Materiality analysis

Every second year, Essity conducts a survey of our sustainability work among our stakeholders. This is used as a basis for our materiality analysis, together with continuous dialogue in various forms with our stakeholders. The analysis provides insight into the subject areas our stakeholders consider to be material. The result is part of supporting documentation in Essity’s strategy work.

The latest survey was conducted in 2019 and the result showed increased interest in topics such as climate change and waste/circularity as well as plastics. These topped the list, together with innovation and business ethics, which remain the topics that the stakeholders consider most important.

The selection of subject areas to be included in the materiality analysis was guided by employees from different parts of the company. This was done so that the selected areas would be relevant regardless of who responded to the survey. Various frameworks and policy documents such as the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), the UN Global Compact and Essity’s Code of Conduct also formed the basis for the selected areas. The survey covered 21 topics, all of which are important to Essity. Most remained unchanged from previous years so as to facilitate analysis and comparison over time. A number of the subjects were reformulated to cover a larger area. A few of them are new.

Last year’s web-based survey yielded approximately 900 responses from customers, consumers, suppliers, investors, analysts, media representatives, community representatives, decision-makers and employees. The respondents were able to select the ten topics they considered most important for Essity. The stakeholders’ prioritization of these topics was grouped together with responses from Essity’s senior management, whose priorities correspond to the company’s business strategy.

The results are presented in the graph below. The X axis shows the responses from all stakeholders except Essity’s senior management, whose responses are shown on the Y axis. The responses from the stakeholder groups were weighted to provide an accurate view of the results. The topics are numbered according to how high they were ranked in the survey. There is also a reference to where you can find more information in this year’s Annual and Sustainability Report.

A comprehensive account of all topics in the survey can be found at essity.com/sustainability.

Essity’s materiality analysis