nach oben

Sustainability Nexus Forum

Erschienen in:

22.11.2018 | Originalbeitrag / Original article

Impact measurement and the concept of materiality—new requirements and approaches for materiality assessments

verfasst von: Norbert Taubken, Tim Y. Feld

Erschienen in: Sustainability Nexus Forum | Ausgabe 1-4/2018

Einloggen

Aktivieren Sie unsere intelligente Suche, um passende Fachinhalte oder Patente zu finden.

search-config

KI-gestützte Suche

Aus

Abstract

The materiality of a sustainability topic should be the deciding factor in determining to what extent a company concerns itself with that issue. A materiality assessment is the standard tool used to evaluate this. During such an assessment, companies not only ascertain the relevance of a specific sustainability topic from a stakeholder perspective but also assess the company’s own impacts with respect to the topic. The international financial market increasingly demands impact measurements from companies, and through the EU non-financial reporting directive (EU NFR Directive) the term impacts was explicitly embedded in the German Commercial Code (HGB).

The results of a materiality assessment aid companies in aligning their sustainability strategy and sustainability management. They also provide the foundation for focusing content when reporting on non-financial performance. The major challenge many companies are currently facing is preparing a valid impact measurement as no practicable methods have at present been standardised in this regard. Moreover, the potential such analyses offer as a basis for focusing and consolidating resources is often not fully leveraged.

This paper gives an overview of the various definitions and usual interpretations of the term materiality. We will show how most applications take an outside-in approach, which conflicts with the requirements of the GRI Standards in particular. In addition, possible approaches to impact measurement will be presented. We will conclude with a summary of how companies can employ an impact-oriented materiality assessment as the basis for sharpening the focus of their sustainability management.

Vorheriger Artikel Recent trends in sustainability reporting by German universities

Nächster Artikel In search of materiality for nonfinancial information—reporting requirements of the Directive 2014/95/EU

Sie haben noch keine Lizenz? Dann Informieren Sie sich jetzt über unsere Produkte:

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik"

Online-Abonnement

Mit Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik" erhalten Sie Zugriff auf:

über 102.000 Bücher
über 537 Zeitschriften

aus folgenden Fachgebieten:

Automobil + Motoren
Bauwesen + Immobilien
Business IT + Informatik
Elektrotechnik + Elektronik
Energie + Nachhaltigkeit
Finance + Banking
Management + Führung
Marketing + Vertrieb
Maschinenbau + Werkstoffe
Versicherung + Risiko

Jetzt Wissensvorsprung sichern!

Jetzt informieren

Springer Professional "Technik"

Online-Abonnement

Mit Springer Professional "Technik" erhalten Sie Zugriff auf:

über 67.000 Bücher
über 390 Zeitschriften

aus folgenden Fachgebieten:

Automobil + Motoren
Bauwesen + Immobilien
Business IT + Informatik
Elektrotechnik + Elektronik
Energie + Nachhaltigkeit
Maschinenbau + Werkstoffe

Jetzt Wissensvorsprung sichern!

Jetzt informieren

Ausschuss für Recht und Verbraucherschutz (6. Ausschuss) (2017) Beschlussempfehlung und Bericht des Ausschusses für Recht und Verbraucherschutz. BT-Drucksache 18/11450 v. 08.03.2017

Bellantuono N, Pontrandolfo P, Scozzi B (2016) Capturing the stakeholders’ view in sustainability reporting: a novel approach. Sustainability. https://doi.org/10.3390/su8040379 CrossRef

BMW Group (2017) Sustainable value report 2016 (https://www.bmwgroup.com/content/dam/bmw-group-websites/bmwgroup_com/ir/downloads/en/2016/BMW-Group-SustainableValueReport-2016--EN.pdf)

Business Call to Action, Global Reporting Initiative (2016) Measuring impact: how business accelerates the sustainable development goals (https://www.globalreporting.org/resourcelibrary/Meassuring%20Impact_BCtA_GRI.pdf)

Calabrese A, Costa R, Levialdi N, Menichini T (2016) A fuzzy analytic hierarchy process method to support materiality assessment in sustainability reporting. J Clean Prod 121:248–264CrossRef

Cohen E (2014) Why the materiality matrix is useless. http://csr-reporting.blogspot.de/2014/12/why-materiality-matrix-is-useless.html. Accessed 7 May 2017

Europäische Kommission (2017) Communication from the Commission—guidelines on non-financial reporting. Methodology for reporting non-financial information, C/2017/4234 (https://ec.europa.eu/transparency/regdoc/rep/3/2017/EN/C-2017-4234-F1-EN-MAIN-PART-1.PDF)

Global Initiative for Sustainability Ratings (2015) GISR’S 12 principles of the CORE framework (http://ratesustainability.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/GISR_CORE_Framework12Principles.pdf)

Global Reporting Initiative (2011) Sustainability reporting guidelines, version 3.1 (https://www.globalreporting.org/resourcelibrary/G3.1-Guidelines-Incl-Technical-Protocol.pdf)

Global Reporting Initiative (2015) Sustainability reporting guidelines, implementation manual (https://www.globalreporting.org/resourcelibrary/GRIG4-Part2-Implementation-Manual.pdf)

Global Reporting Initiative (2016a) Consolidated set of GRI sustainability reporting standards 2016. https://www.globalreporting.org/standards/gri-standards-download-center/. Accessed 5 May 2017

Global Reporting Initiative (2016b) GRI 101: foundation 2016 (https://www.globalreporting.org/standards/media/1036/gri-101-foundation-2016.pdf)

Global Reporting Initiative (2017a) Sustainability disclosure database. http://database.globalreporting.org. Accessed 24 July 2017

Global Reporting Initiative (2017b) Questions and feedback: questions about materiality and topic boundary. https://www.globalreporting.org/standards/questions-and-feedback/materiality-and-topic-boundary. Accessed 27 July 2017

Global Reporting Initiative (2017c) Insights from the GRI corporate leadership group on reporting 2025, future trends in sustainability reporting (http://10458-presscdn-0-33.pagely.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/GRI-CLG_Report-FutureTrends2025-v12.pdf)

Impact Valuation Roundtable (2017) Operationalizing impact valuation. Experiences and recommendations by participants of the impact valuation roundtable (http://docs.wbcsd.org/2017/05/IVR_Impact_Valuation_White_Paper.pdf)

Institute of Public Auditors in Germany (2017) Zukunft der Berichterstattung, Nachhaltigkeit. IDW Positionspapier: Pflichten und Zweifelsfragen zur nichtfinanziellen Erklärung als Bestandteil der Unternehmensführung (https://www.idw.de/blob/101498/30d545 b52d2fcc5d71a 71035b8336a70/down-positionspapier-csr-data.pdf)

International Accounting Standards Board (1989) Framework for the preparation and presentation of financial statements. International Accounting Standards Board, London

International Federation of Accountants (2015) Materiality in integrated reporting, guidance for the preparation of integrated reports. https://www.ifac.org/publications-resources/materiality-integrated-reporting. Accessed 7 May 2017

International Organization for Standardization (2015) ISO 14008. Monetary valuation of environmental impacts and related environmental aspects. https://committee.iso.org/sites/tc207sc1/home/projects/ongoing/iso-14008.html. Accessed 6 May 2017

International Organization for Standardization (2016) ISO 14007. Environmental management: determining environmental costs and benefits, guidance. https://committee.iso.org/sites/tc207sc1/home/projects/ongoing/iso-14007.html. Accessed 6 May 2017

Jones P, Comfort D, Hillier D (2015) Managing materiality: a preliminary examination of the adoption of the new GRI G4 guidelines on materiality within the business community. J Public Aff 16(3):222–230CrossRef

Kering Group (2015) Environmental profit & loss. 2014 group results (http://www.kering.com/sites/default/files/document/kering_group_2014_environmentalpl.pdf)

Kering Group (2017) EP&L methodology. http://www.kering.com/en/sustainability/methodology. Accessed 24 July 2017

KPMG International (2014) A new vision of value: connecting corporate and societal value creation (https://assets.kpmg.com/content/dam/kpmg/pdf/2014/10/a-new-vision-of-value-v1.pdf)

McElroy MW (2011) Are materiality matrices really material? http://www.sustainablebrands.com/news_and_views/articles/are-materiality-matrices-really-material. Accessed 6 May 2017

Otto Group (2015) The way ahead: report on the sustainability of our value creation 2015 (https://www.ottogroup.com/media/docs/en/Nachhaltigkeitsbericht/0_Otto_Group_Sustainability_Report_2015.pdf)

Pape-Hamich S (2013) ESG-Faktoren als Risikoindikatoren fuer Investoren von Unternehmensanleihen. http://www.portfolio-international.de/newsdetails/article/esg-faktoren-als-risikoindikatoren-fuer-investoren-von-unternehmensanleihen.html. Accessed 13 July 2017

Rangan K, Chase L, Karim S (2015) The truth about CSR. Harv Bus Rev 93(1/2):40–49

RobecoSAM AG (2016) 2016 RobecoSAM corporate sustainability assessment—annual scoring (http://www.robecosam.com/images/CSA_2016_Annual_Scoring_Methodology_Review.pdf)

RobecoSAM AG (2017) DJSI 2017 review results (http://www.robecosam.com/images/review-presentation-2017.pdf)

Springer Gabler Verlag (2017) Gabler Wirtschaftslexikon, keyword: „Materiality“. http://wirtschaftslexikon.gabler.de/Archiv/127630/materiality-v12.html. Accessed 20 July 2017

Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (2017) Materiality: Why is it important? https://www.sasb.org/materiality/important. Accessed 24 July 2017

SustainAbility Inc. (2014) See change: how transparency drives performance (http://10458-presscdn-0-33.pagely.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/see_change_how_transparency_drives_performance.pdf)

True Price (2017) Homepage. http://trueprice.org. Accessed 13 July 2017

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (1999) SEC staff accounting bulletin: no. 99—materiality. https://www.sec.gov/interps/account/sab99.htm. Accessed 7 May 2017

Unilever (2017) Defining our material issues. https://www.unilever.com/sustainable-living/our-approach-to-reporting/defining-our-material-issues/. Accessed 19 July 2017

Wikipedia (2016) Sozialrendite. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sozialrendite. Accessed 23 July 2017

World Business Council for Sustainable Development (2013) Measuring socio-economic impact, a guide for business (https://www.enterprise-development.org/wp-content/uploads/WBCSDGuidetoMeasuringImpact.pdf)

Titel: Impact measurement and the concept of materiality—new requirements and approaches for materiality assessments
verfasst von: Norbert Taubken
Tim Y. Feld
Publikationsdatum: 22.11.2018
Verlag: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Erschienen in: Sustainability Nexus Forum / Ausgabe 1-4/2018
Print ISSN: 2948-1619
Elektronische ISSN: 2948-1627
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00550-018-0483-x

Transparency through CSR reporting—the case of Stuttgart Airport

Originalbeitrag / Original article

What’s wrong with integrated reporting? A systematic review

Originalbeitrag / Original article

Die Gemeinwohl-Bilanz – Ein Instrument zur Bindung und Gewinnung von Mitarbeitenden und Kund*innen in kleinen und mittleren Unternehmen?

Originalbeitrag / Original article

Mandatory CSR reporting—literature review and future developments in Germany

Originalbeitrag / Original article

Overcoming current practical challenges in sustainability and integrated reporting: insights from a Swiss field study

Originalbeitrag / Original article

Von Skeptikern, Sympathisanten und Zuschauern: Stakeholder-Typen und ihre Erwartungen an die Nachhaltigkeitsberichterstattung

Originalbeitrag / Original article