Gone are the days when companies discussed the why of sustainable business practices. Today, it is all about the how.
How can businesses take climate action? How can they turn linear processes into circular resources and product flows? How can they ensure socially responsible value chains? And ultimately, how can they integrate economic, environmental, and social performance into strategic decision-making?
These questions are top of mind for executives. In 2021, sustainability became the top trending topic for the C-suite.
At SAP, we deliver answers to these questions through our products. Our customers can benefit from solutions that help them achieve zero emissions, zero waste, zero inequality, as well as holistic steering and reporting of their sustainability efforts.
Last year, we launched three new solutions: SAP Product Footprint Management, SAP Responsible Design and Production, and SAP Sustainability Control Tower. All are embedded SAP S/4HANA cloud-native applications that are delivered in a modular way and built on top of SAP Business Technology Platform.
What is more, we are embedding sustainability across SAP’s entire solution portfolio. A recent example is the inclusion of product footprints in SAP Integrated Business Planning, so customers can monitor the greenhouse gas emissions from their production plants. Another example is the integration of SAP Sustainability Control Tower with SAP SuccessFactors solutions, enabling customers to obtain insights into how their organization is faring on crucial aspects such as diversity and inclusion.
Sustainable Business Strategies, Sustainable Enterprises
For the last 50 years, our innovative solutions have helped our customers transform their business processes and stay ahead in rapidly changing business environments. And we will continue to take and enable organizations of any size and in any industry to take a transformative approach to sustainability as well.
Quick fixes that do not get to the root cause of problems won’t make businesses more sustainable in the long run. Fragmented sustainability strategies won’t help. Sustainable business strategies will. That is why we support companies in integrating sustainability into the heart of their business processes.
Our approach pays off. Today, the most sustainable companies run our software. According to our analysis of S&P Trucost Limited data and S&P Global ESG Scores for 2021, SAP customers with high digital maturity — those adopting SAP’s latest technologies — on average have 75% better environmental, social, and governance (ESG) scores compared to their industry peers. They also produce 24% less CO2 emissions than the market average.
To further facilitate the sustainability transformation for our customers, we recently launched a new offering. SAP Cloud for Sustainable Enterprises is a flexible bundle of sustainability-specific applications. It allows businesses to adopt our solutions based on the current stage of their sustainability transformation. Depending on where they stand, they can implement holistic management or start with specific areas of sustainability performance.
Chasing Zero, Together
The past year has been all about delivering the tools that help businesses transition into sustainable enterprises. So, what’s next? 2022 will be the year to implement these tools globally in close collaboration with our customers and partners.
Ultimately, the transition to a more sustainable global economy is not something one company can achieve on its own. In today’s interconnected world, we must rely on our ecosystem to ensure sustainability across the entire value chain. Let’s make 2022 the year we transition toward a more sustainable world, together.
Thomas Saueressig is a member of the Executive Board of SAP SE leading SAP Product Engineering.