circular economy Archives - 51��Africa News Center

SA Companies Urged to Fast-track Compliance to Incoming Plastics Legislation

51��News — Wed, 26 Mar 2025 07:50:53 +0000

51��is urging South African companies to prepare for incoming plastic legislation to protect profit and the planet.

According to a new report launched in partnership with research consultancy Earth Action, business that fail to scale their plastic data management could face corporate liabilities of more than $20-billion globally by 2030.

“Governments are implementing Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes, plastic taxes and reporting requirements to turn the tide on unchecked plastic production and use,” says Director: Global Government Affairs & CSR Africa and Global Sustainability Lead for Africa at SAP. “Businesses need to prepare for the incoming plastic legislation by enhancing their data management and compliance efforts to ensure they gain a clear, accurate picture of their plastic material flows and minimise the environmental impact of plastic products in their supply chains.”

Global effort at minimising plastic waste

March 18th is , an annual initiative that aims to raise awareness of the importance of plastics recycling among business leaders and citizens alike. An attempt at a UN-led Global Plastic Treaty failed last year, with a new round of negotiations planned for August later this year. The proposed treaty includes a cap on plastic production, better management of plastic products and chemicals of concern, and financing to support implementation of the treaty in developing countries.

“Businesses wishing to mitigate risks regarding plastic products in their supply chain need to implement robust data management to improve compliance and advance their sustainability and circular economy goals,” says Geness. “South African companies also face increasing pressure from government regulations to minimise plastic waste and enhance their recycling efforts, adding further pressure on business leaders.”

South Africa’s require that companies increase the percentage of post-consumer recyclate to 75% by 2025, and 100% by 2027. Non-compliance can result in fines of up to R5-million or imprisonment for up to five years.

The African Circular Economy Alliance, founded by the UN Environment Programme, includes South Africa as a founding member. The country has also begun implementation of its National Waste Management Plan, which supports .

Technology as enabler

“Technology can play a leading role in supporting company efforts at circular economy initiatives, including improved management of plastics-related processes and compliance,” says Geness. “Digital technologies can support waste management and monitoring processes, mitigate pollution, and enhance the efficiency and sustainability of the plastics value chain.”

Due to the complexities of adhering to various regulations and the breadth of modern enterprises’ supply chains, Geness recommends implementing a technology platform such as SAP’s Responsible Design and Production (RDP) to help build a full, accurate picture of plastic material flows.

“The platform enables the aggregation of plastic and materiality data, helps to meet Extended Producer Responsibility requirements, and identify areas for potential improvement. This can save businesses millions in costs associated with compliance and administration, while unlocking opportunities for strengthening sustainability efforts.”

Geness notes that emerging technologies can deliver circular economy benefits across the plastic lifecycle. “AI and IoT enhance efficiency during manufacturing, while blockchain ensures transparency throughout supply chains through immutable and transparent records of plastic materials. IoT-enabled smart packaging can engage consumers any providing recycling information and incentives, while tech-powered advanced recycling technologies can convert waste into valuable resources, closing the loop in circular economy efforts.”

“South African companies have an opportunity to go beyond compliance and leverage technology for immense sustainability and circular economy gains, to the benefit not only of our planet but also people and our shared future.”

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51��EMEA South – Sustainability Event

51��News — Mon, 27 Mar 2023 07:00:47 +0000

The time to act is now. Together!

On April 20, we will kick off our 51��Discovery Days for . Learn from sustainability experts and leaders how to integrate sustainability into your business processes to achieve your strategic sustainability goals.

April 20 – Opening & Keynote and Session Topics about Sustainable Supply Chains April 27 – Decarbonization
May 03 – Circular Economy & New Business Models
May 04 – Holistic Steering & Reporting

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How to Close the Gap Between Sustainability and Profitability

51��News — Tue, 26 Jul 2022 06:26:46 +0000

New research has highlighted the challenges most organisations face with balancing sustainability and profitability. A study by Oxford Economics and 51��has found that, while the business case for sustainability is well understood, most sustainability initiatives are simply not realising value.

Tracy Bolton, chief operating officer at 51��Africa, says organisations face a number of barriers to realising the broader value of their sustainability initiatives. “Issues such as lack of engagement from company executives, ineffective use of data, siloed technologies, and a lack of collaboration undermine the impact of sustainability initiatives on a company’s operations and bottom line. Closing the so-called Green Gap requires that organisations reach across their business ecosystems to bring suppliers, regulators, employees and board leadership into their sustainability efforts.”

According to the report by Oxford Economics and SAP, so-called ‘Sustainability Leaders’ – those organisations that have embraced comprehensive sustainability programs and have achieved great outcomes as a result – account for only 9% of study respondents.

Leading sustainability efforts

“Sustainability Leaders set clear expectations of their sustainability goals and communicate those effectively to the broader organisation. Technology and data management is applied in key areas, and core audiences, such as supply chain partners, are regularly engaged. This creates a system of accountability that ensures sustainability efforts go beyond pure talk into action.”

The report found that, among nearly 2000 global executives, the most common sustainability efforts included waste reduction (65% of organisations surveyed), emissions tracking (53%) and minimising energy use (47%). “To unleash the true potential and impact of sustainability, organisations need to harness the network effect by developing policies and processes that enable partners and vendors to work sustainably with the business,” says Bolton.

The pay-offs for closing the green gap are significant. The report found that executives identified sustainability initiatives as driving benefits across the organisation, with 58% citing increased efficiency, 46% enjoying improved brand reputation, and 44% being better able to meet customer needs.

Sustainability Leaders that are leveraging the strength of their networks are also better positioned to reap the rewards of the circular economy.

“The circular economy depends on the strength of networks including customers, manufacturers, competitors, employees and regulators who are all aligned to sustainability goals,” says Bolton. “The organisations that lead with their circular economy efforts unlock a range of business benefits that include increased customer loyalty (74%) and innovation (79%), better brand reputation (80%), new revenue streams (70%) and reduced costs (59%).”

Bringing profitability and sustainability closer

Bolton adds that organisations can close the gap between sustainability and profitability by enhancing the impact of their sustainability efforts. “Research show five key areas of focus for organisations that want to overcome sustainability challenges and move into the Leaders category.”

The five key areas of focus include:

Driving sustainability from the top down through executive sponsorship. “Effective sustainability efforts start with an explicit plan driven from the top down and clearly communicated by company leadership,” says Bolton.
Providing clear, consistent communication that permeates every layer of the organisation. “Sustainability efforts may start at the top, but for any such effort to succeed, it needs to be adopted and driven by employees throughout the organisation. Establishing clear goals can also drive better sustainability performance among teams.”
Integrating processes, technology and data to provide a unified view of the organisation’s total sustainability performance. “Most businesses have not put sustainability at the centre of their strategies, which leads to disconnected or siloed processes that can hamper strategic planning and create discord between financial and non-financial information. By unifying these assets, organisations gain greater visibility into their sustainability performance and progress.”
Putting data at the centre of sustainability. “Data is critical,” says Bolton. “Organisations gain vital insight into resources and efficiency by capturing and analysing data. In addition, data helps measure sustainability outcomes and can point to areas for improvement.”
Extending sustainable practices to customers, partners and suppliers. “Sustainability is a team sport that requires participation across the entire supply chain,” says Bolton. “For example, more than a third (36%) of executives don’t view using sustainable energy providers as important to their carbon-reduction goals, despite the enormous impact energy providers have on overall sustainability practices. Getting internal and external stakeholders aligned around core sustainability goals can unlock the network effect and greatly enhance sustainability outcomes.”

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Extending the Reach of 51��Cloud for Sustainable Enterprises

Anita Varshney — Tue, 17 May 2022 07:32:54 +0000

Business leaders have traditionally focused on top- and bottom-line performance indicators. However, many organizations now consider their green line as the leading indicator of long-term, sustainable business success. It is imperative for companies to put sustainability at the heart of their business strategy, with a focus on achieving not just financial performance but also steering positive environmental and social impact through their sustainability metrics.

These metrics must be embedded within a company’s core operations and services; traditional annual reports are no longer sufficient. Stakeholders want to understand how a company addresses areas such as climate action, with transparency on transition and adaptation plans based on the carbon footprint of its operations. They also want to understand progress on circular economy objectives by monitoring the reuse and recycling of materials. They want to track and advance people sustainability initiatives by gathering key performance indicators (KPIs) in areas such as diversity and inclusion.

SAP’s product innovations work across the enterprise to deliver on these goals.

Holistic Sustainability Management with 51��Cloud for Sustainable Enterprises

To manage the green line, companies need business process technology to identify, quantify, analyze, and act on data through their end-to-end operations. To enable this, brings together a comprehensive portfolio of solutions to holistically manage sustainability performance. Embedding sustainable business data into processes and networks is one of the five actions business can take toward a sustainable future.

51��Cloud for Sustainable Enterprises. Click to enlarge.

51��Cloud for Sustainable Enterprises includes the and solutions. It also covers existing products like the application and the . The solution provides an overview of sustainability impacts and performance against green objectives.

We continue to extend the capabilities of 51��Cloud for Sustainable Enterprises. As many companies are accelerating their action for decarbonization, our new capabilities in this area are important.

Driving Carbon Data Transparency Is More Important Than Ever

Accounting for carbon emissions across the organization and its supply chain is a foundational step toward climate action. Businesses are actively looking to reduce their carbon footprints, which requires addressing emissions outside company walls. These emissions — Scope 3 emissions — include everything from goods purchased to business travel to packaging and transportation of raw materials. Scope 3 emissions make up a significant portion of overall emissions for our customers. To derive actionable insights to reduce organizational carbon footprint, it is crucial to measure Scope 3 emissions both at a corporate level and at a product level.

are on average 11.4 times higher than operational emissions. To reduce these emissions, it is important to engage across the sectoral value chain, with both suppliers and end customers, especially for customer-facing sectors like retail and consumer product goods (CPG), which have long upstream value chains. Companies can address significantly larger emission volumes by driving deeper engagement throughout their supply chains.

Earlier this year, called on registrants to report on not just their Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions but also their Scope 3 emissions. This is not the first time companies have faced this request. Previously, asked companies to disclose the targets they used to assess and manage relevant climate-related risks and opportunities. IFRS takes this approach further with , which focus on transition planning, climate resilience, reporting on Scope 1-2-3 emissions, and disclosure of sustainability-related financial information as a part of its general purpose financial reporting.

Enabling 51��Customers to Exchange Carbon Data across Value Chains

To develop and execute an effective decarbonization plan, companies need to receive and process high-quality product-level data on carbon emissions from suppliers and provide high-quality product footprint information to their customers.

However, with most supply chains spanning several industry sectors and consisting of multiple, heterogeneous networks and software components, taking a standardized approach to data sharing is critical. To collect meaningful emissions information, it is important that all parties use the same methodology and common standards for calculating and auditing the carbon footprint of a product.

Therefore, 51��Product Footprint Management implements an API specification developed as part of . 51��customers can now take informed sourcing and product-development decisions, invest in targeted decarbonization activities, make more accurate disclosures, measure and track decarbonization progress, and adhere to legislative requirements around environmental transparency.

We intend to use 51��Product Footprint Management as part of 51��networks — for example, in the Catena-X Automotive Network (Catena-X) — to enable a standard-based, secure, and cross-company-wide data exchange throughout the value chain.

In addition, there is the option to use the GreenToken by 51��solution for multi-tier visibility across the networks. The combination of 51��Product Footprint Management, 51��Responsible Design and Production, and GreenToken forms a potent decarbonization value proposition for industries such as consumer goods, as 51��can demonstrably address material traceability, packaging waste, and supplier-specific carbon data transparency throughout the value chain for both recycled content and land-use change.

New functionality created through our co-development partnership with BearingPoint is already embedded into 51��Product Footprint Management and helps customers identify carbon reduction potential. Customers can thus determine the carbon footprint of a single product based on both direct and indirect emissions sources and upstream activities, building on existing functionality of carbon footprint measurement of purchased goods with tracking emissions resulting from transportation of those goods. Both these greenhouse gas (GHG) emission categories combined significantly contribute to a customer’s upstream and downstream environmental impact.

Integrating and Embedding Sustainable Data across the Intelligent Enterprise, Scaling Carbon Impact

Through open APIs, 51��customers can easily exchange data with their enterprise applications, feeding it into 51��Cloud for Sustainable Enterprises, and then provide the calculated sustainability data back into both 51��and third-party applications.

With the newly introduced sustainability integration components for 51��S/4HANA, customers can benefit from preconfigured functionality enabling reuse of sustainability data across processes supported by 51��S/4HANA, such as record-to-report, lead-to-cash, source-to-pay, and plan-to-fulfill workflows. The component allows a bidirectional flow of information between 51��Cloud for Sustainable Enterprises and 51��S/4HANA in real time.

Click to enlarge.

Examples include:

In 51��S/4HANA Sourcing and Procurement, customers can make sustainable purchase decisions based on a material’s carbon footprint displayed in purchase requisition, which is then is fed back into 51��Product Footprint Management, keeping sustainability reporting updated.
In��51��Integrated Business Planning, the supply chain planner can access a comprehensive overview of GHG emissions based on the supply plan for the next 12 months. Planners can dive deeper into the details and try to resolve critical situations and alerts. .
In 51��Logistics Business Network, the material traceability option helps customers gain further insights into sustainability figures of products and share carbon footprint data on the batch level with suppliers, customers, and end consumers of the products. This feature is available with the 2021 release of 51��S/4HANA. .
In plant maintenance, customers can receive automatic updates from 51��Environment, Health, and Safety Management, triggering corrective action if GHG emissions are exceeded. .
In 51��Enterprise Product Development with 51��Responsible Design and Production, customers will be able to reduce packaging and other material waste by design while simulating for a lower carbon footprint. Packaging is typically a significant source of Scope 3 carbon emissions in consumer goods value chains.

We continue to innovate and aim to help customers track emissions data from “cradle to gate” — from the delivery of raw materials to the moment finished products leave the production line, offering intelligent technologies to calculate, exchange, and track carbon footprint information in a trusted way.

Achieving this carbon transparency will pave the way to becoming an intelligent, sustainable enterprise.

Learn More

Sharing sustainability data across your enterprise can help you run more sustainably; . Join the to stay up-to-date with news and announcements about our growing portfolio of sustainability solutions. In addition, check out past and current .

Gunther Rothermel is head of 51��S/4HANA Sustainability Management at SAP.
Anita Varshney is global vice president of Strategy for 51��S/4HANA Sustainability at SAP.

This article first appeared on the 51��News Center.

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The Role of Technology in Business Transformation and Creating Sustainable Enterprises in Africa

Dumisani Moyo, Marketing Director, 51��Africa — Mon, 28 Feb 2022 13:50:36 +0000

As the world grapples with supply chain disruptions and stifled economic growth in the aftermath of COVID, the role of technology in business transformation, particularly in Africa, has never been more prominent. The need for companies to quickly pivot to mitigate risks and adapt has never been greater.

Technology has had a significant impact on people’s lives worldwide. In the African context, where poverty, unemployment, and inequality continue to be persistent challenges, technology has the potential to significantly improve the lives of Africans by enabling the creation of financially, socially, and environmentally sustainable companies. At the recent hosted by the African Development Bank, African countries were urged to prioritize the development of circular value chains to address some of these perennial challenges by accelerating industrialization and job creation.

Our 51��Africa Managing Director, Cathy Smith, articulated the role of technology in Africa’s development. “At 51��we believe in the power of technology for good — to create a more prosperous and equal future for all. By developing digital skills to increase employability, by transforming industries and education systems, by providing access to quality healthcare, we can uplift societies and economies. Through our end-to-end technology solutions, we bring our vision of making the world run better��and improving peoples’ lives to the fore. We believe that technology has the potential to transform industries, uplift communities, grow��economies and preserve the environment”.

Technology has the potential to play a critical role in the development of circular economies in Africa, particularly in the development of efficient supply chains as well as the adoption of sustainable production methods that prioritize sustainable business practices, covering all aspects of the triple bottom line — financial, social and environmental sustainability.

The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) coined the term “” to describe the mindset of companies that use technology to gain a competitive advantage. It is worth noting that these companies incorporate technologies such as Internet of Things (IoT) and Advanced Analytics, into their processes and operations to enable profitable solutions that also prioritize environmental, social, and governance objectives. These companies use technology as a key differentiator to overcome constraints and unlock new opportunities.

While the formal business sector in Africa is dominated by Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), the adoption, application, and leveraging of technology in business is typically limited to large companies with financial and human resource muscle. This emphasizes the importance of ensuring that SMEs can follow in the footsteps of their larger siblings and reap the many benefits of technology. This is especially important because SMEs employ the majority of Africa’s workforce and are critical to accelerating the continent’s industrialization and job creation.

The days of costly and time-consuming implementations are over. Technology solutions such as Enterprise Resource Planning, Supplier and Customer Experience Management, Digital Supply Chain, and Human Resources Management, to name a few, are now available on the cloud. This significantly reduces the time required for technology implementation, adoption, and actual value realization.

The cloud has eliminated the need for large capital investments in infrastructure to run these solutions, allowing smaller companies to direct scarce financial resources into their core businesses rather than costly infrastructure. The cloud also enables smaller companies to scale up or scale down these solutions as their operations and companies grow.

51��will be hosting the Business Transformation Tour. The main event will take place on April 5^th, and companies of all sizes will be able to learn how to use technology to drive business transformation. In addition, between March and June, we will host a series of eleven industry events spanning manufacturing, government, retail, financial services, mining, and many more.

Please use this to register and learn more about how some of our customers in different industries are leveraging our solutions to drive sustainable��business transformation.

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West Africa’s Circular Economy Efforts at the Forefront of Fostering a More Sustainable Future

Titilayo Adewumi, Regional Sales Director: West Africa at SAP — Wed, 24 Nov 2021 05:46:33 +0000

Africa’s population is expected to triple by 2100, with a substantial percentage of that growth concentrated in West Africa. , making it the second most populous country on Earth based on current estimates.

The vast majority of population growth across the continent will be concentrated in urban areas. WEF data indicates that more than 80% of Africa’s population growth between now and 2030 will be in cities, with .

One matter of concern is that city expansion will take place in the backdrop of an escalating climate crisis. The UN has designated West Africa as a climate change hotspot, prompting public and private sector organisations to seek novel solutions to sustainably enable the rapid population growth.

However, the stress that will be placed on city infrastructure and resources such as water should not be underestimated.

Data suggests that , and time is quickly running out to enhance the sustainability and climate resilience of the continent’s cities.

The concept of a circular economy, where waste is eliminated and resources reused in an effort at restoring and regenerating nature, is gaining ground.

In a positive turn of events, several innovative circular economy initiatives are giving hope that the region is stepping on to a more sustainable path.

Ground-breaking efforts in Ghana

A recent project involving SAP, the World Economic Forum and the Global Plastic Action Partnership enabled greater visibility in the plastics supply chain by better tracking the work of more than 2000 waste pickers.

The project measures the quantities and types of plastic collected by waste pickers, analyses data, and then matches the collected waste to market-related prices in local and global value chains.

Sustainably-minded organisations can then opt to pay a premium for more socially-responsible plastics, while the waste pickers benefit from higher wages.

The project, led by Ghana’s Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology & Innovation (MESTI), brings Ghana closer to its ambitions of being a lighthouse for circular economy innovation in Africa. By using SAP’s Rural Sourcing Management solution, MESTI is able to scale the solution nationally once the current pilot project comes to a close.

To date, the project has secured the involvement of large consumer goods companies such as Coca-Cola.

In addition, Dow Chemicals West Africa, a subsidiary of Dow Inc, one of the largest chemical producers in the world, is using 51��Rural Sourcing Manager to fast-track its shift to reusable or recyclable products.

Dow Chemicals West Africa sought a technology solution that could track plastic in the informal sector to improve plastics recycling and support the wellbeing of plastic collectors in Ghana’s informal sector.

The initial solution is being trialled in Western Ghana, with plans to scale nationally in time.

Social enterprise closes loop in plastics repurposing

In Accra, Ghana, the ASASE Foundation is empowering female entrepreneurs to play a key role in cashing in on the plastic waste of Accra and its environs for the benefit of their own communities through the foundation’s CASH IT! Social Enterprises.

Only 20% of household garbage waste is collected in Accra, and only 2% of the waste is recycled, resulting in 78% of garbage ending up on the streets. Due to heavy rainfall, the garbage drains into the oceans, washing up on the shores or being ingested by the animals in and around the city. Plastic bags and containers often clog gutters causing hazardous flooding, endangering people’s lives and causing an environmental issue.

The ASASE Foundation uses SAP’s Rural Sourcing Management solution to enable female entrepreneurs to build their own plastic recycling business and cash in on the value of the waste for a profit. The social enterprise model will help create jobs and keep most of the value generated by recycling plastic in the community.

The innovative model has garnered the attention of the UN Development Programme, who are sponsors of the initiative and supportive of its mission to increase plastic recycling and improving the lives of the plastic pickers.

Further circular economy initiatives using 51��Rural Sourcing Management are being planned for Nigeria in 2022, and talks are underway with several large multinational organisations active in West Africa to fix the problem of plastic pollution and build a more sustainable society that can be a healthy home to our growing population.

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Ghana’s Ambitious Plan To Minimize Plastic Waste

Robin Meyerhoff — Fri, 23 Oct 2020 10:00:12 +0000

Approximately 13 million metric tons of plastic waste enter the oceans annually, equivalent to one garbage truck load every minute. Even worse, the ��estimates the volume of plastics finding its way into the world’s oceans will triple by 2040.

Some experts believe the solution lies in creating circular economies, which eliminate single-use plastic in favor of organic materials or plastics that can be recycled and reused. But that requires significant investment and infrastructure.

In Africa less than 20 percent of plastics are recycled currently, far below European Union targets of 50 percent by 2025. In lieu of formal recycling operations, waste pickers collect litter and sell it to middlemen, who aggregate plastic waste and sell it to recyclers abroad.

But Ghana – with a 5 percent recycling rate – has emerged as a regional front runner committed to creating a domestic recycling industry that protects both the environment and impoverished, mostly-female, community of waste pickers. Last fall, Ghana became the��to join World Economic Forum’s��(�ұʴ��).

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At a recent��𱹱�Գ�,��, panelists representing a coalition of government, manufacturers, technology providers, and non-profit organizations discussed how Ghana is driving change.

“We see plastic waste as a threat to our way of life and danger to environment,” said Oliver Boachie, Special Advisor from the Ghanaian Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (). “But we also look at this as an opportunity.”

Since 2018, the government has been working on a plastics waste program that aims to clean up environment, create jobs in plastics value chain, make resources available to manage plastics and ensure no one gets left behind.

Global software provider,��, is also a member of GPAP and has collaborated with MESTI, private industry and local non-profits to create a technology solution that will help.

“The recycling systems in Ghana are very analog so we’re building a digital system to connect everyone and track the volumes and types of plastic, where it goes, and the prices paid across the value chain,” said Maggie Buggie, Chief Business Officer of 51��Services.

With a foundation of reliable data, the government and private companies can determine where to invest resources and build recycling plants, while also monitoring waste pickers’ wages and living conditions.

“By connecting the informal economy of waste pickers to the formal economy, we can ensure they receive a fair wage – and later on – get services like training or childcare,” said Buggie.

Making the Invisible Visible: Improving Pickers lives

Waste picking is a means of survival for poor, urban communities across Africa, South East Asia and Latin America. In Ghana, they recover at least��daily or nearly 12 percent of the total plastic waste generated.

But they have little visibility into the market price for what they’ve collected, which leaves them vulnerable to exploitation by middlemen. With the 51��solution, they will have mobile access to the average price for different kinds of materials. The government can use this data to monitor wages and take action to support pickers, for example, investing in social services that raise pickers’ living standards.

Jeffery Provencal founded��, a social enterprise that works with pickers. “We’re on the verge of an absolute game changer. We have a lack of data and the 51��solution is the best thing for it – one platform that provides all that data,” said Provencal. “We can find an efficient way to deal with the material, monetize it, and empower the waste pickers. So everyone wins.”

Private Sector Partners To Achieve Sustainability Goals

Adwoa Coleman, Africa Sustainability and Advocacy Manager for Dow Packaging and Specialty Plastics, explains how technology will help the Ghanaian government and manufacturers achieve their sustainability goals.

“We have a goal that one million metric tons of plastics will be collected, recycled or reused by 2030,” said Coleman. “Data is critical to establishing a market where plastic can be bought and sold, depending on where that’s happening. Harnessing that data in one app will help fuel the circular economy and ensure that collected materials are reused.”

But success requires cooperation. “Stakeholder collaboration is important – we (not only) have the government, private sector and NGOs, but also the collector and recycler. To succeed, we need to all be at the table,” she said.

Coca Cola also has big environmental ambitions. For example, it wants all its packaging materials to be recyclable by 2035 — and has a specific perspective on what that means in West Africa. “Exportation of plastic and packaging waste out of Africa is not sustainable,” said Clement Ugorji, vice president for public affairs, communications and sustainability. “We need the domestic capacity for collection and recycling and reuse on the continent. That’s the only way to achieve a truly circular economy for Africa.”

For its part,��51��believes its experience in the region developing its��(an application that supports small-holder farmers and improves visibility across agricultural value chains) gives it an advantage. Since plastic pickers and rural farmers face similar issues, applications like this will help all parties succeed.

The plastics recycling pilot project will run in Accra and several smaller cities in Ghana. Building on what is learned during this first stage, the coalition hopes to expand across Ghana, West Africa and eventually the entire continent and other regions.

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51��Employees Unite to Eliminate Single-Use Plastics

Judith Magyar — Sun, 06 Sep 2020 11:30:38 +0000

Single-use plastics have become a cause célèbre of environmental issues. Not only are they filling up the world’s oceans, they are clearly . Single-use plastics require energy and other resources for their production. But they are cheap and convenient, so eliminating them is a challenge for enterprises, governments and, individuals.

Last year, 51��updated its��with a new goal to phase out single-use plastics by the end of 2020. Additionally, the company aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2025, reduce water consumption, develop solutions that help customers to achieve sustainability goals, and enable employees to improve the environmental performance of 51��and its customers.

“With many of our customers striving to become more sustainable, our objective is to provide products and services that meet their sustainability challenges and opportunities,” says Christian Klein, CEO of 51��SE, who is convinced that in today’s world consumers are not only looking at the price and quality of a product, but at a brand’s degree of sustainability.

“At the same time, it is our responsibility to lead by example,” he says — and 51��employees agree. In a recent employee survey, 94 percent said the company should pursue sustainability, and 87 percent said they actively contribute to SAP’s sustainability goals.

“Employees play a critical role in eliminating single-use plastics,” 51��Chief Sustainability Officer Daniel Schmid says. “Through projects like ‘Beyond Single-Use Plastics,’ which was launched in July 2019, employees are helping us identify opportunities and find alternatives at all our locations.”

Shared Purpose

Eliminating single-use plastics has united 51��employees around the world with a common goal. The project began last year as a company-wide initiative, with the Global Real Estate and Facilities, Marketing, and Procurement organizations identified as focus areas. A joint commitment was made to implement measures and processes based on circular economy principles to reduce waste,��reuse items, and��recycle materials.

Implementation is part of SAP’s Global Environmental Management System that includes 55 sites, each with local plastic reduction targets. Passionate employees across the globe are bringing the program to life.

51��Labs China, for example, identified areas where single-use plastics are utilized and then shared employee feedback with the Global Real Estate and Facilities team to implement changes and launch events to help reduce waste.

In 51��Ireland, a group of sustainability champions started the “Power of One” campaign to spread toolkits and tips for reducing single-use waste and raise awareness among colleagues and catering partners. Single-use plastics such as yogurt cups, bin bags, and sandwich wrappers were replaced with more sustainable alternatives.

At 51��Labs Hungary, colleagues started discussions with facility management and their corporate caterer on how to become more sustainable. As a result, single-use plastic cups, straws, and stirrers disappeared and the use of water bottles and glasses increased.

In the U.S., 51��offices in Naperville, Chicago, have been plastic-free for more than 15 years, and now have been joined by company offices in Boulder, Colorado. Meanwhile the office in Bellevue, Washington, is and part of the for any plastic that enters the building.

These are just a few examples of initiatives at 51��locations worldwide.

Waste Not, Want Not

The other focus area of the ‘Beyond Single-Use Plastics’ project is increasing internal and external awareness about the global plastic problem. Earlier this year at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Klein announced SAP’s commitment to a cleaner ocean by 2030. 51��intends to help achieve this objective together with customers, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), governments, and partners by providing them with the tools and solutions to help eliminate waste and maximize resource productivity.

As Klein and other sustainability champions know, plastic itself is not the problem. Plastic has revolutionized the world in many ways — from sterile medical packaging to safe food storage. It has provided great benefits for societies everywhere.

“We need plastic, but without a doubt single-use plastic is one of the greatest contributors to waste on the planet,” Klein says. “The problem is what we do with it and how we dispose of it, so it does not end up in the ocean or littering the land.”

An Ongoing Journey

Other 51��actions to help reduce plastic pollution include Plastics Cloud, which helps customers manage the material more effectively through collaboration among business, government, and consumers across the plastics value chain. 51��has also joined the Ellen MacArthur Foundation Network, a leading circular economy initiative, and sponsors ocean activist Emily Penn.

These steps are all part of SAP’s decade-long journey toward becoming a more sustainable enterprise. The company also is committed to transparency and remains the only global software company that discloses its sustainability performance in a holistic integrated report.

According to Luka Mucic, member of the Executive Board of 51��SE and chief financial officer, “Our approach to quantifying��the on our operating result��is a significant differentiator, generating interest from investors and customers.”

More Work Ahead

When it comes to single-use plastics, the pandemic has helped to accelerate positive shifts in some areas. The Global Real Estate and Facilities team has taken advantage of office closures to take inventory of canteens and other spaces in the quest to eliminate single-use plastics by the end of the year. The team works closely with Change Management colleagues to identify challenges and gather advice on how to expedite the overall process.

The company’s move to digital events has also helped eliminate the need for single-use items. However, challenges remain. Progress made introducing reusable cups, dishes, and cutlery in many office canteens must now be carefully weighed against the hygiene concerns at some locations.

Nevertheless, the urgency of eliminating single-use plastics is mounting. As natural historian David Attenborough says: “The one thing we all have to do is simply not to waste. Don’t waste plastic; don’t waste food; don’t waste power. Live within our means. That’s what we should be aiming for.”

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