SAP has been awarded the Terra Carta Seal in recognition of the company’s commitment to creating a sustainable future.
The inaugural 2021 Terra Carta Seal recognizes global companies that are driving innovation and action toward the creation of genuinely sustainable markets. It is awarded to companies whose ambitions are aligned with those of the Terra Carta, a recovery plan for Nature, People, and Planet, by His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales.
“The Terra Carta Seal recognizes those organizations which have made a serious commitment to a future that is much more sustainable, and puts Nature, People, and Planet at the heart of the economy,” HRH The Prince of Wales said. “We all need to make changes if we are to preserve the planet for our children and grandchildren and these businesses have pledged to make it easier for us all to do so.”
SAP is one of an inaugural group of 44 companies awarded the Terra Carta Seal. The seal is given to industry-leading companies that have credible transition road maps to achieve net zero by 2050 or earlier underpinned by globally recognized scientific metrics.
Christian Klein, CEO and member of the Executive Board of SAP SE, expressed the company’s gratitude for being named a Terra Carta Seal recipient: “At SAP, we focus on driving sustainability into all areas of business to help lead the transition to a sustainable future, and we want to lead by example. We accelerated our pledge to become carbon neutral and we’re now set to achieve that by 2023, two years earlier than originally planned.”
He added that SAP’s impact goes well beyond its own operations. “We’re proud of the sustainability work we’ve done with our own company. That said, we know the biggest impact we can have is by helping other companies operate their businesses more sustainably.”
Launched by His Royal Highness at the One Planet Summit in January 2021, the Terra Carta provides a practical road map to accelerate the transition toward an ambitious and sustainable future. The aim is to harness the power of nature in combination with the transformative power, innovation, and resources of the private sector. Currently, there are over 400 named supporters of the initiative.
The Terra Carta serves as the mandate for the Sustainable Markets Initiative (SMI), a global network of CEOs who share the vision to accelerate global progress toward a sustainable future.
Like SAP, the Terra Carta recognizes that each industry faces unique challenges in its transition to a sustainable future. Since they are all at different stages of their journey, they also require varying types and levels of support. At the same time, urgent action is required if we are to achieve the 1.5°C target, restore biodiversity, and positively impact the lives and livelihoods of current and future generations.
“Together, we have to build a regenerative economy in which all people can thrive. Technology innovation can help us do that. But time is limited, so we need to apply technology as an accelerator and multiplier for a positive impact,” Klein said. “While we are proud of SAP’s 50-year history, we believe that for all of us, the next 50 years will be the most important in human history. We have to collectively come together to tackle the biggest challenges of our time.”
