Cases

Octa+: Sustainability Strategy with a CSRD Double Materiality Analysis

Energy & natural resources
2025

Context

Octa+, a Belgian energy and mobility supplier, operates in a sector under intense decarbonisation pressure, where fossil-fuel exposure, evolving regulation, and shifting customer demand make sustainability a core strategic question. The CSRD and ESRS framework raised the bar on transparency, and Octa+ chose to conduct its double materiality analysis proactively (the central prerequisite for CSRD reporting) rather than wait for the regulatory deadline.

Objectives

Move beyond a compliance exercise to a genuine prioritisation tool and assess Octa+'s actual impacts on the environment and society, map the financial risks and opportunities tied to each sustainability issue, and produce a clear hierarchy of topics that can steer both the corporate strategy and the extra-financial reporting. The aim was to concentrate effort and resources on what is genuinely material to the business.

Intervention

Step 1

Awareness & scoping

  • Ran a 2tonnes workshop and CSRD training for the Executive Committee to build a shared understanding of climate stakes and reporting obligations, and to secure leadership buy-in.
  • Set up a cross-functional internal taskforce of key employees to ensure robust governance and transverse mobilisation around the ESG agenda.

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Step 2

Value chain modelling

  • Mapped the full value chain — from upstream suppliers (oil, gas, electricity, new products and mobility services) through Octa+'s own operations to downstream B2B and B2C use and end-of-life.
  • Used this mapping to pinpoint where impacts concentrate and where value is created, providing a common reference base for identifying ESG issues.

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Step 3

Stakeholder consultation

  • Conducted 5 internal interviews (1h–1h30) with leaders of key functions (finance, HR, marketing, and transport) to build a first materiality view grounded in operational reality.
  • Enriched this with 4 external consultations (clients, supplier, NGO, and an independent expert) to confront and balance Octa+'s internal view against the expectations of its ecosystem.
  • Scored each impact, risk, and opportunity (IRO) against a structured, common rating scale, complemented by qualitative commentary.

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Step 4

  • Double materiality matrix
    • Applied a cross-weighting that values Octa+'s internal view and external stakeholder expectations equally, assessing both strategic coherence and societal legitimacy.
    • Consolidated the results into a matrix of 10 material topics prioritised across 3 tiers, spanning environmental, social, and governance dimensions with sensitivity views (100% internal / 100% external) tested to validate robustness.

    • Step 5

    ESRS gap analysis

    • Analysed the gaps between the material issues identified, Octa+'s current practices, and its stated ambitions to turn the matrix from a deliverable into a steering tool.
    • Translated the findings into strategic recommendations, concrete KPIs differentiated by tier, and a phased roadmap (short / medium / long term).

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    Results

    • Tangible upskilling of the Executive Committee and operational teams on the CSRD framework, the ESRS, and the carbon and sustainability stakes specific to Octa+'s business model.
    • A robust, ESRS-aligned double materiality matrix: 10 material topics prioritised across three tiers, with ~50 IROs analysed and scored out of 128 originally identified — fully traceable and available for review or audit.
    • A clear set of strategic recommendations organised around three ambitions (accelerating the energy and climate transition, strengthening supplier engagement and responsible governance, and ensuring operational resilience), underpinned by tier-differentiated KPIs and a structured short/medium/long-term roadmap.

    Key takeways

    The double materiality analysis is far more than a regulatory deliverable: it gives Octa+ a structuring foundation for its sustainability strategy and reporting. By concentrating resources on the highest-impact issues, engaging leadership and teams, and aligning priorities with CSRD requirements, it lays solid groundwork for a coherent, evolving approach to durable performance and a credible first step toward positioning Octa+ in the field of sustainable energy solutions.

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