Drainage Services Department - Sustainability Report 2018-19

About this Report/Engagement Approach

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About this Report

Sub-sections in About this Report

[Report Profile] [ Engagement Approach ] [ Regular Engagement ]

Engagement Approach

DSD conducts a comprehensive materiality assessment every year, with a view to identifying our shared economic, environmental and social concerns with stakeholders, and enabling us to focus the content of our sustainability reports. The materiality assessment is carried out based on the GRI Standards to identify the material topics that pose greater impacts on us and our stakeholders. The 2018-19 materiality assessment process consists of the following three major steps⁶:

Step 1: Identifying Sustainable Development Topics

With the help of our Consultant, DSD conducted a comprehensive review and revision on the list of sustainability topics which fully cover the nature of DSD’s operations. DSD has identified 23 topics that are most relevant to our operations and impacts. These topics, spanning the three broad material topics of “economy”, “environment” and “society”, have provided the basis for our communication with internal and external stakeholders.

Step 2: Collecting Stakeholder Feedback

DSD invited internal and external stakeholders to actively participate in the identification of material topics. With the help of the Consultant, DSD organised focus group discussions and distributed questionnaires for internal and external stakeholders, to collect and analyse stakeholders’ views and expectations on the relevant sustainability topics through a fair and balanced approach.

Step 3: Identifying Material Topics

Senior management of DSD priortised the material topics and their coverage, boundaries and completeness to ensure the significance to us.

Materiality Matrix

During the reporting period, a total of 356 stakeholders participated in the questionnaires or focus group discussions and provided us with feedbacks on the five major aspects of this Report including: environmental performance, social responsibility, staff welfare and development, operational performance and human rights protection.

We have identified 23 issues in the materiality assessment. The global warming has brought about extreme weather to Hong Kong in recent years, the impact of typhoons and torrential rains is closely related to DSD’s river works and flood control measures. Therefore, we included a topic of “Climate Change and Mitigation and Adaptation”. In addition, DSD, as a governmental department, is responsible for reporting to the stakeholders on the development of public policies in a timely manner; hence, we included the topic of “Sustainable Development Agenda”.

During the reporting period, we conducted a survey with 260 external and 96 internal stakeholders to prioritised the identified material issues and discuss the material issues with stakeholders in the focus groups. Based on the outcomes from the focus groups and questionnaires, a materiality matrix is formulated. This year, a total of 18 issues were prioritised as material for DSD to address and report on.

A total of 18 material topics are covered in this Report and their corresponding boundaries are tabulated below:

Material Issues