Stakeholder Engagement

Stakeholders include employees, customers, investors, suppliers, regulators, local communities and civil society groups. Engagement goes from basic information-sharing, through consultation, to joint decision-making. A good process starts by mapping who is affected, then picks suitable methods such as surveys, community meetings, advisory panels or one-to-one talks, and records what was heard and what was done in response. Community engagement is the same practice focused on people living near a site or project, where consent and trust can decide whether a project goes ahead. Engagement also feeds materiality assessments in sustainability reporting. It is separate from stakeholder theory, which is an idea about the purpose of a company. Held early, it brings objections out while a plan can still change, instead of after the permits are challenged.

Before applying for permits for a new processing plant, a food company holds open meetings, meets the village council and local fishermen, and sets up a committee to review concerns. Noise and truck routes come up repeatedly, so the company changes the access road and publishes how it responded.