Focus on: Impact, risks and opportunities of our business model

From the 2025 financial year, we will gradually align our sustainability reporting with the requirements of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). In order to prepare for this, we carried out a multi-stage materiality assessment in 2024.

Material reporting

Introduction

The defined material reporting topics formed the basis for this. The European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS for short) set out how to work these out. The most important thing is that companies assess both their impact on people and nature (“Impact Materiality”) and the commercial risks and opportunities that exist from a sustainability perspective (“Financial Materiality”).

The starting point for our assessment is the ten topical ESRS standards (“topic areas”) and the sustainability matters suggested in standard ESRS 1, AR 16 (“topics”). As part of a four-stage process involving stakeholders, these were discussed and their materiality for Schüco was assessed.

Results

Eight material and two non-material topic areas

As part of the process, eight topic areas were identified as material (see illustration). This assessment was made in accordance with ESRS 1 against set criteria, which were defined using a transparent assessment system. More details of our four-stage process can be found in the “Methodology” section.

Using this method, each topic was allocated a specific score. The topic was assessed as “material” if it achieved a score of at least 7.5 (for “Impact Materiality”) or 2.5 (for “Financial Materiality”). The topic areas “Consumers and end-users” and “Affected communities” were identified as non-material based on our B2B-focused business model and very limited risks locally.

The materiality assessment identified 23 company-specific sustainability topics for Schüco. These form the basis for our CSRD-compliant reporting. The following table groups our material topics around the categories of environment, social and governance.

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Environment

E1: Climate change

Climate change adaptation
Climate protection
Energy

E2: Pollution

Air pollution
Water pollution
Soil pollution
Substances of concern
Substances of very high concern
Microplastics

E3: Water

Water consumption

E4: Biodiversity

irect drivers of biodiversity loss
Impact on the extent and condition of ecosystems
Impact on and dependencies of ecosystem services

E5: Resource use and circular economy

Resource inflows, including resource use

Social

S1: Own workforce

Working conditions
Equal treatment and opportunities for all

S2: Workers in the value chain

Working conditions (supply chain)
Equal treatment and opportunities for all (supply chain)
Other work-related rights

G1: Governance

Corporate culture
Protection of whistleblowers
Management of relationships with suppliers, including payment practices
Anti-corruption

ESG topics in the spotlight

Here you can find a short summary of our most important sustainability topics based on the topical ESRS standards.

Environment

Climate change (ESRS E1), Pollution (E2) and Resource use (E5) are the material topics for Schüco because they are closely connected to the manufacture, processing and disposal of products for the building envelope.
Although they involve lower financial risks, aspects of the topic areas “Water consumption” (E3) and “Biodiversity and ecosystems” (E4) are equally material, because they lead to significant negative impacts in the upstream value chain.

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Social

Motivated and well-qualified employees are essential to our business model which relies heavily on consultancy (S1). In relation to our own workforce, we see material opportunities in the provision of a safe, attractive and motivating workplace, where employees are valued and have a say.
We obtain a large proportion of our raw materials from countries with comparatively few labour and human rights. With regard to workers in the value chain (S2), we therefore consider it material for us to commit to providing a fair and safe working environment, where working hours are adhered to, safety measures are implemented and a living wage is paid.

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Governance

For us, it is material to maintain a corporate culture that is ethical and compliant, with mandatory codes of conduct for our employees, suppliers and business partners (G1).
This includes a low-threshold reporting system which enables people inside and outside of our company to inform about misconduct and effectively prevent it.

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Methodical process for determining the material topics

Our material topics are compiled, assessed and evaluated in a four-stage process as follows:

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Step 1: Creation of a comprehensive long list of potentially relevant topics

With the help of past materiality assessments and a new assessment of the material-related value chains for aluminium, steel, PVC and glass, direct and indirect environmental impacts and dependencies on natural resources that are associated with the business model of Schüco were taken into account.
The results of the assessment were compared with the list of sustainability matters from the ESRS-1 standard. In addition, a distinction was made between positive and negative impacts, as well as between potential and actual impacts.
In a workshop, the topics were discussed with those responsible for sustainability internally and a final list of all impacts, risks and opportunities (IROs) was drawn up.

Step 2: Validation of the long list through dialogue with stakeholders

In accordance with the requirements from ESRS 1, an initial assessment was carried out to ascertain which stakeholder groups are directly affected by the company's activities (“Affected”) and which have an impact on the company (“Experts/recipients”).
The expectations and specialist knowledge of the identified stakeholder groups with regard to our sustainability-related impacts, risks and opportunities were mapped.
In a final step, stakeholders were grouped according to relevance, taking into account the criteria “Involvement”, “Influence” and “Specialist knowledge”. The priority level determined the form of contact: the stakeholder surveys, for example, focused on groups that were either directly affected by our activities or which had specialist or expert knowledge in relation to specific matters. That is why, for example, customers and employees (high influence, high involvement) were surveyed as well as academics and affiliates of non-profit organisations (low influence, low involvement).
In order to include the important perspectives of the stakeholders “Nature”, “Workers in the value chain” and “Local communities”, reference was made to literature. In addition, the WWF, a long-term sparring partner of Schüco with regard to sustainability, was also involved.

Step 3: Detailed assessments and data preparation

The results from the first workshop were verified using a climate risk analysis and other data analyses.
The incorporation of potential climate scenarios helped make climate risks and business opportunities for the company more tangible, as well as highlighting physical and transitory risks, too.

Step 4: Materiality assessment

For the actual assessment workshop, the information from the analyses conducted and discussions held previously was summarised.
The materiality of each individual topic was determined using the criteria set out in ESRS 1 (including scale, scope, remediability, probability) and pre-defined five-point scales. The definitions of the individual scale ranges were given to the participants of the assessment workshop and formed the basis for the subsequent assessment of the individual impacts, risks and opportunities (IROs).
Limit values for the materiality were defined in the middle of each scale. The limit value for a material environmental impact is therefore a score of greater than or equal to 7.5 (Impact Materiality). A value greater than or equal to 2.5 indicates a matter that presents material financial opportunities or risks (Financial Materiality).