Foundations introduction
To be successful, a sustainability strategy must be grounded in a clear understanding of the context in which it will operate. This means having a clear understanding of:
- The purpose of the organisation/ event
- What sustainability means to the organisation
- Who is impacted by, and impacts, the sustainability of the organisation / event
- What are the highest priority considerations
In this section we will look at how to do this in three phases:
- Initially a ‘discovery’ phase, where the sustainability team (the people responsible for delivering the strategy) will identify at a high level, the internal and external environment the strategy will be operating within.
- This will be followed by an interactive ‘stakeholder engagement’ phase, where the considerations of the people who affect, and are affected by, the organisation/ event will be explored and documented.
- In the last phase, these findings will be evaluated to create a prioritised list of that the issues that ‘materially impact’ the organisation / event from a sustainability perspective.
This entire three-phase process is often referred to as a ‘materiality assessment’.
Discovery
Research internal operations, external trends, and regulatory requirements to set the context for your strategy.
Stakeholder engagement
Consult internal and external stakeholders to identify sustainability priorities, risks, and opportunities.
Materiality assessment
Analyse stakeholder input, assess organisation impact, and rank key sustainability issues.