29 September 2026
We launched our new report, Beyond climate – what matters most to business in Australia and New Zealand, with Andrew Petersen, CEO of the Business Council for Sustainable Development Australia, and Mike Burrell, Chief Executive of the Sustainable Business Council and Climate Leaders Coalition, joining our CEO Barbara Nebel to explore what the findings mean for businesses on both sides of the Tasman.
The report analyses publicly available reports from 266 organisations to understand which people, environmental and business issues are shaping their priorities – and what businesses can do with that knowledge.
Five findings stood out
- People beat carbon. Health, safety and wellbeing was the most commonly identified material topic at 75%, ahead of climate-related business risk at 68%. Yet climate remains firmly on the agenda: 90% of organisations identified at least one climate, carbon or energy-related topic.
- Australia and New Zealand have different areas of emphasis. Climate-related business risk ranked first in New Zealand but fourth in Australia. Australian organisations placed greater emphasis on workforce, community, cybersecurity, DEI, ethical conduct and responsible procurement.
- Stakeholder engagement looks like a credibility gap. Of 159 organisations presenting material topics, only 72 explained how they engaged stakeholders.
- Double materiality is already happening, even when businesses do not call it that. 151 of the 159 organisations with a recent assessment showed evidence of looking at both impacts and business risks or opportunities, but only 40 explicitly used the term.
- And perhaps the biggest question: does materiality actually change decisions? Our research suggests the next opportunity is moving materiality beyond reporting and using it to focus resources, manage risk, guide investment and create value.
That final question was a strong theme in the launch discussion.
Andrew put it this way:
“If a materiality assessment changes a report but doesn't actually change the business, then the company itself and its people have really only done half the job.”
Mike offered a simple test for business leaders:
“What decision did this materiality process actually change?”
Barbara also highlighted that materiality can help businesses decide not only what to prioritise, but also what to say no to – or not now.
As Andrew summed it up:
“Better reporting is very useful, but better decisions are much better.”
Beyond climate – what matters most to business in Australia and New Zealand provides a regional benchmark to help organisations compare their approach and connect what matters with strategy and better business decisions.
Explore the Beyond climate report here and compare your organisation's approach.