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Understanding Double Materiality

March 2, 2023 | Guidance,

Anthesis has put together two resources to help you learn more about double materiality.

  • Our guide provides a comprehensive overview of the emerging regulatory landscape surrounding double materiality, as well as it’s value and how to conduct a materiality assessment.
  • Our webinar features experts from the field who discuss the significant elements of materiality, including the double-materiality perspective, risks and opportunities through the lens of the new Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive.

Download our guide or watch our webinar today to learn more about double materiality and how it can benefit your company.

What is Double Materiality?

The term “double materiality” refers to how social and environmental information disclosed by a company can be material both in terms of its implications for the organisation’s financial value, as well as their external impact on society and the environment. ‘Materiality’, in this sense, is referring to the issues, both financial and sustainability-related, that are most important for an organisation to address. In other words, companies should not only consider how their decisions will affect their bottom line, but also how they will affect society and the environment.

The Future of Corporate Sustainability Reporting

The Double materiality concept has gained increasing attention in recent years as organisations’ impacts on the world around them are subject to new levels of consumer and regulatory scrutiny . There are a number of reasons why double materiality is important:

  • First, it can help companies to identify and manage risks. For example, a company that is not taking into account the potential impact of climate change on its business is at risk of losing out to competitors that are.
  • Second, double materiality can help companies to identify and seize opportunities. For example, a company that is investing in sustainability initiatives may be able to attract new customers and partners, or reduce its costs.
  • Third, double materiality can help companies to build trust with stakeholders. Investors, customers, employees, and the public are increasingly demanding that companies be transparent about their sustainability performance. By embracing double materiality, companies can demonstrate their commitment to sustainability and build trust with these key stakeholders.

Webinar Recording | CSRD: Getting Started with Double Materiality

Materiality is an essential tool that enables organisations to understand their context, identify their actual and potential impacts, assess their significance and prioritise those impacts that are most significant. It also provides the foundation for acting and reporting on those impacts.

The concept is on the rise with the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and GRI 2021 setting the bar once more for executing materiality assessments.

In this webinar, the Anthesis team examined the significant elements of materiality, including the double-materiality perspective, risks and opportunities.

The webinar covered:

  • A brief introduction to CSRD
  • What is required of organisations examining their materiality?
  • What is double materiality, and why is it needed for CSRD?
  • How to get started

Guide | Double Materiality Reporting: The Next Frontier in ESG

Regulation around sustainability reporting is getting tighter. How can you meet the emerging regulatory requirements on double materiality, but also make sure you use the process to make your organisation more sustainable? In this guide we set out:

  • The need for consistent reporting
  • How double materiality has evolved and why
  • Dynamic materiality coming into sight
  • Reporting frameworks and standards that include double materiality
  • The value in double materiality
  • How to conduct an assessment
  • The future of materiality in ESG reporting

Download the Guide Here:


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