Corporate Practices, Customers, Products: Fostering the Sustainability of Each
Original article on Environmental Leader
by Pamela J. Gordon, Technology Forecasters Inc.
In 2009 I visited SAP’s Walldorf-Germany headquarters and learned about the company’s 3-legged stool of sustainability: SAP’s own corporate operations (programs ranging from rooftop rainwater collection to halving employee travel), customers’ operations (enabling them to track and reduce negative impacts), and product design (efficient coding that reduces data center emissions). Since then, I’ve shared this broad-based profitable sustainability strategy with other TFI clients to inspire their Lean and Green approaches. But it was time for an update. So, I asked CSO Peter Graf if that “3-legged stool” still stands. It does.
First leg of stool: In-house environmental and monetary savings SAP has been on a long journey to show the connections between positive environmental and financial impact. I remember participating in SAP’s 2009 Sustainability Report’s interactivity features, designed to engage stakeholders in meaningful sustainability discussion and analysis. The 2010 report received an “A+” GRI rating by adding sustainability indicators and metrics (Renewable Energy, Business Health and Culture Index, and Employee Satisfaction). “This year,” says Graf, “SAP reached out to the financial community by combining its Annual Report and Sustainability Report in single document— highlighting the connections between non-financial performance like Employee Retention with financial performance. This details the business case of the financial benefits of sustainability.”
Original content on Environmental Leader.
