Letter from the Chair

Sheep Sustainability Framework Steering Group Chair, Dr Scott Williams.

We have been revisiting the materiality matrix over the last few months.

Materiality is very important to the Sheep Sustainability Framework (SSF) because it identifies the priority sustainability issues for the industry.

You will see it in the Framework document itself. It is built on what is known as “double materiality” – that is, it takes into consideration both the impact of a particular issue on the industry, and the industry’s impact on that issue.

Led very ably by Robyn Leeson of STR Consulting, the process to update the materiality matrix has been comprehensive, including document reviews and consultations with stakeholders along the sheepmeat and value chains.

The process is nearing completion, and the revised matrix will soon be released. There are a few changes from the original (2020) matrix, which is not surprising, as our operating environment is constantly changing, as are our perceptions of what’s important.

The task for the SSF Steering Group on finalisation of the revised matrix will be to determine what, if any, changes we need to make to our current suite of metrics.

In March, we will be hosting the annual SSF Industry Forum in Sydney. The forum is an important mechanism by which we talk to sheep industry participants about the Framework and how it fits within their businesses.

The focus is slightly different to that of the Consultative Committee meeting later in the year – which takes more of an “outside in” view of the industry’s sustainability. This year’s Industry Forum will take a close look at a couple of priority areas within the Framework and consider how large industry corporates are using the data from the Framework.

Finally, I would like to thank Anna Playfair-Hannay (Woolworths), who recently resigned as member of the Steering Group, for her excellent contributions since she joined two years ago. We wish her all the best. An Expressions of Interest process is currently underway to identify a new Steering Group member.