---
sourceDocument: Australia Operational Sustainability Management (formerly Environmental, Social, and Governance)
sourceDocumentLink: https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/r/environmental-social-governance

 Release :

    - australia

ft:locale :

    - en-US

ft:publication_title :

    - Australia Operational Sustainability Management (formerly Environmental, Social, and Governance)

ft:clusterId :

    - esgv

bundleId :

    - esgv

workflow :

    - Technology


---

# Create a material topic

# Create a material topic {#ariaid-title1}

* Release version: Australia
* 
* Updated March 12, 2026
* 
* ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 1 minute to read

Create material topics for your organization so that you can identify the areas where you want to make an operational sustainability impact.

## Before you begin

Role required: sn_esg.program_manager

## About this task

Material topics are topics that reflect the organization's most significant impacts on the economy, environment, and people. After you create a material topic, you must send the topic for approval.

## Procedure

1. Navigate to AllOperational Sustainability ManagementOperational Sustainability WorkspaceListsProgram SetupMaterial topics.
2. Select New.
3. On the form, fill in the fields.  
   {#create-material-topics__table_lrv_yw4_brb__entry__2}

   | Field | Description |
   |-|-|
   | Name | Name of the material topic. For example, <kbd class="ph userinput">Climate and Energy</kbd>. |
   | Classification | Category of the material topic. Choices are the following: * Environmental * Social * Governance {#create-material-topics__ul_qmx_1bp_brb} |
   | Approver | Person responsible for the review and for approval of the material topic. |
   | State | State of the material topic. This field is automatically set to Draft. |
   | Importance to business success | Effect of the material topic on the business success. Choices are the following: * None * Very important * Important * Moderately important * Slightly important {#create-material-topics__ul_sm4_2sj_jrb} |
   | Importance to stakeholders | Importance of the material topic for the stakeholders. Choices are the following: * None * Very important * Important * Moderately important * Slightly important {#create-material-topics__ul_sfq_3sj_jrb} |
   | Url | Links to any online information that the teams may use. |
   | Priority | Priority of the material topic. Choices are the following: * None * High * Moderate * Low {#create-material-topics__ul_lsq_rcq_lrb} |
   | Description | Brief description of the material topic. |
   [Table 1. Material topic form]

   {#create-material-topics__table_lrv_yw4_brb}
4. Select Save.
5. To send the topic for review, select Ready for Review.
6. To mark a material topic as confidential, in the Security section, select the Confidential option.
   1. In the Allowed users field, select the users who can view the record.
   2. In the Allowed groups, select the groups that can view the record.

   {#create-material-topics__substeps_vd2_qwr_jsb}  
   This Security section only appears if the sn_grc.enable_record_confidentiality property is enabled under GRC properties. By default, the logged-in user is added to the list of confidential users.

## Result

The material topic is sent to the approver. The state changes to Review.

## What to do next

[Create a metric](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/xDNam~4jwK3AyFjzifkuyA "Create a metric to perform calculations on your data.")
* **[Approve or reject a material topic](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/sCGwJEMkYfDWs~E~ldS36w)**   
  Review and approve or reject a material topic if it is assigned to you for approval.

*[\>]: and then