The real value of the materiality assessment? – DSF Webinar

DSF’s June webinar, Prioritizing the DSF Criteria through a materiality assessment, provided Members with the opportunity to learn of the benefits of undertaking a materiality assessment and how to effectively implement the process. Co-presenters, Claudia Frere-Anderson and Karina Hilton Spiegel, ISOS Group, the organization who undertook the recent materiality review of the 11 Criteria, provided an engaging and thought provoking presentation. Claudia firstly outlined the benefits of carrying out a materiality assessment:

• Deepening the company’s understanding of its current and potential sustainability impacts
• Brings focus to topics that impact long-term value creation enabling the business to concentrate resources and energy on topics that really matter
• Supports relationship building through its emphasis on stakeholder engagement.
• Defines the key topics to be reported and communicated, improving the quality of the sustainability report and increasing its credibility
• Supports the integration of sustainability considerations into and decision-making across management systems.

Claudia also explored approaches to prioritising, planning and involving internal and external stakeholders and bringing it all together to define the priorities.

Karina then summarised the review the ISOS Group carried out to assess the relevance of the 11 DSF Global Criteria. The DSF had commissioned ISOS Group to review the Criteria to ensure they were fit for purpose and to ensure there were no obvious gaps. ISOS were able to confirm that all DSF Criteria were of continued relevance and importance to further ensure dairy’s contribution to sustainable development. There were recommendations of minor amendments to the Criteria and strategic intents along with the suggestion of additional detail for some of the Criteria. The DSF Governors are now evaluating the entire review and recommendations.

DSF Members who missed the webinar and would like to access the recording should access via the Members Area of the DSF website. Also, keep an eye out for details of our next Members webinar in September which will be on Stakeholder engagement, hearing from other Members about how they have connected with stakeholders to form their Local Multi-stakeholder Management group ,and how they have benefitted from that interaction.