A materiality analysis meeting nonfinancial reporting requirements : With the combination of analytic hierarchy process and failure mode and effects analysis

Abstract: The assessment of the environmental and social impact of companies could be a key lever towards amore sustainable society. The aim of this report is to develop a quantitative approach based onmulti-criteria decision-making methods for organizations to conduct a corporate social responsibility materiality analysis. Through a literature review, a knowledge gap was identified on practical methods to implement a materiality analysis that meet non-financial reporting requirements.Therefore, the features of such a method were identified and a method combining analytic hierarchy process and failure modes and effects analysis was offered. The method was then used within a company in order to illustrate how the method should be applied in practice and to assess its application. The analytic hierarchy process was used to determine the relative weights of three criteria: risk, opportunity and influence on stakeholders’ assessments & decisions. Assessment scales were created for three failure modes and effects analysis indices for the criteria of risk and opportunity: severity, occurrence and control. A unique value can then be calculated for each corporate social responsibility issue in order to identify the material ones. The application of the methodology to a company underlined a few critical factors to be further investigated, in particular the quantification of the scales used for assessment and the selection of stakeholders.