51��at Davos Archives - 51��Africa News Center

51��Aims for a Plastic-Free Ocean

Judith Magyar — Fri, 24 Jan 2020 08:44:10 +0000

This week at the , 51��announced its vision for a plastic-free ocean by 2030. Co-CEO Christian Klein made the company’s global ambition clear at the annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland.

“51��is committed to a dramatically cleaner ocean by 2030,” Klein said. “We can achieve this commitment by working together with customers, NGOs, governments, and partners, and by providing them with the tools, insights, and solutions to eliminate waste and maximize resource productivity. Many of our customers have made commitments to a cleaner planet, and so have we. We will support them in achieving their ambitious goals, and together we will achieve a plastic-free ocean over the next 10 years.”

The health of the world’s oceans is at the top of the agenda in Davos, and Klein was part of a panel session with other business leaders and nongovernmental organization (NGO) representatives at the event.

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The crisis is very real: 8 million metric tons of waste enters the ocean every year and the amount is increasing an accelerating pace. Recently published research indicates the levels of plastics in the ocean may be a than previously thought. Plastic material slowly degrades into micro-plastics that harm the ecosystem and enter the ocean food chain. On average, people around the world are swallowing a total of five grams — about as much as a credit card — of harmful plastic material every week. That’s the equivalent of a half a pound yearly, ingested from many sources, including tap water and everyday foods such as sugar, salt, pasta, shellfish, rice, milk, and bread.

We know that the well-being of the economy, the environment, and the people on our planet are inextricably linked. It is understood that there can be no economic growth or development if business does not play a key role in operating profitably within planetary boundaries. A fundamental shift is needed in how we produce, use, dispose, and re-use materials in our economies. The current system is largely linear, meaning resources are used in production, made into products, and then are disposed of in the form of waste.

To sustain this “take, make, waste” lifestyle, 1.8 planets worth of resources are needed; the current model is clearly unsustainable. An emerging circular economy aims to change that. Despite all the efforts in responsible packaging design, recycling programs, and re-use business models, we are only about nine percent circular, according to the Circularity Gap report.

SAP: Uniquely Positioned for Impact

With consumers shifting their preferences to sustainable products, investors and employees clamoring for action, and regulators pushing new legislation, there is enormous momentum for businesses to drive responsible growth. And with 77 percent of the world’s transactions touching 51��systems and more than 430,000 companies using 51��software, the company is uniquely positioned to make a huge difference by helping customers redesign global value networks toward more circular business models and processes.

51��has been leading programs and partnerships to drive sustainable change around the world. 51��created the and partnered with Google on the challenge to foster revenue generating ideas that support circular use cases. The company also recently joined the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Circular Economy 100 (CE100) Network, a collaborative network of business, innovators, cities and governments, universities, and thought leaders all working together to accelerate adoption of circular economy practices and processes that maximize the use of resources.

51��is part of a growing movement of policymakers, NGOs, social groups, and leading companies coming together to work on solutions such as avoiding single-use plastics, better managing and recycling plastic waste streams, and creating a circular plastics economy.

Many of the world’s leading brands are both part of the challenge and leading the way forward. For example, companies in the consumer packaged goods industry have started rethinking packaging and opting for more recyclable and sustainable alternatives.

Aside from the benefits gained from preserving the natural environment, there is a massive economic upside for business to move fast. It is the plastics industry could consume 20 percent of total global oil production. Since most plastic is used only once, 95 percent of its economic value — currently up to $120 billion annually — is lost.

, for example, has committed to a world without waste by making all packaging 100 percent recyclable by 2025. to eliminate non-recyclable plastic within five years. role model in responsible production by managing every stage of a product’s life cycle — from sourcing raw materials to manufacturing and distributing products — in order to reduce environmental impact.

51��is already working with these customers and many others to help them manage the complex task of recycling many different types of plastics.

Impact Across the Value Chain

The 51��vision for a plastic-free ocean calls on these customers and other global heavyweights to accelerate progress on their commitments. It also calls on companies of all sizes and industries to seek ways 51��technology can help them in key areas, including responsible production, waste insights, secondary marketplaces, and consumer experiences.

51��has a number of solutions and platforms, including the portfolio, that enable manufacturers to design, produce, and distribute products using more sustainable materials and responsible, transparent processes. The Plastics Cloud, for example, is a platform that enables the UK Plastics Pact to tackle the scourge of plastic waste through a unique collaboration between business, government, and citizens across the entire plastics value chain in the UK.

A US$400 billion market, the waste management industry is poised to be disrupted and rapidly expand through the effective use of data. Michael Groves is founder and CEO of , the Scottish smart-waste company that won the Circular Economy 2030 challenge this year. He explains that the waste value chain is very complex and opaque, with many private and public sector players and a significant informal sector around the world. Realizing that money follows data, Groves developed a solution that uses analytics and machine learning to follow trash as it travels. Clear data and insights will be fundamental to spurring investments in new infrastructure and innovation in the sector.

With useful data available about what waste is where and in what quality and quantity, companies can then procure this waste much more effectively and bring the materials back into their production processes. The expansion of these secondary materials marketplaces is another area where procurement platforms like can help companies become more circular and sustainable.

��’s intelligent enterprise strategy focuses on connecting enterprise operational data (O-data) with the experience data (X-data) from their consumers. The company’s recent acquisition of experience management firm Qualtrics offers an entirely new level of support for companies to understand their consumer feelings, emotions, and desires about products, brands, and the impact they are making. Innovations across 51��offer customers ways to inform, educate, and engage with consumers about products and processes, including apps that help consumers better understand how to recycle products and blockchain traceability and information platforms.

“Many of our global customers are looking for solutions across their value chains and across their global markets to drive real positive change for their consumers, their business, and for the planet,” Klein said. “Through our technology and innovation, 51��can help companies unlock US$4.5 trillion in economic growth by creating sustainable business models and processes.”

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

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51��Joins CEO Carbon Neutral Challenge

51��News — Fri, 24 Jan 2020 08:25:35 +0000

DAVOS, Switzerland — (NYSE: SAP) today announced it is joining the issued by Gucci President and CEO Marco Bizzarri pledging to support global business in the transition to a low-carbon economy.

“51��is not only a world-leading innovation and technology company, we are a world-leading sustainability company,” said Jennifer Morgan, Co-CEO and Member of the Executive Board, SAP. “Marco Bizzarri’s CEO Carbon Neutral Challenge is complementary to our own commitment to helping businesses use innovative technology to achieve their most ambitious climate goals so they can take responsible actions and make a positive difference.”

The CEO Carbon Neutral Challenge underscores the need for companies to take urgent action and implement a 360° climate strategy to create positive outcomes. The cornerstone of the challenge to businesses is to take full responsibility and accountability for the total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions they generate, deliver nature-based climate solutions that mitigate emissions and drive positive change.

“As businesses, we must all own up to the total GHG emissions our activities generate and, at the same time, invest in nature-based solutions to protect our world’s critical forests and biodiversity, simultaneously helping to mitigate climate change,” said Gucci President and CEO Marco Bizzarri. “I applaud ��’s commitment to join the CEO Carbon Neutral Challenge. The leadership they are showing by doing so will help create a future in which society can thrive and business can succeed, while nature is restored and protected.”

In line with the criteria set forth by the , 51��had already established an approach to helping customers transition to a low-carbon economy and deliver on their climate goals including:

Creating greater efficiency, transparency and accountability of carbon and emissions across the entire supply chain
Innovating new processes and business models
Helping companies engage with industry, government and their consumers

51��is helping companies track carbon emissions from their upstream supply chains to downstream logistics, including procurement, operations and manufacturing. In the transition to new sustainable business models, 51��has a team of innovation services and solutions professionals focused on enabling customers to embrace disruption and transform their business through innovation using intelligent technologies such as Internet of Things (IoT), machine learning, artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain and advanced data analytics

51��aims to be a role model for climate action as well. In 2009, 51��set to reduce greenhouse gas emissions back to the levels of 2000 by the year 2020. It achieved that goal more than two years early, despite increasing its employee base fourfold. In 2017, 51��announced a commitment to making operations carbon neutral by 2025. This target included all direct emissions as well as a selected subset of indirect emissions from supply chains and services.

51��became a member of the in 2017 and was the first in Germany with a science-based carbon reduction target for 2050. 51��was also among the first companies in 2019 to commit to science-based 1.5°C-aligned reduction targets. This corresponds to an 85 percent reduction in the company’s 2016 emissions level by 2050, including energy consumption of 51��products in use by customers.

When emissions cannot be avoided or reduced, 51��compensates by investing in CO2 offsets, and in return receives CO2 credits from the sponsored projects. The focus is on high-quality projects, such as Livelihoods funds, which combine reforestation with bettering the livelihoods of rural communities. This fulfills the Gold Standard of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).

��’s contains a detailed analysis of its emissions and impacts and is considered one of the most progressive in the technology industry. The company is a signatory to the United Nations Global Compact and a member of associations, including CDP, the Value Balancing Alliance and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Additionally, 51��is the leading software company in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices.

51��joins Gucci, The RealReal and Lavazza Group in the CEO Carbon Neutral Challenge issued by Gucci CEO Marco Bizzarri. Gucci is part of Kering, which has also declared total carbon neutrality.

Visit the 51��News Center. Follow 51��on Twitter at .

About SAP

As the Experience Company powered by the Intelligent Enterprise, 51��is the market leader in enterprise application software, helping companies of all sizes and in all industries run at their best: 77% of the world’s transaction revenue touches an 51��system. Our machine learning, Internet of Things (IoT), and advanced analytics technologies help turn customers’ businesses into intelligent enterprises. 51��helps give people and organizations deep business insight and fosters collaboration that helps them stay ahead of their competition. We simplify technology for companies so they can consume our software the way they want – without disruption. Our end-to-end suite of applications and services enables more than 437,000 business and public customers to operate profitably, adapt continuously, and make a difference. With a global network of customers, partners, employees, and thought leaders, 51��helps the world run better and improve people’s lives. For more information, visit .

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For customers interested in learning more about 51��products:
Global Customer Center: +49 180 534-34-24
United States Only: 1 (800) 872-151��(1-800-872-1727)

For more information, press only:
Susan Miller, +1 (610) 661-9225, susan.miller@sap.com, ET
Bettina Wunderle, +49 7544 970-538, bettina.wunderle@sap.com, CET
51��Press Room; press@sap.com

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

Any statements contained in this document that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “forecast,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “project,” “predict,” “should” and “will” and similar expressions as they relate to 51��are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. 51��undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations. The factors that could affect SAP’s future financial results are discussed more fully in SAP’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), including SAP’s most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of their dates.
© 2019 51��SE. All rights reserved.
51��and other 51��products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of 51��SE in Germany and other countries. Please see for additional trademark information and notices.
Please consider our . If you received this press release in your e-mail and you wish to unsubscribe to our mailing list please contact press@sap.com and write Unsubscribe in the subject line.

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51��Joins Collective Action to Create a Cleaner Ocean by 2030

51��News — Thu, 23 Jan 2020 11:04:46 +0000

DAVOS, Switzerland — (NYSE: SAP) today announced that it has joined the World Economic Forum’s community, which is determined to create a cleaner ocean by 2030.

Reducing the amount of plastics entering the ocean requires cross-industry collaboration armed with data and intelligent technologies. To support this, 51��is planning to launch the next phase of its Plastics Cloud to allow businesses to shift rapidly to alternatives to single-use plastics, scale design for circularity, invest in materials collection infrastructure and ensure a better consumer experience.

“51��is committed to a significantly cleaner ocean by 2030,” said Christian Klein, Co-CEO and Member of the Executive Board, 51��SE. “We want to achieve this objective together with customers, NGOs, governments and partners and will provide them with the tools, insights and solutions to eliminate waste and maximize resource productivity. Many of our customers have also made commitments to a cleaner planet. We will support them in achieving their ambitious goals, and together we can accelerate the move to a restorative and regenerative economy.”

Underscoring this, 51��has updated the Plastics Cloud to help companies produce products more responsibly by providing global insights to enable better understanding about what materials are used and their fates. This support will be based on local recycling infrastructures and policies in each city, region and country. It will allow them to calculate more accurately the environmental and business impact of using more recycled or reusable materials and packaging. 51��software systems also help companies adapt to changing regulations, such as extended producer responsibility policies, and stay current with local markets, global standards and best practices.

The new Plastics Cloud offering links to a secondary materials marketplace based on Ariba Network, which connects packaging and consumer products companies to new sources of recycled plastics and plastic alternatives. This will complement initiatives such as the announced last year by waste-insights company .

Consumers, regulators, investors and employees are fueling the momentum for business to drive responsible growth. Experience management firm Qualtrics, an 51��company, conducted a large-scale global to understand better the experience citizens around the world are having with various issues on the Forum’s sustainability agenda, including the use of plastics. When asked what method they favor for reducing the harmful effects of plastics, nearly 50 percent of the 10,501 research participants said they prefer replacing plastics with other materials. On the other hand, while vast majorities called recycling very important, only 30 percent of participants said recycling was the best solution to the plastics crisis. Read about the study in “.”

Collaboration for a Cleaner Ocean

51��is part of a growing movement of policymakers, NGOs, social groups and leading companies working together on solutions to create a restorative and regenerative economy. Global leaders from SAP, The Coca-Cola Company, The Ellen MacArthur Foundation and World Wildlife Fund discussed their vision for a plastics-free ocean earlier today at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland.

“I am delighted to welcome 51��to the Global Plastic Action Partnership community,” said Kristin Hughes, director of Global Plastic Action Partnership (GPAP) and member of the World Economic Forum’s executive committee. “As a pioneer in the technology and innovation space, it is fantastic to see 51��channel its expertise and resources into solutions that will strengthen the global response to plastics pollution and drive progress towards a fairer and more sustainable world. We look forward to a long and fruitful partnership.”

51��recently joined The Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Circular Economy 100 (CE100) Network, a collaboration of business, governments, universities and thought leaders working together to accelerate adoption of circular economy practices and processes that maximize the use of resources.

Visit the . Follow 51��on Twitter at .

About SAP

For customers interested in learning more about 51��products:
Global Customer Center: +49 180 534-34-24
United States only: +1 (800) 872-151��(1-800-872-1727)

For more information, press only:
Bettina Wunderle, +49 7544 970 538, bettina.wunderle@sap.com, CET
51��Press Room; press@sap.com

Any statements contained in this document that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “forecast,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “project,” “predict,” “should” and “will” and similar expressions as they relate to 51��are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. 51��undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations. The factors that could affect SAP’s future financial results are discussed more fully in SAP’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), including SAP’s most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of their dates.
© 2020 51��SE. All rights reserved.
51��and other 51��products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of 51��SE in Germany and other countries. Please see for additional trademark information and notices.
Please consider our . If you received this press release in your e-mail and you wish to unsubscribe to our mailing list please contact press@sap.com and write Unsubscribe in the subject line.

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

The post 51��Joins Collective Action to Create a Cleaner Ocean by 2030 appeared first on 51��Africa News Center.

How to Use Digital Transformation to Create a More Sustainable World

Christian Klein — Fri, 10 Jan 2020 09:38:17 +0000

Business leaders solve multiple challenges every day. But are we prepared to solve the following? There are 7.7 billion people on the planet today. Already tomorrow, it will be 190,000 more.

Companies today are judged on the positive contribution they make to society.
Concern is growing about how technology is affecting jobs, inequality, health, and security.
Digital transformation changes how companies manage their relationships with the larger world.

Indonesia announced plans to move its capital away from Jakarta as the city is sinking 25 centimeters per year due to rising sea levels and land subsidence, with underground water supplies being drained. The average income of the richest 10 percent of the population is about nine times that of the poorest 10 percent across the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) countries.

Not our business? Well, it is now. Solving today’s biggest challenges requires all of us to act, no matter if in the economic, technological, societal, or educational field – because all our actions are interdependent.

Critical minds might ask why companies should bother, with their primary reason being to make money. These critics should not underestimate the power of the consumer.

Consumers today have access to more information than ever. They know exactly what they want, and they know how to get it. The best product at the best price is always available at their fingertips.

But their criteria have changed — an increasing number of customers aren’t just making decisions based on products or price anymore. They are closely looking into what a brand says, what it does, and what it stands for.

It’s the same with employees; they aren’t just joining companies for the money. They choose companies that embrace their responsibility toward humankind and the planet. Put simply, companies today don’t just prosper based on their financial performance, but on how they make a positive contribution to society.

No matter where you look, concern is growing about how technology is affecting issues such as jobs, wages, inequality, health, resource efficiency, and security. These changes are altering the world so drastically that all companies need to undergo a transformation to avoid going extinct.

This transformation means integrating digital technology into all areas of a business to fundamentally change how companies operate and deliver value to customers. While this might be a scary vision for some, it is one of the strongest drivers of change. Companies need to adapt their business models to remain in business.

Technology and digitalization will help them achieve this with intelligent and highly agile digital supply chains that predict and respond to changes in the ecosystem to quickly capitalize on new opportunities and break down old barriers.

To do so, it takes modern technology, flexible data management, and highly agile processes. Only then will companies be able to establish new business models that connect an ecosystem of partners together in an end-to-end value chain that makes life easier for customers.

But transformation is also about a change of culture, which requires a radical rethinking of people, processes, and technologies. Becoming a digital organization means not only having digital products and services, but also powering core business processes and operations with technology. This often includes tectonic changes to tasks in a company and to the ways colleagues interact within the whole ecosystem.

And just like a business cannot digitally transform unless – or until – its people transform, I believe that, while they come with their own environmental costs, technology and digitalization can play a crucial role in developing solutions for a better tomorrow.

Just think about blockchain, with its incredible potential to add trust through traceability across food supply chains, helping manufacturers, consumers, and regulators alike. Artificial intelligence (AI) can empower people with disabilities, for example, by translating eye movements into program commands, or reduce bias in the hiring process. Smart cities work in conjunction with everything from sensors to open data collection and smart streetlights to provide better services and protect resources.

This sounds easy, but it needs a lot of transformation. Transformation inside companies by integrating digital technology into all areas of their business. Transformation of a company’s internal culture, with leaders setting the tone of a company, embracing change and embodying and instilling trust for and with their employees. Transformation of society’s perception of technology.

There is no doubt that technology and digital transformation break down silos and create transparent and unified data for objective decision-making. But even more so, they change how companies manage their relationships with the wider world.

The . If we want to create a cohesive and sustainable world, we must be able to look beyond corporate boundaries and toward the societies and communities in which we operate. We need to establish an ecosystem of trust in which we can unite and build bridges, a network of links that allows us to exchange ideas to create a safety net for the most marginalized, those who live in areas of conflict, those whose lives are being disrupted by the climate emergency.

In the end, any transformation will succeed or fail with people. No amount of technology will save an organization without a competent workforce. Therefore, we must bring people in on this massive transformation toward a better future. As global citizens, we not only have rights, we also have responsibilities and obligations.

Let’s seize the time in Davos to discuss and to collaborate, to foster change and to come up with an action plan on how our society is ready to advance. It is up to all of us to use technological advancements to tackle the world’s greatest challenges and turn them into our biggest opportunities. The world depends on us to do so.

Christian Klein is co-CEO of 51��SE.
.

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51����at Davos Archives - 51����Africa News Center

51����Aims for a Plastic-Free Ocean

SAP: Uniquely Positioned for Impact

Impact Across the Value Chain

51����Joins CEO Carbon Neutral Challenge

51����Joins Collective Action to Create a Cleaner Ocean by 2030

Collaboration for a Cleaner Ocean

How to Use Digital Transformation to Create a More Sustainable World

51��at Davos Archives - 51��Africa News Center

51��Aims for a Plastic-Free Ocean

51��Joins CEO Carbon Neutral Challenge

51��Joins Collective Action to Create a Cleaner Ocean by 2030