Why do organizations choose guided materiality analyses? The insights from our collaboration with Aquafin

How do you, as a large organization, determine what is truly material? How do you create clarity in a landscape of sustainability risks, expectations, data, legislation, and internal ambitions? For Aquafin , which helps support water quality and the living environment in Flanders, this became a crucial strategic question.

In 2022, Aquafin asked Route 2030 to guide them in a process that strengthens knowledge, engagement, and direction. The result? A supported materiality analysis , built through three logical steps: Insight, Dynamics, and Course .

Why Aquafin needed this process

Aquafin no longer wanted to approach sustainability as a collection of separate initiatives, but as a clear course that consistently guides policy, operations, and communication.

The organization faced three challenges:

• Which themes are truly material today — internally and externally?

• How do we collect relevant data and perceptions?

• How do we create support so that sustainability does not become a top-down story, but a shared task?

  
  

With the CSRD legislation on the horizon and the desire to anchor strategic choices, this was the perfect moment for a participatory process.

As Aquafin itself formulated it: “

Step 1 — Insight: Getting the Basics Right

The first phase focused on clarity.

We collected and structured:

• key figures

• existing sustainability initiatives

• perceptions from interviews and internal conversations

• relevant expectations of stakeholders

Bringing everything together in a structured overview provided clarity about what really matters — both for the organization itself and for society.

Step 2 — Dynamics: co-creation brings energy

In the second phase, we brought employees, teams, and stakeholders together in interactive workshops. These weren't traditional information sessions, but sessions where people:

• shared their knowledge

• discovered common insights

• developed a shared language

• risks and opportunities explored

• felt ownership over the choices that would follow

  
  

This dynamic ensured that the materiality analysis did not become something “of management”, but something of Aquafin as a whole .

Step 3 — Course: Setting Direction with Focus

Based on the gathered insights and co-creative dynamics, we determined:

• priority sustainability domains

• strategic lines for the coming years

• first concrete next steps

• internal pullers for further anchoring

This phase was all about direction and realism: a clear compass that helps Aquafin achieve its ambitions.

A second quote from Aquafin sums it up well:

First materiality analysis: a compass for the future

The process culminated in Aquafin's first materiality analysis :

• participatory construction

• strategically substantiated

• fully in line with new expectations regarding CSRD

• translated into clear priorities

  
  

This analysis has since served as a compass for strategic planning, stakeholder communication and internal sustainability.

We also translated the insights into practical tips for sustainable communication , so that Aquafin can connect its story internally and build external trust.

The journey with Aquafin demonstrates the power of organizations determining their sustainability course based on:

• insight into data and perceptions

• dynamism and employee involvement

• clear strategic lines

• and a materiality analysis supported by the entire organization

Route 2030 guides organizations step by step — from complexity to clarity, from ambitions to course.

👉 Does your organization also want to set a course with a supported materiality analysis or CSRD-proof process? Contact us for an exploratory conversation.