In the sustainability world, “materiality assessments” are the backbone of reporting. They help identify an organization’s most “material issues” and determine what should be reported. The process of identifying these issues involves reaching out to internal and external stakeholders to get their input. This can be time-consuming, but is a huge opportunity to solicit input on the strategy too.  But many organizations misstep in the process. I hear more stories of materiality assessments that didn’t quite deliver than stories of those that did. Here are some thoughts on improving them.

The key to getting real value out of any materiality assessment is starting with a clear understanding of what information you are looking for. This enables you to ask the right questions, choose the right stakeholders, apply the appropriate methodology and visually present the information effectively to help inform decisions. Second, materiality assessments can (and should) inform both reporting and strategy.

Read the full article by Mia Overall, Strategy Director Futerra