What is the AA1000 Stakeholder Engagement Standard?
The AA1000 Stakeholder Engagement Standard (AA1000SES) is an internationally recognised framework developed by AccountAbility to assess, design and improve how organisations engage with their stakeholders. It sets a clear benchmark for high‑quality stakeholder engagement, helping organisations ensure that they involve the people and groups affected by their activities in a meaningful and transparent way.
The standard aligns with the AA1000 AccountAbility Principles (AA1000AP), which include four principles: inclusivity, materiality, responsiveness and impact.
Being assessed against the AA1000SES is important for us because it provides independent assurance that our stakeholder engagement approach meets recognised best practice. It demonstrates that we are listening to stakeholders, acting on what matters most, and integrating engagement into our governance, strategy and operations. This supports better decision making, strengthens trust and helps manage risk and reputation.
What Does the AA1000SES Assess?
Each year, our stakeholder engagement process, practices, and engagement tools are independently assessed against the AA1000SES framework. This looks at the following areas:
Stakeholder Identification – understanding who our stakeholders are and how they are affected by our work.
Engagement Planning – designing tailored engagement approaches that suit different stakeholder groups.
Engagement Execution – delivering inclusive and respectful engagement activities.
Integration into Decision-Making – using stakeholder input to inform our governance, strategy, and operations.
Monitoring and Evaluation – reviewing the effectiveness of our engagement and identifying areas for improvement.
Achieving the AccountAbility AA1000 Stakeholder Engagement Standard
Our AA1000 Stakeholder Engagement Standard score as of May 2026 is 97%, a 2% increase on last years performance and marks our 5th consecutive year in top-tier rating of “Advanced" in the AccountAbility Stakeholder Engagement Maturity Ladder.
How We Use the AA1000SES to Improve
We use the AA1000SES framework to:
- Engage early and openly with stakeholders to understand their needs and concerns.
- Foster two-way conversations that build trust and transparency.
- Ensure feedback is acted upon and visibly influences our decisions.
- Regularly review and refine our engagement processes based on independent assessments and stakeholder input.
We Welcome Your Feedback
We are always looking to improve. If you have thoughts on how we engage or suggestions for doing it better, we’d love to hear from you. Please contact Nicola Findlay, Communications Policy Manager, email: nicola.findlay1@sse.com