Materiality analysis and stakeholder engagement

How can a publishing company be sustainable? This seemingly simple question constantly guides our reflection on corporate social responsibility.

The Mondadori Group periodically carries out a materiality analysis process, in order to identify the elements of strategic interest in the field of sustainability and ensure the correct presentation and understanding of the Group’s activities, its performance, results and the impacts generated.
Specifically, the year 2022 saw an update of the materiality analysis, which, in light of the evolution of guidelines on sustainability reporting, focussed on identifying the positive and negative impacts generated by the Group on the environment, economy and people, including human rights. This is based on four phases, further detailed
below:
a) mapping of relevant stakeholders;
b) identification of current and potential negative and positive impacts generated by the Group directly and through its value chain, in line with the reference industry trends and the priorities identified in the Sustainability Plan;
c) prioritization of identified sustainability topics (and related impacts) through internal and external stakeholder engagement activities;
d) identification of material topics and their approval.

Prioritization of identified sustainability issues in relation to impacts, through internal and external stakeholder engagement activities

In order to prioritize the sustainability topics identified for the Group, specific internal and external stakeholder engagement activities were carried out.
These listening opportunities have seen the active involvement of company management (the Steering Committee and the Internal Sustainability Committee), employees and equally important interlocutors, including teachers and customers of our bookshops. For the first time, new categories of stakeholders were also included – suppliers and financial analysts and investors – identified on the basis of criteria of strategic relevance for the Group, both in terms of business and sustainability.
The engagement occurred with the administration of an on-line questionnaire in November.
More than 9,500 completed versions were submitted, specifically approximately 4,800 by the teaching staff and more than 3,800 by customers and readers, thanks to the relationship the Group has developed over time with these categories in light of their crucial importance.
The stakeholders involved were asked to identify, in line with their own expectations and needs, the areas of impact they consider more or less relevant for the Group.