The German enterprise software giant’s latest partnership with Amsterdam-based IT consultancy BearingPoint aims to expand the SAP Product Footprint Management solution roadmap to help customers maximise the sustainability of their technological investments.
Being one of the most active advocates of sustainability in the industry, SAP has been developing a variety of products focused primarily on supporting enterprises in the implementation and management of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives and other sustainability programs. In a Q4 2021 Earnings Conference Call last month, SAP CEO Christian Klein described sustainability as a strategic priority and noted that climate change is “certainly an imperative” for the company. He said:
“We have a unique approach that supports our customers across the full spectrum of sustainability from carbon neutrality to social impact and economic progress. Transparency, insight, and data are the foundation.
“This is the unique advantage we offer to our customers, the ability to see inside and outside the organisation across your warehouses, manufacturing, supply chains, and critical business processes such as procurement and business travel,” Klein emphasised.
SAP recently introduced several solutions that are intended to help businesses achieve specific sustainability targets. These products include SAP Sustainability Control Tower, a cloud-based software that enables organisations to have a holistic view of their operations; SAP Responsible Design and Production for incorporating sustainability into product design, manufacturing, and distribution; and SAP Product Footprint Management, which aims to measure the overall carbon footprint of products.
Accelerating the SAP Product Footprint Management Roadmap
To further the development of carbon and environmental footprint solutions, particularly the SAP Product Footprint Management tool, the German software vendor recently announced a collaboration with BearingPoint. The privately-held technology consulting company is an SAP Gold Partner with offices in more than 25 offices located in Europe, the Middle East, North America, and the Asia-Pacific region.
Donald Wachs, Head of IP Assets and Member of the BearingPoint Management Committee, stated that BearingPoint and SAP will work together to create a new way to track and improve a product’s environmental impact across its entire lifecycle by leveraging the company’s IP assets. He explained:
“SAP Product Footprint Management has sophisticated capabilities to determine the carbon footprint of a single product. Our 10-years-plus proven industry experience in calculating and optimising product and corporate CO2 footprints will enable our joint customers to meet their decarbonisation targets.”
“We at BearingPoint believe that together with SAP’s innovative solutions, depth in commercial processes, and market expertise we can make a positive impact on the climate,” Wachs stressed.
Moreover, SAP Product Footprint Management facilitates data collection and analyses to help achieve end-to-end carbon and environmental footprinting projects. Leaning on BearingPoint’s extensive knowledge of product and corporate footprint calculations and algorithms, the solution is an embedded SAP S/4HANA cloud-native application and integrates with the Intelligent Enterprise framework and other data sources.
Following the release of SAP Cloud for Sustainable Enterprises, the latest partnership will build on BearingPoint’s industry expertise with emission calculations in the market and SAP’s diverse portfolio of sustainability-specific products. The companies’ collaboration will further contribute to the creation of breakthrough solutions to meet client requirements on environmental footprinting throughout their value chain.
Also commenting on the announcement, SAP Senior Vice President and Head of SAP S/4HANA Sustainability Gunther Rothermel believes the co-development agreement between the two companies will bring together powerful value propositions. He added:
“BearingPoint has long experience helping customers identify carbon reduction potentials and achieve sustainability targets. SAP contributes innovation capabilities, broad system landscape, and reach to customers. Together as partners, we will push the limits to move the economy forward on the path to zero emissions.”
