure 417-2 regulations, national laws, and the Organisation for
The incidents of non-compliance that occur within Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
the reporting period can relate to incidents formally OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. It is
resolved during the reporting period, whether they also potentially linked to compliance with strategies
occurred in periods prior to the reporting period for brand and market differentiation.
or not. The display and provision of information and
labeling for products and services are subject to
Background many regulations and laws. Non-compliance can
Providing appropriate information and labeling indicate either inadequate internal management
with respect to economic, environmental, and systems and procedures or ineffective implementation.
social impacts can be linked to compliance with The trends revealed by this disclosure can indicate
certain types of regulations, laws, and codes. improvements or a deterioration in the effectiveness
It is, for example, linked to compliance with of internal controls.

GRI 417: Marketing and Labeling 2016 7

 Disclosure 417-3
Incidents of non-compliance concerning marketing communications

Reporting requirements

The reporting organization shall report the following information:

a. Total number of incidents of non-compliance with regulations and/or voluntary codes concerning
marketing communications, including advertising, promotion, and sponsorship, by:
Disclosure i. incidents of non-compliance with regulations resulting in a fine or penalty;
417-3 ii. incidents of non-compliance with regulations resulting in a warning;
iii. incidents of non-compliance with voluntary codes.
b. If the organization has not identified any non-compliance with regulations and/or voluntary
codes, a brief statement of this fact is sufficient.

2.2 When compiling the information specified in Disclosure 417-3, the reporting organization shall:
2.2.1  exclude incidents of non-compliance in which the organization was determined not
to be at fault;
2.2.2  if applicable, identify any incidents of non-compliance that relate to events in periods
prior to the reporting period.

Guidance

Guidance for Disclosure 417-3 An organization is expected to use fair and

The incidents of non-compliance that occur within responsible practices in its business and dealings with
the reporting period can relate to incidents formally customers. Fair and responsible marketing requires
resolved during the reporting period, whether they the organization to communicate transparently about
occurred in periods prior to the reporting period the economic, environmental, and social impacts of its
or not. brands, products, and services. Fair and responsible
marketing also avoids any deceptive, untruthful, or
Background discriminatory claims, and does not take advantage
of a customers’ lack of knowledge or choices.
Marketing is an important method of communication
between organizations and customers, and is subject
to many regulations, laws, and voluntary codes, such
as the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC)’s
Consolidated Code of Advertising and Marketing
Communication Practice.

8 GRI 417: Marketing and Labeling 2016

References

The following documents informed the development of this Standard and can be helpful for understanding
and applying it.

Authoritative intergovernmental instruments:

1.  rganisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), OECD Guidelines
O
for Multinational Enterprises, 2011.

Other relevant references:

2. International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), Consolidated Code of Advertising and Marketing
Communication Practice, 2011.

GRI 417: Marketing and Labeling 2016 9

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10 GRI 417: Marketing and Labeling 2016