The HARTING Technology Group has established itself as a pioneer in sustainability and a leading provider of connectivity solutions for industrial technologies. With the implementation of SAP Sustainability Footprint Management, part of the SAP Sustainability portfolio, HARTING has automated and scaled CO₂ emission calculations for 13,000 materials.
This data-granular, verifiable, one-click solution supports the company on its path to carbon neutrality by 2030.
Challenges and opportunities
HARTING faced the challenge of finding a reliable method to calculate CO₂ emissions across thousands of production materials while meeting customer and supplier expectations regarding sustainability. Leveraging its existing ERP application landscape with SAP and maintaining established green production and renewable energy processes were crucial.
“Conducting our business and protecting the environment are not mutually exclusive. We are convinced that we must consider both to be successful in the long run,” says Dietmar Harting, member of the Board and partner of the HARTING Technology Group.
Innovations for a sustainable future
Considered the connectivity gold standard across various industrial sectors, HARTING required a robust system to accurately assess emissions. SAP Sustainability Footprint Management can automate data collection, scale emission calculations, and create CO₂ transparency throughout the supply chain. “The key to communicating our CO₂ emissions transparently and recognizing potential for reduction lies in the automated calculation and granularity of the data provided by SAP Sustainability Footprint Management,” explains Dr. Stephan Middelkamp, general manager, Quality and Technology at HARTING.
This solution enables HARTING to provide real-time, granular data to support the “GreenLine” label, an environmentally sustainable designation highlighting renewable materials offering up to a 70% CO₂ reduction.
Strengthening sustainable production
With SAP Sustainability Footprint Management, HARTING can now precisely calculate and report product carbon footprints. This capability is essential to address upcoming EU sustainability regulations, such as the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive and Digital Product Passport. The solution helps simplify complex data into verifiable, one-click results, promoting sustainable production practices.
Also integrated into HARTING’s sustainability strategy is the use of SAP Responsible Design and Production, which helps the company design products responsibly from the start, reduce plastic taxes, and promote recycling.
“The site-level data derived from SAP Sustainability Footprint Management will drive cleaner production in environmentally friendly facilities while mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and reducing the impact on water and land life. Green is how we think, green is how we act,” emphasizes Jordy Brinks, global environmental manager at HARTING.
On the path to a greener future
SAP is advancing HARTING’s sustainability journey by enabling the company to design products more sustainably, reduce plastic taxes, promote responsible sourcing, and further recycling practices. With these efforts, HARTING aims to achieve carbon neutrality at all locations by 2030, underscoring its commitment to sustainable growth and environmental stewardship.
“As a family business, we combine consistency with a willingness to innovate and regional loyalty. For us, this means taking responsibility for people and the environment,” Harting says. “We’re not only shaping a livable planet for our future generations, we’re making the future possible. We want to shape the future with technologies for people.”
The HARTING Technology Group continues to drive meaningful change, connecting business success with a greener future and aligning family ideals with sustainability goals.
HARTING at the 2025 SAP Innovation Awards
All of these efforts did not go unnoticed: HARTING has long been recognized as a pioneer in sustainability. This year, it won an SAP Innovation Award in the Sustainability Hero category, leveraging SAP Responsible Design and Production to create 85% of its plastic packaging material from recycled materials.
