This webinar, "Why Responsible Business Matters," explores the link between sustainability and responsible business practices, emphasizing how to drive sustainability through materiality assessments. Chief Impact Officer, Tim Siegenbeek van Heukelom highlights that sustainability is a practice that should be integrated throughout a business, rather than a loose concept. The goal is to run a responsible business that benefits people, planet, and profit, aligning with the triple bottom line.

The discussion emphasizes that businesses should focus on what is most material to their operations, rather than trying to address every sustainability topic. The webinar introduces the concepts of financial and impact materiality, highlighting the importance of double materiality, which assesses both a business's impact on the world and how sustainability-related risks and opportunities affect the business financially.

Move beyond "disclosure purgatory," where companies focus solely on reporting requirements, and instead use materiality to identify key sustainability areas and improve business practices. They also discuss the current landscape of voluntary ESG and sustainability standards and frameworks, highlighting the GRI and ISSB as key voluntary reporting standards and the increasing wave of mandatory sustainability disclosures, such as the European Union's CSRD. 

The webinar concludes with actionable steps for businesses, such as integrating sustainability across all functions, avoiding a "captain's call" approach to materiality assessments, and working towards a more data-driven, stakeholder-engaged approach.

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