Enterprise Sustainability Management – Tooling for Champions

In today's world, the issue of sustainability is becoming increasingly important for businesses and society at large. In the face of global challenges such as climate change, social justice and resource scarcity, companies are increasingly feeling obliged to implement sustainable business practices and reduce their impact on the environment. In addition to these ethical and social reasons, companies are also introducing the concept of Enterprise Sustainability Management (ESM) due to legal and regulatory requirements. ESM is a strategic approach that helps companies track, monitor and implement their sustainability goals to meet regulatory requirements and guidelines in the areas of environmental protection and social responsibility. By integrating ESM, companies not only position themselves as responsible actors, but also demonstrate their willingness to comply with legal requirements and environmental standards, which benefits the company and society at large in the long term.

What is ESM?

Why is ESM Important?

And how can Software be Supportive? 

Enterprise Sustainability Management (ESM) is a holistic approach that helps companies align their business practices with environmental and social concerns. It involves defining and implementing sustainability strategies, collecting and analyzing sustainability metrics, and reporting on a company's sustainability performance. 

Sustainability strategies not only help to enhance a company's image and reputation, but also have an impact on operational efficiency, risk management and long-term competitiveness. Companies that actively engage in sustainable business management can not only reduce their costs, but also unlock new business opportunities and create a positive social impact.  

This is where the role of software comes into play. Using software and data-driven solutions helps companies define their sustainability goals, track progress and make strategic decisions based on real-time data. It also makes it easier to communicate sustainability performance to investors, customers and other stakeholders, leading to increased trust and positive perceptions. Integrating ERP data and APIs with sustainability tools enables companies to gain valuable insights and capture, analyze, and present sustainability-related data in meaningful reports. 

In this blog article, we will take a closer look at the different aspects of enterprise sustainability management, explore the importance of sustainability strategies for businesses and society, and shed light on how data-driven software solutions can make a critical contribution to ESM success. We will also share some examples of innovative sustainability tools based on leveraging ERP data and APIs to help companies become true sustainability champions. Get ready to dive into the world of Enterprise Sustainability Management and learn how software can act as a powerful ally for a sustainable future.

Relevant Categories and Examples

In today's business world, sustainable enterprise management is playing an increasingly important role, and companies are looking for effective solutions to achieve their sustainability goals. The concept of Enterprise Sustainability Management (ESM) provides a structured approach to develop and implement sustainability strategies. ESM is supported by data-driven software tools that enable companies to improve their sustainability efforts. That's why we'll take a closer look at three areas of ESM and delve deeper with examples.

1. Carbon Accounting: Sweep as an Example

"Carbon Accounting" deals with the recording and analysis of CO2 emissions and other greenhouse gases that a company produces during its business activities. An example of a tool in this category is Sweep. Sweep is a data-driven platform that helps companies accurately measure their carbon footprint and take the necessary actions to reduce their emissions. With powerful collaboration features and a user-centric design, Sweep makes it easy to track and reduce emissions and comply with the latest reporting standards.

2. ESG Reporting: Diligent as an Example

"ESG Reporting" focuses on the disclosure of a company's environmental, social and governance information. Diligent is an example of a tool that helps companies leverage data-driven SaaS solutions in the environmental, social, governance (ESG) space in the areas of risk and compliance. With Diligent, companies can calculate and capture customer and company data to generate accurate sustainability and greenhouse gas emissions reduction solutions. By using such tools, companies can transparently communicate their ESG performance and effectively track their sustainability goals.

3. Business Sustainability Rating: EcoVadis as an Example

The Business Sustainability Rating category is concerned with evaluating the sustainability performance of companies in comparison to other players in the industry. EcoVadis is an example of a tool that is considered the world's most trusted provider of business sustainability ratings. Corporations, global supply chains, financial institutions and public organizations rely on EcoVadis to monitor and improve the sustainability performance of their business partners. Through EcoVadis, companies can assess their sustainability efforts, set benchmarks, and make their supply chains more sustainable.

• Connecting Enterprise Sustainability Management (ESM) tools through APIs into the ERP system offers many benefits to companies. Seamless integration allows sustainability data to be captured, processed and managed in real time. This creates a comprehensive picture of the company's sustainable performance. Automated data exchange between ESM tools and the ERP system reduces manual data entry and sources of error, which in turn improves data quality and accuracy. Companies can rely on reliable data and make informed sustainability decisions. A more accurate data foundation enables more detailed analysis of sustainability performance and helps identify optimization potential. In addition, integrating ESM tools through APIs can help companies communicate more transparently about their sustainability efforts and results. This can improve corporate image and create long-term competitive advantages and a positive impact on society and the environment.

More interesting ESM-Tools

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• Daato is an ESG management platform designed for companies of all sizes. Its core principles are based on privacy-focused technology applications that promote ESG awareness and corporate sustainability. In addition, Daato is focused on helping companies achieve a more socially beneficial orientation. The platform focuses on optimizing operational ESG management, regulatory compliance, and strategic insight gathering without compromising the data sovereignty of the organizations involved. In doing so, Daato helps organizations manage operational complexity and enables them to focus on the strategic aspects of ESG to effectively achieve their ESG goals.

• Planted offers companies holistic and individual support in the implementation of their sustainability goals. Planted combines local climate protection with an innovative software solution. Together with their employees, companies can actively manage emissions by calculating CO₂ emissions, identifying potential savings and offsetting unavoidable emissions. In addition, Planted plants mixed forests in Germany for companies or supports the protection of local forests. The aim is to make business sustainable and preserve our earth for future generations and living creatures.

• IntegrityNext enables companies to monitor all their suppliers for sustainability and compliance to meet regulatory requirements. The platform automatically collects required self-disclosures and certificates from suppliers while monitoring social media for misconduct and reputational damage. Areas covered include anti-corruption, environmental, occupational safety, human rights, supply chain responsibility, information security, data protection (GDPR), business continuity management, quality management, financial information, sanctions list audits, customs partner programs and conflict minerals.
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• Dexter is developing an artificial intelligence-based platform to provide forecasting and trading services in the energy sector. The main objective of the offering is to reduce imbalances in the power grid and provide valuable support to energy companies to achieve significant savings in imbalance costs - up to 35%. To achieve this, Dexter uses algorithms that are able to accurately predict energy loads and grid imbalances. This information is then used to optimize a company's energy portfolio. In concrete terms, this means that Dexter enables energy companies to react more quickly to changes in the network and thus reduce their operational costs. In addition, the use of Dexter makes an important contribution to the stability of the overall power grid by helping to avoid major imbalances and potential instabilities. By optimizing energy trading and providing accurate load forecasts, Dexter not only supports individual companies, but also contributes to a more efficient and sustainable energy sector.

• Dayrize provides a solution that brings transparency to the lifecycle assessment of products, allowing brands of all sizes to validate their sustainability efforts. The main goal is to keep consumption within the planet's boundaries by helping both businesses and consumers minimize their environmental impact. To simplify this process and make it more cost-effective, Dayrize has assembled a group of experts who have developed advanced technology to measure environmental impact. This innovation shortens a product's assessment time from months to minutes and significantly reduces costs.