Shaping sustainable logistics: How WDP’s materiality matrix drives impact and resilience
Discover how WDP’s dynamic materiality assessment process identifies what truly matters — aligning sustainability, stakeholder priorities, and business strategy to future-proof our logistics solutions.
At WDP, our mission is clear: to provide smart logistics solutions that make the supply chain more efficient and sustainable, while creating value for clients, shareholders, and society. Central to this mission is our materiality matrix — a strategic tool that helps us identify, prioritise, and act on the sustainability topics that matter most.
What is the materiality matrix?
The materiality matrix is a structured framework that maps the economic, environmental, social, and governance issues most relevant to WDP and our stakeholders. It guides our strategy, ensuring we focus on the topics that have the greatest impact on both our business and the world around us.
Our double materiality approach
In 2024, WDP conducted a new double materiality analysis, building on previous assessments. This approach, in line with the European Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS), assesses:
- Financial materiality (outside-in): The risks and opportunities for WDP arising from ESG factors.
- Impact materiality (inside-out): The impact of WDP’s activities on society and the environment.
This two-dimensional lens ensures our strategy both mitigates risks and maximises positive impact, with Board of Directors’ approval.
The frequency with which WDP reviews its materiality matrix depends on changes in the immediate environment, on macroeconomic or internal changes and on (natural) evolutions at company level. We aim for an average recurrence between 2 and 4 years.
How we build and review our materiality matrix
Our process is thorough and transparent:
- Analysis of Business Model & Value Chain
We map opportunities, risks, and impacts across our entire value chain ‑upstream, operations, and downstream. - Update of Material Topics
We redefine sustainability themes to align with ESRS, using a broad set of sources: ESG ratings, peer benchmarks, and internal strategies. - Identification & Analysis of Impacts, Risks & Opportunities (IROs)
For each theme, we assess potential and actual impacts, risks, and opportunities, referencing the IIRC’s six capitals: financial, produced, intellectual, human, social & relationship, and natural capital. - Stakeholder Engagement
We engage clients, investors, suppliers, policymakers, employees, and communities through interviews, research, workshops, and panels, ensuring our matrix reflects real-world priorities. - Matrix Composition & Threshold Setting
We consolidate findings to quantify impact and financial materiality, setting a threshold to distinguish material from non-material topics for ESRS reporting.
What’s material for WDP in 2024?
Our analysis identified key sustainability matters, including:
- Energy efficiency & renewable energy:
Adopt strategies to decarbonise WDP’s business and reduce direct and indirect
greenhouse gas emissions in our corporate office, car park and our buildings. This includes procurement of green electricity, expanding our renewable energy generation capacity, and decarbonise our upstream (i.e. building processes and redevelopment) and downstream (i.e. client operations).. - GHG emissions:
Adopt strategies to decarbonise WDP’s business and reduce direct and indirect
greenhouse gas emissions in our corporate office, car park and our buildings. This includes procurement of green electricity, expanding our renewable energy generation capacity, and decarbonise our upstream (i.e. building processes and redevelopment) and downstream (i.e. client operations). - Climate Change Adaptation:
Implementation of climate-related risk assessment and adaptation measures to increase the resilience of buildings against climate change and associated severe weather events that can impact WDP facilities. - Land use:
Efficient land use to lower the pressure on the environment, as well as dedicating site space towards green space. Ensuring limited changes to land-use, such as fragmentation of habitats. - Corporate governance and business ethics:
Ensuring good governance practices to effectively manage sustainability risks and impacts. Upholding the culture of integrity to demonstrate ethical business practices and prevent corruption, insider trading and violations of the code of conduct.
Our commitment
The results of this materiality analysis are taking into account in the implementation of our strategy. We mitigate the potential negative impact on society or risks for the company on the one hand and that increases the potential positive impact on society and allows for reaching opportunities.
With #BLEND2027, our four-year growth plan for 2024 – 27, WDP focuses on both internal and external growth. Our energy-efficient solutions and innovative developments are part of the earnings growth factors.
We acknowledge the financial risks linked to a failure to reduce emissions, misalignment with regulations and ethical misconduct. Hence we put forward our actions regarding WDP Decarb+ and we ensure best practices around ethics and business partners.
By regularly reassessing the material topics we ensure WDP’s sustainability strategy to be proactive, stakeholder-driven, and aligned with our mission. This ongoing process helps us create lasting value for clients, partners, investors, and society.
Want to know more about our approach to materiality and value creation?