Lessons from DSM’s Winning Sustainability Strategy

The roots of global specialty chemicals company Royal DSM are as a Dutch state-owned coal mining company that started in 1902. The company’s future, however, is far removed from its past. DSM’s Strategy 2021 describes how the company plans to drive above-market growth through developing innovative solutions addressing Nutrition & Health, Climate & Energy and Resources & Circularity, together with increased customer-centricity and large innovation projects. In this article, DSM’s approach is decomposed by looking at the elements of its sustainability strategy, and we provide tips how to replicate this.

The Benefits of Forward-Looking Materiality

The COVID-19 outbreak shows that a topic that seems to be immaterial a few months ago, can be material today. The increasing transparency, growing stakeholder influence and visible changes of our planet increase the pace in which ESG topics become material. Companies should avoid being surprised by the impact of future ESG factors and identify which topics become material for their business in the future. In this article, we illustrate the importance of a forward-looking approach towards materiality.

ESG Acceleration Webinar: More from Materiality

In this 1-hour webinar, we'll be diving into the world of materiality to take the matrix out of the reporting trap and into a strategic tool for sustainability focus and stakeholder engagement. Guest speaker Simon Gobert, Sustainability Performance and Reporting Manager at DSM, will give practical insights on how DSM uses the matrix to shape and strengthen the company's leading sustainability program.

Maintain the Motion: ESG Acceleration Webinar Series

Finch & Beak launches the ESG Acceleration Webinar series: three webcasts in May 2020 aimed at speeding up sustainability performance and building resilience in the decade to deliver - especially during these challenging times. We'll be sharing practical insights on how to use DJSI, materiality and impact valuation to take your sustainability program to the next level.

Materiality Matrix in Focus

Analysts are better able to assess fundamental risk and reflect it in stock prices when corporate disclosures are specific and avoid vague, abstract language. However, according to SASB’s State of Disclosure Report, companies used vague and non-specific language more than 50% of the time across ESG topics. Sustainability leaders such as DSM, Unilever and Barry Callebaut demonstrate that a focused materiality approach that is strongly allied to the company’s Enterprise Risk Management and aligned with its business strategy leads to better results, both for society and for shareholders. With only an approximated 30% of companies actually combining their materiality assessment with their Enterprise Risk Mapping, “StratESGy”, i.e. the alignment of business strategy with ESG factors, is still in its infancy.

Junior Consultant Sustainable Business for the French Market

Due to continued growth, Finch & Beak is currently searching for a Junior Consultant Sustainable Business to join our team in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. If you are passionate about accelerating corporate sustainability performance and are looking to develop sustainability as an essential part of business, we would love to meet you!

The Art of Non-Financial Reporting “Less is More”

The magnitude of different non-financial reporting frameworks increasingly pressures sustainability departments in staying away from the reporting trap and focusing on improving their positive impact. Companies must frequently cope with limited bandwidth in terms of attention and resources. Instead of the all-too-common machine gun approach of spraying efforts large and thin, it is important to select a limited number of high-impact sustainability efforts. Effective implementation requires precision in the definition of sustainability targets and dedicated efforts in execution.

Tuning in on Materialities That Matter

Spraying sustainability efforts large and thin puts organizations at the risk of not tackling relevant material issues. Successful sustainability strategies require focus and direction. Defining your focus relies on the identification of relevant material issues for your organization through a materiality analysis. The Materiality Map and its accompanying workshop provides new insights on the current and future importance of sustainability issues.

Vacancy Consultant Sustainable Business Closed

Deepening Your Focus for Better Sustainability Reporting

This time of year many annual reports are under construction to inform stakeholders about the 2019 performance and to provide them with an outlook on the upcoming years. Although reports can seem like straightforward tools to inform investors about the impacts of a company over the past reporting period, companies can get stuck in the reporting trap. The reporting trap causes companies to lose focus on the long-term, leaving limited time to make a real impact and turn strategy into action.