the challenge

Given the key impacts of its assets on any given territory, our client sought to develop a sustainability policy.

This policy is intended to guide its multiplicity of assets under management across the globe in identifying and managing their sustainability impacts. It indeed aims to be directive but not prescriptive. It must instead enable assets to identify their work priorities while taking into account the specificities linked to the diversity of the Group’s businesses and geographies.

To that end, Ksapa was involved to help the Group better apprehend and identify the sustainability challenges shared by its various assets and develop an overarching sustainability policy.

OUR APPROACH

A Steering Committeee was set up to monitor the development of this prospective sustainability policy.

In order to ensure sustainability issues shared by all assets involved were properly identified, Ksapa proceeded in several stages:

• First, we carried out a comprehensive documentary review at Group and asset level, to identify key sustainability initiatives and possibly actionable convergences;
• Then, we launched a series of interviews with key internal stakeholders. This to better encompass their specific understanding of sustainability issues and expectations of a sustainability policy at Group level;
• Finally, we developed a benchmark across comparable companies, to ensure alignment with the group’s broader industrial sector.

Ksapa has led engagement across assets under management based across Latin America, Europe, Africa and Pacific Asia.

RESULTS & NEXT STEPS

The final version of the sustainability policy was presented and validated by the Steering Committee, combined with direct engagement of CEO and Executive Committee.

To ensure it was well understood and secure full ownership of the policy, Ksapa also conducted workshops with assets. That way, we shared our findings and collected feedback on the prospective policy chapters addressing climate, biodiversity, nuisances, local employment, human rights among other sustainability priorities applicable across every asset.

The sustainability policy was also presented to the Executive Committee as members welcomed the resulting guidance. Additionally, Ksapa highlighted key synergies between the sustainability policy and the preexisting environmental policy. The goal there was to help assets to organize their sustainability strategy along clear and common guidelines.

Ksapa finally presented recommendations as to the necessary next steps for  assets to active the resulting sustainability policies in their day-to-day operations. We were keen to anticipate the necessary internal and external stakeholder engagement by delivering a clear and strategically relevant strategy.