In business practice, the technical problem arises that a wide variety of data has to be collected, consolidated, aggregated and analysed worldwide in order to report on these requirements in a standardised format. Until now, companies have generally made do by providing data via a variety of Excel files, but in practice this leads to a great deal of manual effort and a high susceptibility to errors, which slows down reporting.

In recent years, the Tyrolit Group has also worked very intensively on providing data as part of voluntary ESG reporting. Predefined data fields are requested from over 30 production sites worldwide by the central environmental management department at the headquarters in Schwaz. Responsibility for the data lies with the local ESG managers distributed around the world, who must provide the required information in the specified format and in acceptable data quality on time. Due to the constantly growing company structure, different systems are used at different locations, which makes a standardised data procurement process difficult.

Due to the known challenges of using Excel templates that have to be merged manually, one of the requirements for the new reporting solution was to avoid the use of Excel with the upcoming even more restrictive legal requirements. Due to the need to integrate the ESG data as a chapter in the management report, this data is also reviewed and approved by auditors. This requirement also underpins the decision to rely on a clear, transparent and validation-proof solution instead of Excel, which also provides the best possible support for those responsible for ESG in the provision of data.

Centralised data management: SAP SCT consolidates sustainability data from across the entire company, providing a holistic overview of the company's impact. This helps companies to avoid data silos and ensures accurate reporting to internal and external stakeholders.

Monitor key figures: With analysis functions, SCT enables companies to track their sustainability performance across locations and time periods. This allows potential for improvement to be identified, the use of resources to be optimised and waste to be reduced, which ultimately leads to greater efficiency and lower costs.

Regulatory compliance: SCT simplifies compliance with ever-changing environmental legislation by automating reporting processes and providing up-to-date insights into business performance in compliance with standardised regulatory metrics.

Involvement of stakeholders: Due to the underlying data structures for determining the ESRS key figures, a detailed database can be used. This leads to greater transparency in the achievement of sustainability goals, which is crucial for the involvement of investors, customers and employees. By communicating successes in the sustainability strategy, companies can build trust and demonstrate their commitment to responsible business practices.

Reducing the carbon footprint: SCT helps companies measure and reduce their CO2 emissions by tracking energy consumption, transport emissions and production-related impacts. With this knowledge, companies can take targeted initiatives to reduce their CO2 emissions.

Resource efficiency: By analysing resource consumption, companies can use SAP SCT to minimise waste and optimise the use of materials, water and energy. This not only reduces the environmental impact, but also lowers operating costs.

Sustainable supply chain management: The reuse of social indicators as part of the Supply Chain Sustainability Act also makes it easier to fulfil requirements along the value chain. In addition to monetary values, emissions data will also become established on the market and gain in value in order to reduce one's own footprint. This promotes responsible procurement and reduces the environmental risks associated with production on the one hand and strengthens compliance with human rights in supply chains on the other.