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Dr Ross KurinkoLinkedIn
Strategic ESG Advisor · IFRS S1 & S2 / GRI / ESRS expert
GRI Certified Global Trainer · PhD, University of Cambridge · ESG-AI expert
15+ years on FTSE 100 & Fortune Global 500 disclosures
Canary Wharf, London
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GRI 303: Water and Effluents·Disclosure GRI 303-2
Management of water discharge-related impacts
Practical guidance for preparing this disclosure. Use this card to identify the information to prepare, verify claims and organise supporting evidence. For exact requirements, always refer to the official Global Reporting Initiative source.
Legal status
GRI 303: Water and Effluents 2018 remains the applicable GRI Topic Standard for water-related reporting and is effective for reports or other materials published on or after 1 January 2021.
Published passport
Last reviewed 2026-08-01
Reviewed by
Dr Ross KurinkoLinkedIn
Strategic ESG Advisor · IFRS S1 & S2 / GRI / ESRS expert
GRI Certified Global Trainer · PhD, University of Cambridge · ESG-AI expert
15+ years on FTSE 100 & Fortune Global 500 disclosures
Canary Wharf, London
LRA educational guidance · Not issued or endorsed by Global Reporting Initiative
Standard
GRI 303: Water and Effluents
Disclosure GRI 303-2 · 2018
Last reviewed
2026-08-01
LRA educational guidance · Not issued or endorsed by Global Reporting Initiative
To prepare this disclosure
Disclosure focus
Disclosure 303-2 requires an organization to describe any minimum standards it has set for the quality of effluent discharge and explain how these standards were determined. For this disclosure, minimum standards are organization-set standards that go beyond applicable regulatory requirements. Legal limits and permit conditions should be identified separately and should not be presented as minimum standards in the GRI sense.
The organization explains how standards were determined for facilities operating in locations with no local discharge requirements, describes any internally developed water-quality standards or guidelines, identifies any sector-specific standards considered, and states whether the profile of the receiving waterbody was taken into account.
If the organization has not established effluent-quality standards beyond regulatory requirements, it reports this fact. It should not relabel regulatory limits, treatment processes or monitoring results as voluntary minimum standards.
The disclosure is primarily narrative. Quantitative information such as discharge volumes, exceedances, treatment levels and substances of concern is reported separately under Disclosure 303-4, where applicable.
The organization can group facilities that apply equivalent standards, but it should explain significant site-specific differences and should not exclude relevant facilities solely because evidence is difficult to obtain.
This LRA educational guidance supports disclosure preparation. For the exact requirements, always refer to the official Global Reporting Initiative source.
Before you start
Before you start
A quick mental checklist before you prepare this disclosure — tick each as you settle it.
Preparation
Key information to prepare
| Preparation field | What to capture | Evidence hint | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum standards beyond regulatory requirements | Required where they exist. Capture and reconcile this item using the scope, defined terms and calculation basis in the reviewed Disclosure focus. | Approved source records, calculation files, reconciliations and review evidence supporting minimum standards beyond regulatory requirements. | Sustainability Reporting / data owner |
| Explicit statement that no such standards exist | Required where applicable. Capture and reconcile this item using the scope, defined terms and calculation basis in the reviewed Disclosure focus. | Approved source records, calculation files, reconciliations and review evidence supporting explicit statement that no such standards exist. | Sustainability Reporting / data owner |
| Applicable regulatory limits | Necessary methodological context. Capture and reconcile this item using the scope, defined terms and calculation basis in the reviewed Disclosure focus. | Approved source records, calculation files, reconciliations and review evidence supporting applicable regulatory limits. | Sustainability Reporting / data owner |
| Permit and consent requirements | Necessary methodological context. Capture and reconcile this item using the scope, defined terms and calculation basis in the reviewed Disclosure focus. | Approved source records, calculation files, reconciliations and review evidence supporting permit and consent requirements. | Sustainability Reporting / data owner |
| Comparison of regulatory and internal standards | Required assurance control. Capture and reconcile this item using the scope, defined terms and calculation basis in the reviewed Disclosure focus. | Approved source records, calculation files, reconciliations and review evidence supporting comparison of regulatory and internal standards. | Sustainability Reporting / data owner |
| Parameters covered | Required where standards exist. Capture and reconcile this item using the scope, defined terms and calculation basis in the reviewed Disclosure focus. | Approved source records, calculation files, reconciliations and review evidence supporting parameters covered. | Sustainability Reporting / data owner |
| Thresholds or performance criteria | Required where standards exist. Capture and reconcile this item using the scope, defined terms and calculation basis in the reviewed Disclosure focus. | Approved source records, calculation files, reconciliations and review evidence supporting thresholds or performance criteria. | Sustainability Reporting / data owner |
| Facilities covered | Required scope information. Capture and reconcile this item using the scope, defined terms and calculation basis in the reviewed Disclosure focus. | Approved source records, calculation files, reconciliations and review evidence supporting facilities covered. | Sustainability Reporting / data owner |
| Facilities with no local discharge requirements | Required where applicable. Capture and reconcile this item using the scope, defined terms and calculation basis in the reviewed Disclosure focus. | Approved source records, calculation files, reconciliations and review evidence supporting facilities with no local discharge requirements. | Environment / Water / Sustainability Reporting |
| Legal basis for no-local-rule conclusion | Required assurance evidence. Capture and reconcile this item using the scope, defined terms and calculation basis in the reviewed Disclosure focus. | Approved source records, calculation files, reconciliations and review evidence supporting legal basis for no-local-rule conclusion. | Legal / Compliance / Sustainability Reporting |
| Method used to establish standards | Required. Capture and reconcile this item using the scope, defined terms and calculation basis in the reviewed Disclosure focus. | Approved source records, calculation files, reconciliations and review evidence supporting method used to establish standards. | Sustainability Reporting / data owner |
| Internally developed standards or guidelines | Required where applicable. Capture and reconcile this item using the scope, defined terms and calculation basis in the reviewed Disclosure focus. | Approved source records, calculation files, reconciliations and review evidence supporting internally developed standards or guidelines. | Sustainability Reporting / data owner |
| Standard version and effective date | Required assurance information. Capture and reconcile this item using the scope, defined terms and calculation basis in the reviewed Disclosure focus. | Approved source records, calculation files, reconciliations and review evidence supporting standard version and effective date. | Sustainability Reporting / data owner |
| Sector-specific standards considered | Required where applicable. Capture and reconcile this item using the scope, defined terms and calculation basis in the reviewed Disclosure focus. | Approved source records, calculation files, reconciliations and review evidence supporting sector-specific standards considered. | Sustainability Reporting / data owner |
| Outcome of sector-standard review | Necessary for completeness. Capture and reconcile this item using the scope, defined terms and calculation basis in the reviewed Disclosure focus. | Approved source records, calculation files, reconciliations and review evidence supporting outcome of sector-standard review. | Sustainability Reporting / data owner |
| Receiving-waterbody profile considered | Required. Capture and reconcile this item using the scope, defined terms and calculation basis in the reviewed Disclosure focus. | Approved source records, calculation files, reconciliations and review evidence supporting receiving-waterbody profile considered. | Environment / Water / Sustainability Reporting |
| Characteristics considered | Necessary contextual information. Capture and reconcile this item using the scope, defined terms and calculation basis in the reviewed Disclosure focus. | Approved source records, calculation files, reconciliations and review evidence supporting characteristics considered. | Sustainability Reporting / data owner |
| Effect on standards | Required for a substantive answer. Capture and reconcile this item using the scope, defined terms and calculation basis in the reviewed Disclosure focus. | Approved source records, calculation files, reconciliations and review evidence supporting effect on standards. | Sustainability Reporting / data owner |
| Approval and review process | Necessary assurance information. Capture and reconcile this item using the scope, defined terms and calculation basis in the reviewed Disclosure focus. | Approved source records, calculation files, reconciliations and review evidence supporting approval and review process. | Sustainability Reporting / data owner |
| Actual monitoring results | Additional only. Capture and reconcile this item using the scope, defined terms and calculation basis in the reviewed Disclosure focus. | Approved source records, calculation files, reconciliations and review evidence supporting actual monitoring results. | Sustainability Reporting / data owner |
| Discharge volumes | Report under GRI 303-4. Capture and reconcile this item using the scope, defined terms and calculation basis in the reviewed Disclosure focus. | Approved source records, calculation files, reconciliations and review evidence supporting discharge volumes. | Environment / Water / Sustainability Reporting |
| Priority substances and exceedances | Report under GRI 303-4. Capture and reconcile this item using the scope, defined terms and calculation basis in the reviewed Disclosure focus. | Approved source records, calculation files, reconciliations and review evidence supporting priority substances and exceedances. | Sustainability Reporting / data owner |
| Treatment-level breakdown | GRI 303-4 recommendation. Capture and reconcile this item using the scope, defined terms and calculation basis in the reviewed Disclosure focus. | Approved source records, calculation files, reconciliations and review evidence supporting treatment-level breakdown. | Sustainability Reporting / data owner |
| Link to GRI 3-3 | Required contextual control. Capture and reconcile this item using the scope, defined terms and calculation basis in the reviewed Disclosure focus. | Approved source records, calculation files, reconciliations and review evidence supporting link to gri 3-3. | Sustainability Reporting / data owner |
| Reason for omission | Required in GRI content index where applicable. Capture and reconcile this item using the scope, defined terms and calculation basis in the reviewed Disclosure focus. | Approved source records, calculation files, reconciliations and review evidence supporting reason for omission. | Sustainability Reporting / data owner |
＋ Show GRI 303-2 sub-elements (LRA working checklist)
Required where they exist. Capture and reconcile this item using the scope, defined terms and calculation basis in the reviewed Disclosure focus.
Required where applicable. Capture and reconcile this item using the scope, defined terms and calculation basis in the reviewed Disclosure focus.
Necessary methodological context. Capture and reconcile this item using the scope, defined terms and calculation basis in the reviewed Disclosure focus.
Necessary methodological context. Capture and reconcile this item using the scope, defined terms and calculation basis in the reviewed Disclosure focus.
Required assurance control. Capture and reconcile this item using the scope, defined terms and calculation basis in the reviewed Disclosure focus.
Required where standards exist. Capture and reconcile this item using the scope, defined terms and calculation basis in the reviewed Disclosure focus.
Required where standards exist. Capture and reconcile this item using the scope, defined terms and calculation basis in the reviewed Disclosure focus.
Required scope information. Capture and reconcile this item using the scope, defined terms and calculation basis in the reviewed Disclosure focus.
Required where applicable. Capture and reconcile this item using the scope, defined terms and calculation basis in the reviewed Disclosure focus.
Required assurance evidence. Capture and reconcile this item using the scope, defined terms and calculation basis in the reviewed Disclosure focus.
Required. Capture and reconcile this item using the scope, defined terms and calculation basis in the reviewed Disclosure focus.
Required where applicable. Capture and reconcile this item using the scope, defined terms and calculation basis in the reviewed Disclosure focus.
Required assurance information. Capture and reconcile this item using the scope, defined terms and calculation basis in the reviewed Disclosure focus.
Required where applicable. Capture and reconcile this item using the scope, defined terms and calculation basis in the reviewed Disclosure focus.
Necessary for completeness. Capture and reconcile this item using the scope, defined terms and calculation basis in the reviewed Disclosure focus.
Required. Capture and reconcile this item using the scope, defined terms and calculation basis in the reviewed Disclosure focus.
Necessary contextual information. Capture and reconcile this item using the scope, defined terms and calculation basis in the reviewed Disclosure focus.
Required for a substantive answer. Capture and reconcile this item using the scope, defined terms and calculation basis in the reviewed Disclosure focus.
Necessary assurance information. Capture and reconcile this item using the scope, defined terms and calculation basis in the reviewed Disclosure focus.
Additional only. Capture and reconcile this item using the scope, defined terms and calculation basis in the reviewed Disclosure focus.
Report under GRI 303-4. Capture and reconcile this item using the scope, defined terms and calculation basis in the reviewed Disclosure focus.
Report under GRI 303-4. Capture and reconcile this item using the scope, defined terms and calculation basis in the reviewed Disclosure focus.
GRI 303-4 recommendation. Capture and reconcile this item using the scope, defined terms and calculation basis in the reviewed Disclosure focus.
Required contextual control. Capture and reconcile this item using the scope, defined terms and calculation basis in the reviewed Disclosure focus.
Required in GRI content index where applicable. Capture and reconcile this item using the scope, defined terms and calculation basis in the reviewed Disclosure focus.
How to prepare it
Disclosure 303-2 requires an organization to describe any minimum standards it has set for the quality of effluent discharge and explain how these standards were determined. For this disclosure, minimum standards are organization-set standards that go beyond applicable regulatory requirements. Legal limits and permit conditions should be identified separately and should not be presented as minimum standards in the GRI sense.
Collect and reconcile the records for: Minimum standards beyond regulatory requirements; Explicit statement that no such standards exist; Applicable regulatory limits; Permit and consent requirements; Comparison of regulatory and internal standards; Parameters covered; Thresholds or performance criteria; Facilities covered; Facilities with no local discharge requirements; Legal basis for no-local-rule conclusion; Method used to establish standards; Internally developed standards or guidelines; Standard version and effective date; Sector-specific standards considered; Outcome of sector-standard review; Receiving-waterbody profile considered; Characteristics considered; Effect on standards; Approval and review process; Actual monitoring results; Discharge volumes; Priority substances and exceedances; Treatment-level breakdown; Link to GRI 3-3; Reason for omission.
Apply Disclosure 303-2 when the related topic is material and this disclosure is relevant to the organisation's impacts, or when an applicable GRI Sector Standard identifies it for reporting.
Draft the response using the defined terms shown in the disclosure focus; do not substitute broader internal labels.
Review the final wording against every requirement and the supporting governance or data records before sign-off.
Request the data
Request the disclosure evidence
Translate the disclosure into an internal business question — then adapt it to your organisation's own language.
Provide the reporting-period records and reconciliations for Disclosure 303-2: Minimum standards beyond regulatory requirements; Explicit statement that no such standards exist; Applicable regulatory limits; Permit and consent requirements; Comparison of regulatory and internal standards; Parameters covered; Thresholds or performance criteria; Facilities covered; Facilities with no local discharge requirements; Legal basis for no-local-rule conclusion; Method used to establish standards; Internally developed standards or guidelines; Standard version and effective date; Sector-specific standards considered; Outcome of sector-standard review; Receiving-waterbody profile considered; Characteristics considered; Effect on standards; Approval and review process; Actual monitoring results; Discharge volumes; Priority substances and exceedances; Treatment-level breakdown; Link to GRI 3-3; Reason for omission. Include scope, definitions, methods, assumptions, limitations, owners and approvals.
Use the organisation's own role and document names, but preserve the defined GRI terms and the scope described above.
Better request
Provide the reporting-period records and reconciliations for Disclosure 303-2: Minimum standards beyond regulatory requirements; Explicit statement that no such standards exist; Applicable regulatory limits; Permit and consent requirements; Comparison of regulatory and internal standards; Parameters covered; Thresholds or performance criteria; Facilities covered; Facilities with no local discharge requirements; Legal basis for no-local-rule conclusion; Method used to establish standards; Internally developed standards or guidelines; Standard version and effective date; Sector-specific standards considered; Outcome of sector-standard review; Receiving-waterbody profile considered; Characteristics considered; Effect on standards; Approval and review process; Actual monitoring results; Discharge volumes; Priority substances and exceedances; Treatment-level breakdown; Link to GRI 3-3; Reason for omission. Include scope, definitions, methods, assumptions, limitations, owners and approvals.
Draft your disclosure
Notes that turn data into a disclosure
LRA training templates — adapt them to your organisation, and check the official source before sign-off.
Method note
The organization can group facilities that apply equivalent standards, but it should explain significant site-specific differences and should not exclude relevant facilities solely because evidence is difficult to obtain.
Context note
Keep mandatory Requirements, GRI recommendations and additional LRA preparation controls clearly distinguished. Use a GRI 1 reason for omission where an applicable requirement cannot be reported.
Download Centre
Preparation tools & forms
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Assurance readiness
For each claim, check the evidence
| Claim | Risk | Evidence to check |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum standards beyond regulatory requirements is reported accurately and completely. | The response omits, misclassifies or overstates minimum standards beyond regulatory requirements. | Approved source records, calculation files, reconciliations and review evidence supporting minimum standards beyond regulatory requirements. |
| Explicit statement that no such standards exist is reported accurately and completely. | The response omits, misclassifies or overstates explicit statement that no such standards exist. | Approved source records, calculation files, reconciliations and review evidence supporting explicit statement that no such standards exist. |
| Applicable regulatory limits is reported accurately and completely. | The response omits, misclassifies or overstates applicable regulatory limits. | Approved source records, calculation files, reconciliations and review evidence supporting applicable regulatory limits. |
| Permit and consent requirements is reported accurately and completely. | The response omits, misclassifies or overstates permit and consent requirements. | Approved source records, calculation files, reconciliations and review evidence supporting permit and consent requirements. |
| Comparison of regulatory and internal standards is reported accurately and completely. | The response omits, misclassifies or overstates comparison of regulatory and internal standards. | Approved source records, calculation files, reconciliations and review evidence supporting comparison of regulatory and internal standards. |
| Parameters covered is reported accurately and completely. | The response omits, misclassifies or overstates parameters covered. | Approved source records, calculation files, reconciliations and review evidence supporting parameters covered. |
| Thresholds or performance criteria is reported accurately and completely. | The response omits, misclassifies or overstates thresholds or performance criteria. | Approved source records, calculation files, reconciliations and review evidence supporting thresholds or performance criteria. |
| Facilities covered is reported accurately and completely. | The response omits, misclassifies or overstates facilities covered. | Approved source records, calculation files, reconciliations and review evidence supporting facilities covered. |
| Facilities with no local discharge requirements is reported accurately and completely. | The response omits, misclassifies or overstates facilities with no local discharge requirements. | Approved source records, calculation files, reconciliations and review evidence supporting facilities with no local discharge requirements. |
| Legal basis for no-local-rule conclusion is reported accurately and completely. | The response omits, misclassifies or overstates legal basis for no-local-rule conclusion. | Approved source records, calculation files, reconciliations and review evidence supporting legal basis for no-local-rule conclusion. |
| Method used to establish standards is reported accurately and completely. | The response omits, misclassifies or overstates method used to establish standards. | Approved source records, calculation files, reconciliations and review evidence supporting method used to establish standards. |
| Internally developed standards or guidelines is reported accurately and completely. | The response omits, misclassifies or overstates internally developed standards or guidelines. | Approved source records, calculation files, reconciliations and review evidence supporting internally developed standards or guidelines. |
| Standard version and effective date is reported accurately and completely. | The response omits, misclassifies or overstates standard version and effective date. | Approved source records, calculation files, reconciliations and review evidence supporting standard version and effective date. |
| Sector-specific standards considered is reported accurately and completely. | The response omits, misclassifies or overstates sector-specific standards considered. | Approved source records, calculation files, reconciliations and review evidence supporting sector-specific standards considered. |
| Outcome of sector-standard review is reported accurately and completely. | The response omits, misclassifies or overstates outcome of sector-standard review. | Approved source records, calculation files, reconciliations and review evidence supporting outcome of sector-standard review. |
| Receiving-waterbody profile considered is reported accurately and completely. | The response omits, misclassifies or overstates receiving-waterbody profile considered. | Approved source records, calculation files, reconciliations and review evidence supporting receiving-waterbody profile considered. |
| Characteristics considered is reported accurately and completely. | The response omits, misclassifies or overstates characteristics considered. | Approved source records, calculation files, reconciliations and review evidence supporting characteristics considered. |
| Effect on standards is reported accurately and completely. | The response omits, misclassifies or overstates effect on standards. | Approved source records, calculation files, reconciliations and review evidence supporting effect on standards. |
| Approval and review process is reported accurately and completely. | The response omits, misclassifies or overstates approval and review process. | Approved source records, calculation files, reconciliations and review evidence supporting approval and review process. |
| Actual monitoring results is reported accurately and completely. | The response omits, misclassifies or overstates actual monitoring results. | Approved source records, calculation files, reconciliations and review evidence supporting actual monitoring results. |
| Discharge volumes is reported accurately and completely. | The response omits, misclassifies or overstates discharge volumes. | Approved source records, calculation files, reconciliations and review evidence supporting discharge volumes. |
| Priority substances and exceedances is reported accurately and completely. | The response omits, misclassifies or overstates priority substances and exceedances. | Approved source records, calculation files, reconciliations and review evidence supporting priority substances and exceedances. |
| Treatment-level breakdown is reported accurately and completely. | The response omits, misclassifies or overstates treatment-level breakdown. | Approved source records, calculation files, reconciliations and review evidence supporting treatment-level breakdown. |
| Link to GRI 3-3 is reported accurately and completely. | The response omits, misclassifies or overstates link to gri 3-3. | Approved source records, calculation files, reconciliations and review evidence supporting link to gri 3-3. |
| Reason for omission is reported accurately and completely. | The response omits, misclassifies or overstates reason for omission. | Approved source records, calculation files, reconciliations and review evidence supporting reason for omission. |
Evidence pack to prepare
Common reporting gaps
Presenting regulatory discharge limits as organisation-set minimum standards beyond regulation.
Replacing the narrative standard-setting process with monitoring results or discharge volumes.
Using internal labels in place of the defined GRI terms.
Leaving a required preparation field unsupported by traceable evidence.
Treating GRI recommendations as mandatory requirements or mandatory requirements as optional.
Publishing estimates, exclusions or partial scope without methods, assumptions and the applicable reason for omission.
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Framework references
Relevant GRI requirements and related disclosures
Available framework references and nearby disclosures relevant to preparing this requirement.
GRI
GRI 303-2
within GRI 303: Water and Effluents
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