Materiality Assessment

The strategic foundation for your sustainability management

A materiality assessment is a structured process that enables companies to identify which sustainability topics are most relevant to them — both from the company’s internal perspective and the viewpoints of external stakeholders (e.g., customers, employees, investors, authorities). It forms the strategic basis for sustainability management and reporting.

The goal is to systematically identify, assess, and prioritize the most material issues, based on the specific business context and the expectations of relevant stakeholder groups. This ensures that sustainability efforts are focused where they can have the greatest impact.

The analysis considers two perspectives:

Inside-Out: This perspective focuses on the company’s impact on the environment and society. The aim is to identify those topics where the company exerts a significant—both positive and negative—impact.
Outside-In: This perspective examines how external sustainability factors affect the company itself. The goal is to identify relevant opportunities and risks that could influence the company’s economic success and long-term resilience.

Using climate as an example: the analysis considers both the greenhouse gas emissions generated directly by the company or along its value chain (Inside-Out), as well as opportunities such as developing new business areas through climate adaptation, or risks arising from more frequent extreme weather events (Outside-In).

A commonly used output of the analysis is the materiality matrix, which maps topics along the two key perspectives: impacts on environment and society (Inside-Out) and financial risks and opportunities (Outside-In). It helps visualize the breadth of relevant topics but does not replace a thorough assessment of materiality.

Important: Topics located in the “top-right corner” of the matrix are not the only ones considered material. According to the ESRS, a topic with significant impacts but limited financial relevance may still be subject to reporting requirements. The matrix is therefore a visualization tool—not a standalone decision-making basis.

A well-founded materiality analysis offers several key benefits:

Systematic analysis and strategic integration of sustainability topics in your company’s specific context
Clear focus and prioritization for efficient resource allocation
A solid foundation for meeting regulatory requirements for non-financial reporting (e.g., OR 964, CSRD, etc.)
Greater transparency and enhanced credibility of your sustainability strategy
Structured involvement of internal and, if needed, external stakeholders to incorporate diverse perspectives and expectations

The right approach for your company

Our proven and efficient methodology enables us to conduct materiality analyses that are tailored to your company’s specific needs. Whether it’s an initial, pragmatic assessment of your business activities’ impacts, an update of an existing materiality analysis, or a comprehensive double materiality analysis aligned with CSRD – we work with you to define the right approach. This ensures that the scope and depth of the analysis are precisely aligned with your strategic objectives, regulatory obligations, and available resources.

Single materiality assessment

Focuses on your company’s impacts on people and the environment (Inside-Out perspective). It is a pragmatic first step and offers a strong entry point.

Perspective: Inside-Out
Topics covered: Based on GRI standards
Stakeholder involvement: Optional
Special feature: Lean approach with strong informative value

Ideal for: SMEs taking their first ESG steps and establishing a solid foundation for their sustainability strategy and reporting.

Double materiality assessment

Incorporates both Inside-Out and Outside-In perspectives, linking sustainability issues to business risks, opportunities, and strategic goals.

Perspective: Inside-Out and Outside-In
Topics covered: Based on GRI and ESRS standards
Stakeholder involvement: Topic-specific interviews
Special feature: In-depth value chain analysis and comprehensive benchmarking against competitors

Ideal for: companies reporting under OR 964 or CSRD, or those taking a holistic and strategic approach to sustainability.

How SuCo supports you

We support you in laying the foundation for your sustainability strategy and reporting through a well-founded materiality analysis. Our clear, structured approach helps you identify relevant impacts, risks, and opportunities and prioritize the topics that matter most.

Our services Include:

Context analysis, including benchmarking with competitors
Analysis of your value chain
Integration of relevant topics from recognised standards (GRI, ESRS) and company-specific topics if needed
Facilitation of workshops for topic evaluation and prioritisation
Engagement of internal and external stakeholders
Detailed documentation of the process and outcomes

Whether you are conducting your first analysis, expanding an existing one to include financial risks and opportunities, or updating it periodically — we find the best-fit approach for your company and guide you through the process from A to Z.

Our three-step approach

1. Foundation & Context Analysis

We begin by analyzing your company within the context of its current operating environment. This includes reviewing relevant internal documents, mapping your value chain, and considering external factors such as applicable regulations. The insights gained are aligned with the sustainability standards relevant to your organization and benchmarked against key industry peers. The result is a company-specific longlist of potentially material topics — based on your company’s impacts on people and the environment (inside-out) as well as financial risks and opportunities (outside-in).

2. Assessment & Prioritisation of Topics

In the second step, we assess and prioritize the identified topics in workshops with key internal stakeholders such as sustainability managers, executive leadership, controlling, or risk management. To ensure a comprehensive perspective, we complement the internal view with expert interviews or stakeholder workshops. Based on all gathered insights, we collaboratively define clear thresholds that determine when a topic is considered material.

3. Validation & Reporting

In the final step, you validate the prioritized topics for your organization. We compile the decision-making basis in a clear and concise format and present the results directly to the relevant governance bodies if needed. Following validation, you receive complete documentation of the process and outcomes – including ready-to-use text modules for your sustainability reporting in line with the selected standard. These can be integrated directly into your reports with minimal additional effort.

What you'll get from us

Prioritization of the sustainability topics that are most material to your organization, providing a strategic foundation for your sustainability management
Company-specific materiality matrix
Guidance throughout all phases of the analysis and facilitation of stakeholder workshops
Comprehensive documentation, including ready-to-use text modules describing the process and outcomes of the materiality assessment, which can be directly integrated into your sustainability reporting