Johannesburg — SAP AG (NYSE: SAP) released its quarterly sustainability update with a preliminary, unaudited CO2 emissions report for the second quarter ending 30 June 2010.
The company’s worldwide CO2 emissions slightly decreased to 115 kilotonnes from 120 kilotonnes in the previous quarter. Despite a surge in business travel prompted by the economic recovery, SAP was able to lower its overall carbon footprint in the second quarter from the levels of the first quarter, by reducing its energy consumption and increasing the purchase of renewable electricity.
Compensating travel needs will be instrumental to meet SAP’s 2010 objective of staying below 460 kilotonnes CO2.
In 2009 SAP announced an aggressive commitment to reduce its total carbon emissions to the year-2000 emissions level of approximately 275 kilotonnes by the year 2020. This represents an overall reduction of about half compared to the company’s year-2007 peak levels of 540 kilotonnes.
To help reach this goal, SAP is using the SAP Carbon Impact OnDemand solution to access and analyse emissions data across its entire operations and evaluate its carbon footprint reduction efforts. SAP identified several key areas for implementing carbon-efficient operations, including travel, data centres, buildings and commitment to renewable energy.
SAP made significant progress in improving energy efficiencies in data centres through the use of data centre design, virtualisation technology and efficient hardware. The company’s largest data centres have been certified as “energy efficient” by the German standards organisation TÜV Rheinland. SAP also increased renewable electricity, which now provides 50% of the company’s global electricity. SAP plans to further expand its teleconferencing capabilities and introduce smart commuting options.
SAP Africa’s Lynette Shaw, Industry Solution Manager: Insurance and Sustainability, says: “The SAP Sustainability solutions, like the SAP Carbon Impact OnDemand solution, have enabled SAP to not only have greater visibility of our Carbon Footprint, but also allowed us to manage and thus reduce our footprint, thereby taking us a step closer toward our aggressive targets for carbon reduction.”
Detailed emissions data are available to the public in the SAP sustainability report and are updated quarterly.
Other topics in the quarterly update include SAP’s engagement with the Sustainability Consortium as the organisation’s first global technology steering committee member and the creation of the SAP Supplier Code of Conduct.
Visit the sustainability solutions area on sap.com for more details. Follow SAP sustainability news on Twitter @sustainableSAP.
Editorial contacts
| SAP SA Sunil Geness (+27) 11 235 6459 sunil.geness@sap.com |
Ogilvy Public Relations Rich Hlatshwayo |
