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In financial accounting, materiality is considered as a way to distinguish significant information, so that reporting entities, information users and auditors can avoid spending too much time on the items that do not matter. However, since its introduction into sustainability reporting, this concept of materiality has expanded significantly and has taken different shapes and forms, leading to much debate about its exact role.

In a new study, published in The Accounting Review, Dr Di Wang together with Professor Stuart Cooper (University of Bristol); Professor Chris Chapman (University of Bristol); and Dr Donato Calace (Datamaran) explored materiality’s evolving roles over the last 25 years in four interconnected episodes of sustainability reporting, drawing from 91 interviews with a wide range of professionals, including many policymakers and standard setters.

The infographic and video here walk us through the summary of why we need to understand the evolution of materiality's role in sustainability accounting.

You can also download a document which provides a plain English summary of the paper, along with commentary from professionals and standards-setters in the field of sustainability reporting.

Introduction to the paper, with commentary (PDF, 3.1MB)