The ICT industry generates greenhouse gas. But it’s a nuanced picture. Overwhelmingly, the main route to reducing carbon emissions is through digitalization. Existing technologies can only reduce about 65 percent of emissions¹ – much more is needed to meet net-zero targets. In the face of growing regulations and heightened consumer awareness, what’s the answer? Innovation with SAP S/4HANA.
The evidence is inescapable; global warming threatens our very existence. From nation-states to international corporations to SMEs, it is incumbent on us all to live and work more sustainably. New regulations, such as Germany’s Climate Change Act, mean that hope and headline-grabbing promises are simply not enough. Increasingly, organizations are being compelled to do more. Did you know, for example, that from 2023 companies with over 250 employees will be mandated to report their sustainability measures?² But there are not only sticks; there are carrots, too. Let’s explore them.
Three-quarters of investors prefer to invest in companies with a better carbon footprint, and seven out of ten consumers seek out sustainable products and suppliers. Companies with green credentials are also more attractive to prospective employees. Fundamentally, sustainability is vital to an enterprise’s future viability and is the gateway to value creation and new business models. At T-Systems, we believe that talking the green talk starts with walking it, and we are proud of our environmental capability and initiatives. We are assisting businesses in doing more with less in collaboration with SAP.
In our coffee plantation concept showcase, the long tradition of growing coffee plants meets 21st-century SAP software solutions and blockchain. From planting the seed to nourishing the seedling to harvesting the beans, data is indelibly written into the blockchain. This way, our coffee producer can trace every aromatic pot of coffee back to the precise batch, guaranteeing traceability and protecting against manipulation. And using IoT devices that gather information on weather and soil conditions, we also help the producer grow a healthy crop – and they don’t waste a drop of precious water.
Germany is committed to reducing carbon emissions by at least 65 percent by 2030.³ Can automotive and manufacturing industries improve recycling processes to produce high-quality end products that can even compete with the market prices for primary raw materials? T-Systems has developed a showcase in cooperation with an automotive manufacturer and an innovation lab to demonstrate the recycling process of plastic capsules in a circular economy. Learn how our end-to-end SAP solutions support companies with product footprint management to optimize resources and carbon footprint in their operation.
¹ Smarter Service/Mind Digital, Trend book “Sustainability with digitalization”, 2022, t-systems.com
² Grant Thornton “CSRD issues mandatory sustainability reporting for thousands of companies”, 2021, grantthornton.nl
³ Clean Energy Wire factsheet “Germany’s greenhouse gas emissions and energy transition targets”, 2021, cleanenergywire.org
⁴ European Commission, “Sustainable development”, 2021, ec.europa.eu
⁵ Eco Business “Supply chains generate massive carbon emissions”, 2020, eco-business.com
⁶ Wolters Kluwer, “2021 trends in supply chain sustainability”, 2021, wolterskluwer.com
⁷ ESSNPS, “Sustainable supply chain management: Statistics, importance, best practices!”, 2022, essnps.com
