1. Purpose

Global Institute for Sustainability Standards Pvt. Ltd. ("GISS", "we", "our", or "us") is committed to providing transparent and fair policies regarding payments, cancellations, returns, and refunds for our services, programs, publications, memberships, events, certifications, assessments, and related activities.

This Return and Refund Policy outlines the conditions under which refunds may be granted.

2. General Policy

Due to the nature of professional services, training programs, certifications, assessments, digital content, memberships, and consulting services, refunds are subject to the conditions stated in this Policy.

All refund requests shall be reviewed on a case-by-case basis and processed at the sole discretion of GISS in accordance with the terms described herein.

3. Training Programs, Workshops, Webinars, and Conferences

Cancellation by Participant

Refund requests must be submitted in writing to GISS. The following refund schedule shall apply:

• More than 30 days before the event: 90% refund of the registration fee.
• Between 15 and 30 days before the event: 50% refund of the registration fee.
• Less than 15 days before the event: No refund.
• Failure to attend ("No Show"): No refund.

Administrative, payment gateway, banking, and processing charges may be deducted from approved refunds.

Substitution

Registered participants may nominate a substitute participant before the commencement of the event, subject to approval by GISS.

4. Event Cancellation by GISS

If GISS cancels an event, training program, workshop, webinar, or conference due to unforeseen circumstances, participants may be offered one of the following options:

• Full refund of the registration fee; or
• Transfer of registration to a future event; or
• Credit toward another GISS program or service.

GISS shall not be responsible for travel expenses, accommodation costs, visa expenses, or other incidental costs incurred by participants.

5. Certification, Verification, Assessment, and Audit Services

Fees paid for certification applications, verification activities, assessments, audits, inspections, or evaluation services are generally non-refundable once the review or assessment process has commenced.

Refunds may be considered only when:

• Payment was made in error;
• Duplicate payments were received;
• GISS is unable to provide the contracted service.

Any approved refund shall be subject to deduction of administrative and processing costs already incurred.

6. Membership Fees

Membership fees paid to GISS are non-refundable except where:

• Duplicate payment has occurred; or
• Membership application is rejected by GISS prior to activation.

Membership benefits already utilized may affect refund eligibility.

7. Publications and Digital Products

Due to the nature of digital content, standards documents, reports, publications, toolkits, templates, e-books, and downloadable resources:

• All sales are final.
• No returns or refunds shall be provided once access has been granted or downloads have commenced.

Exceptions may be considered if the purchased file is defective or inaccessible due to technical issues attributable to GISS.

8. Consulting and Advisory Services

Payments made for consulting, advisory, research, sustainability reporting, ESG advisory, carbon accounting, training design, or other professional services are generally non-refundable after work has commenced.

If a project is terminated before commencement of services, GISS may, at its sole discretion, provide a partial refund after deducting administrative expenses and costs already incurred.

9. Refund Request Procedure

To request a refund, users must submit a written request containing:

• Full name
• Organization name (if applicable)
• Invoice or payment reference number
• Date of payment
• Description of the service purchased
• Reason for refund request

10. Refund Processing

Approved refunds shall generally be processed within 15 to 30 business days from the date of approval.

Refunds will be made using the original payment method whenever reasonably possible.

Processing times may vary depending on:

• Banking institutions
• Payment gateways
• International transfer requirements

11. Non-Refundable Charges

The following charges are generally non-refundable:

• Payment gateway charges
• Bank transfer charges
• Currency conversion fees
• Administrative processing fees
• Government taxes and statutory fees already remitted

12. Fraudulent or Unauthorized Transactions

If a user believes a payment has been made fraudulently or without authorization, they should immediately notify GISS and their payment provider.

GISS reserves the right to investigate such claims before issuing any refund.

13. Amendments

GISS reserves the right to amend this Return and Refund Policy at any time.

Any updates will be published on the website with an updated effective date.

14. Contact Information

Last Updated: 11 June 2026