Companies are encouraged to proactively identify and address the sustainability issues most relevant to stakeholders and respond to their concerns and expectations. This paper aims to examine how materiality assessment and the interconnectedness of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) can help uncover misalignments between corporate sustainability priorities and stakeholder expectations.
The authors focus on Nestlé as a case study, analyzing its sustainability reports alongside stakeholder discussions on Twitter. Nestlé’s SDG-related disclosures were used to construct a materiality matrix, while stakeholder communications were manually coded. The authors then compared the constructed matrix with Nestlé’s own materiality matrix provided in its sustainability report. In addition, the authors conducted social network analysis to explore the interconnectedness of SDGs as portrayed in Nestlé’s sustainability report and reflected in stakeholder discussions on Twitter.
The study reveals misalignments between Nestlé’s sustainability report and stakeholders’ sustainability concerns expressed on social media. For example, while both Nestlé and stakeholders recognize the importance of SDG 12 Responsible Consumption and Production, stakeholders place greater emphasis on SDG 6 Clean Water and Sanitation than the company’s matrix suggests. Social network analysis of SDG interconnectedness further highlights distinct perspectives between Nestlé and its stakeholders, with SDG 12 emerging as a central theme.
When developing their methodologies for materiality assessment, companies should consider using various sources of information, including social media. Furthermore, interconnectedness analysis can help uncover misalignments between corporate and stakeholder priorities. Finally, materiality assessment may be more effective and credible when conducted independently from a third party.
Achieving the SDGs requires coordination, collaboration, and effective reporting. Our findings suggest that misalignments between corporate materiality assessments and stakeholder priorities may weaken public trust and limit meaningful progress toward the SDGs. Incorporating stakeholder perspectives–particularly those expressed through social media–can support more inclusive sustainability governance, enhance transparency, and promote more coherent action across interconnected SDGs.
This study contributes new insights into the use of materiality assessment and SDG interconnectedness to reduce misalignments between corporate and stakeholder SDG priorities. It demonstrates the value of alternative data sources, particularly social media, in supporting materiality assessments and SDG interconnectedness analysis. Moreover, it illustrates how stakeholder discussions on social media and social network analysis can be used to examine the interconnections among SDGs as perceived by both companies and stakeholders.
