Sustainability in manufacturing – guidelines and SAP solutions

In recent years sustainability has become a top priority for all companies, regardless of industry, geography, or size. Going green allows companies to contribute to the creation of a more sustainable future. But it is also a major driver for:

• attracting environmentally conscious customers, by showing the company’s social responsibility and improving its image
• reducing costs, by streamlining processes
• avoiding penalties, by complying with regulations.

But defining a strategy and identifying the appropriate SAP tool or tools to address sustainability challenges is not easy. Especially in manufacturing.

Deloitte provides a pragmatic and effective approach which helps you assess your manufacturing operations and define your SAP sustainability journey.

The challenge

Sustainability in manufacturing is a challenge that can no longer be postponed and must be tackled with a structured approach. Some striking data from the past three years makes this clear.

Manufacturing:

• in 2020 was the 3rd most waste-generating economic activity in Europe
• in 2021 was the economic activity that produced the most carbon emissions in Europe
• accounted for 20% of energy consumption in Switzerland in 2021
• contributed to making industry as a whole responsible for 50% of total water consumption in Europe in 2022.

Reducing manufacturing’s environmental impacts is an urgent priority for which appropriate strategies and tools must be selected. SAP plays an important role by providing companies with different solutions that are ready to be connected to the company’s Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), whether S/4HANA or ECC.

Our aim is to empower you with knowledge about SAP solutions and process guidelines in order to make informed decisions for a greener future in manufacturing.