Materiality

We have been addressing our most material issues for a long time and our Spirit of Progress action plan builds on our successful ESG track record. We focus on the issues which matter most, to our business, to our stakeholders and partners and to the wider world.

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In 2020 we launched our Spirit of Progress plan to support sustainable growth over the critical decade until 2030. A rigorous ESG issues assessment delivered in fiscal 20 informed our plan. This assessment looked at the external trends shaping our operating environment and how we can most effectively align our work with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. We interviewed many internal and external stakeholders and explored the findings in workshops with experts from our business functions in Bangalore, London, Nairobi, New York and Singapore. We also held a full-day workshop with our Executive Committee and had multiple interactions reviewing the strategy with our Board. 

We review materiality on an annual basis, considering stakeholder comments – including those arising from our internal subject-matter experts – Corporate Relations activity, financial analysis and external developments.

We believe all the topics presented in our materiality assessment below are important to our business. This matrix illustrates the view of both internal and external stakeholders about which topics are most critical, with the rankings informing our Spirit of Progress plan.

Materiality Matrix 2023 (1)

Spirit of Progress is our ongoing ESG action plan, addresses the most significant environmental and social opportunities and risks Diageo faces. It has three priorities to promote positive drinking, champion inclusion and diversity and pioneer grain-to-glass sustainability. Doing business the right way underpins everything we do

Contact us

If you’d like to get in touch with our Global Spirit of Progress team, please email [email protected].