Community Centered

Today, Gibson is at the forefront of firefighting activities in a subtropical place where the听summers are typically long, hot, and humid.听In this part of Brazil, fires have been increasing in frequency and intensity due to changes to the climate and in agricultural practices. Gibson is a member of , a volunteer organization working in alignment with the local municipal firefighting agencies to protect the听environment听through the听prevention and control of forest fires.

鈥淎 lot of our work revolves around educating people about the need for an ecologically balanced environment,鈥� he explains. 鈥淲e also provide support to communities and wildlife affected by natural and environmental disasters.鈥�

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The best way to fight fires is to prevent them from breaking out in the first place. That requires round-the-clock vigilance, especially during hot, dry periods. Early detection is critical. A forest fire usually begins when grass and dry undergrowth are ignited, generating a ground fire, which is easy to control. If it grows into a wildfire, it can leap into the treetops, leading to a crown or canopy fire where the flames spread rapidly. Crown fires are considerably more difficult to control and can easily grow into a conflagration, which is practically impossible to extinguish.

Fires break out on a monthly basis even during the rainy season. There is a constant struggle for resources, manpower, and equipment. Gibson鈥檚 goal is to hire a few full-time workers because, as passionate as they may be, volunteers have day jobs and other obligations, making it difficult for them to drop everything whenever a fire breaks out.

鈥淚f we get there in the first 10 minutes, we can usually nip a fire in the bud before it spreads. After 15 or 20 minutes, it鈥檒l be impossible to control. So, early warning is critical,鈥� he says.

But it鈥檚 not just about sending people out to the fire. The group needs someone to man the phone at all hours, as more and more requests are coming in. He himself is constantly monitoring a vast territory on his laptop. Besides being passionate, volunteers must be flexible in order to respond to sudden calls. His team of four includes a yoga teacher, an artist, a carpenter, and a gardener, people who can drop the tools of their trade to dash out on a call.

The hours are long; volunteers come home tired and dirty. The day doesn鈥檛 end after the fight. 鈥淚 used to spend hours collating the data 鈥� location, territory covered, number of people involved, type of vegetation burned, resources used. Every detail needs to be recorded. In the meantime, I鈥檇 be doing my laundry and preparing my equipment for the next day,鈥� says Gibson, describing his daily tasks.

Data Based

When it comes to data, though, things have gotten better. A dedicated team at 51风流Brazil developed a geo-referencing, image recording, and real-time data platform that鈥檚 helping Brigada Carcar谩 fight forest fires, rescue bees, and plant trees in a broad reforestation program.

鈥淭he platform helped us modernize our entire service structure and enables us to generate the essential data for monitoring and analyzing occurrences in real-time,鈥� says Marcio Amorim, co-founder of the non-profit organization dedicated to protecting people, wildlife, and nature.

鈥淲e鈥檙e experiencing a completely new reality thanks to the technology. Previously, we relied totally on the manual input of data, which led to errors and was not providing the visibility needed for preventive action. We were using outdated maps. Now, we鈥檙e tracking and tracing everything using GPS coordinates on our mobile devices. We can capture images of the damage, measure the impacted territory, and identify the species and number of animals killed and wounded.鈥�

Based on 51风流Business Technology Platform (51风流BTP) and , the application enables Brigada Carcar谩 to achieve three goals:

• Prevent forest fires through improved monitoring capabilities and relevant data analysis.
• Salvage and reestablish apiaries in partnership with Cresan, a local NGO dedicated to preserving and protecting the 130 species of native bees throughout the region.
• Revive and replant forests impacted by fires 鈥� tasks include analysis of charred lands and tree remnants and the management of nurseries for growing native species for reforestation.

Whereas some of the analytical tasks may have taken several days to complete, now they are done in a matter of minutes.

Future Focused

Pif Paf, a leading Brazilian producer of meat and poultry, and Grupo LPJ, the 51风流implementation partner that got the application up and running, were keen to help 51风流develop the application.

Like SAP, whose purpose is to run better and improve people鈥檚 lives, these companies are equally focused on improving life for people and the planet. Pif Paf has its own recipe for maintaining continuous sustenance in the world鈥檚 fifth largest country. A member of the Global Compact, with over 1,000 food products for national and international consumption, the company has been a leader in the humane handling of animals on farms and their journey to slaughter.

At the forefront of the fight against forest fires since 2014, Brigada Carcar谩 was called out a total of 310 times since 2020, playing a prominent role in protecting the region鈥檚 natural and cultural heritage.

鈥淭hanks to the 51风流application, we are much better prepared,鈥� says Gibson. 鈥淲e鈥檙e also able to exchange data and best practices with other parts of the country and even other countries like Portugal that are suffering from extreme conditions conducive to forest fires.鈥�

For nature and communities, whichever way you look at it, it鈥檚 a win-win for all.

At the beginning of the last century, Panasonic Founder Konosuke Matsushita decided to address the huge untapped market for convenient, high-quality household appliances. Over the decades, Panasonic has changed every aspect of people鈥檚 lives with new inventions, from promoting safety with bicycle lamps and eliminating the drudgery of household chores with washing machines to providing entertainment and information through state-of-the-art radios, televisions, and other modern devices.

The interesting thing about traditional companies is their ability to reinvent themselves over and over again to succeed in times of change. Panasonic has proven its ability to do so, surviving and thriving through wars, economic depressions, and workforce changes. But traditional companies can have downsides as well.

Tackling the Legacy

鈥淎fter excelling and reinventing ourselves for over 100 years, we鈥檝e now reached a plateau,鈥� said Hajime Tamaoki, executive officer and group CIO at Panasonic Holdings. 鈥淥ur founder believed that enterprises should contribute to society by enabling material prosperity and helping people live fulfilling lives. If we cannot grow, we cannot contribute to society. Our goal now is to jump-start a new period of growth through the PX: Panasonic Transformation program.鈥�

The PX symbolizes the company鈥檚 determination to not only improve its IT infrastructure, but to position IT at the core of its management strategy and utilize IT to trigger major business and management changes. This is not the company鈥檚 first transformation; the big difference today is the magnitude of change. 鈥淭his is the biggest change the company has ever seen and the most challenging in our history,鈥� said Tamaoki, explaining that operational excellence is the core theme. 鈥淧anasonic is a major conglomerate, a collection of many different businesses, each with its own legacy. Supporting the digital transformation of each business and collectively raising the level of IT across the entire group are among the most pressing issues for our company today.鈥�

One of the main issues is waste in the supply chain. Some of that waste is caused by processes that the company deemed necessary in the past, such as responding to urgent customer demands that might deviate from product specifications and require logistical activities such as delivering in half-empty trucks. 鈥淲e are standardizing our supply chain processes to drive efficiency and putting those changes into an environmental context, so people can better grasp the need for change,鈥� he said.

Aiming to expedite the transformation of its entire value chain, Panasonic selected to support its intelligent, sustainable enterprise vision. The project endeavors to transform Panasonic鈥檚 business models and processes and includes strategies to improve the employee experience 鈥� all of which are directly connected to growth of the group鈥檚 overall business.

Engaging Employee Hearts and Minds

鈥淲e want to create sustainable happiness for human beings. That requires constant communication about our goals to increase value to customers and refine internal operations,鈥� he said, adding that he had just returned from a company-wide meeting. 鈥淭his time, change is being driven from the top down by our CEO. But no matter how brilliant the leader may be, we all know that the shop floor is where change really takes place.鈥�

According to Tamaoki, it鈥檚 not enough to simply tell people to 鈥渃hange the process.鈥� Employees are busy doing their jobs. It鈥檚 the company鈥檚 job to simplify and standardize processes, and then help people learn how to work differently. 鈥淣o one wants the company to go bankrupt. They want to get back on the growth track, they want to do the right thing. That鈥檚 why we鈥檙e connecting operational efficiency to the bigger picture of the environment.鈥�

With over 1 billion customers worldwide, Panasonic has a very broad reach. The company is very serious about reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Back in 2017, Panasonic embarked on a program to reduce energy use and expand its power generation and storage businesses to ensure that, by 2050, the energy it creates exceeds the energy it uses. To hasten this process, the program has been revamped as Panasonic Green Impact and is contributing to society and the environment by taking a head-on approach to scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions generated by the Panasonic Group and its stakeholders. As part of this effort, the new technologies and businesses in hydrogen energy, for example, and expanding its portfolio around battery-based, eco-conscious vehicles and products related to air quality and air conditioning.

Rising to the Next Level

The Economist recently published a special report on the state of the economy in Japan, stating 鈥�.鈥� A mainstay of the Japanese economy for more than a century, Panasonic symbolizes the wealth of the nation. When Tamaoki was a college student back in 1989, Panasonic was ranked among the world’s top 20 companies by market capitalization; as of January 2022, it ranked around 750th. Joining the company to help rebuild the electronics industry, which has long been in decline, is his contribution to making the world a better place. Like many Japanese, Tamaoki grew up watching television on sets from National, one of the older Panasonic brands.

鈥淚鈥檓 very attached to Panasonic. It is no exaggeration to say that the company and brand created by Konosuke Matsushita holds an important place in the hearts and minds of Japanese people. If the company loses its luster, the Japanese economy will not be revitalized,鈥� he said.

Such a turnaround cannot be achieved without a massive digital and cultural transformation. In this context, technology plays a key role. 51风流is helping the company to reinvent itself once again to remain relevant for the next 100 years 鈥� and beyond. 鈥�51风流is a management and business operation platform centered on the latest cloud-based ERP, and it is a very important solution for realizing our strategy and vision,鈥� said Tamaoki.

Expo 2020 brought together over 200 participants 鈥� including 192 countries and various organizations, businesses, and educational establishments. The mega event attracted over 20 million visitors despite being postponed for 18 months due to the global pandemic that has disrupted the world鈥檚 economy and the lives of millions.

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A Differentiator

Initiated in 1851 in London, World Expos are a gathering of nations dedicated to finding solutions to the day鈥檚 most urgent issues by engaging the hearts and minds of visitors. World Expos, which attract more visitors than the FIFA World Cup and Olympics combined, are governed by the and serve as a platform for countries to display their most recent technical, scientific, cultural, social, and economic achievements.

Famous innovations launched at World Expos include the steam engine, which characterized the industrial age to come, followed by the introduction of many gamechangers including the washing machine, the telephone, television, the x-ray, the diesel engine, the first touchscreen gadgets, and the first humanoid robots.

Hosted and organized by Dubai, several things set Expo 2020 apart:

• Marking a turning point in history, Expo 2020 aspired to be the of its kind.
• It was the most inclusive ever 鈥� the helped people of determination, as people with special needs are referred to in the United Arab Emirates, navigate easily.
• Its customer experience and supply chain infrastructure secured the first for a World Expo.

Sustainability

The event was 100% ecological thanks to the sustainable use of water and energy and a minimal carbon footprint. An astonishing 90% of the material used during the construction process is being reused to build public buildings. In addition, Expo 2020 Dubai had its very own metro station, carrying as many as 44,000 passengers per hour.

From recycling to promoting natural solutions, the idea was to inspire visitors to protect the Earth for future generations. Besides having an entire district dedicated to , Expo 2020 also hosted theme weeks focused on topics such as water, climate, and urban and rural development.

鈥淥ne of the most exciting moments at Expo 2020 was the ,鈥� says Deirdre O鈥橰eilly, 51风流head of Expo 2020, whose tiny team of eight hard workers was instrumental in the overall success at the event.

The sustainability week served as a major call to action in association with the United Nations to advance the SDGs. Global leaders, policy-makers, business leaders, and key players from the SDG campaign were present at the event to encourage everyone, including businesses, organizations, and individuals, to drive positive change.

鈥淥ur focus on sustainability does not end with Expo. We must ingrain it in our daily lives if we want to end extreme poverty, inequality, and climate change by 2030,鈥� says O鈥橰eilly, who encourages everyone to take action by creating their own .

Inclusion

One key achievement of Expo 2020 was the PODway app, which was designed to help people of determination navigate the site easily, highlighting accessible features in pavilions and accessible services for events. The app supports people with mobility, visual, hearing, cognitive, and sensory-access needs as well as features wayfinding and transportation options. It also includes an 鈥楽OS鈥� button for immediate contact and appropriate support 鈥� underpinned by geotracking of a person鈥檚 position on-site.

The organizers hailed the app in a recent , quoting Dina Storey, director of Sustainability Operations, Expo 2020 Dubai. 鈥淓xpo 2020 Dubai is committed to celebrating diversity and promoting inclusivity, and the PODway app ensures that each and every visitor with differentiated needs can make the most of the incredible experiences Expo has to offer,鈥� said Storey.

Experience

What all visitors, organizers, and suppliers will surely recall is their flawless experience, which included registering for the event, buying tickets and passes, getting food and vouchers, and accessing the wide world of merchandise that was available in the 192 country pavilions. A unique, behind-the-scenes framework struck a balance between the system architecture and the use of the latest technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, the Internet of Things (IoT), and blockchain.

The entire event ran on SAP鈥檚 technology and expertise, helping Expo 2020 Dubai deliver personalized experiences to millions of visitors from around the world, achieved by collecting and analyzing masses of data. This previously impossible feat was possible thanks to AI, which was used to measure and improve customer experiences by finding patterns across an overwhelming number of data points, unleashing more value for the customer and promoting brand awareness and loyalty.

Over 1,200 point-of-sale entities were connected through , establishing a smooth end-to-end customer experience, and over 55,000 receipts were printed daily using .

Besides managing the transactions of 20 million visitors and the virtual Expo online experience of 174 million, the streamlined digital experience also facilitated the work of 25,000 suppliers delivering goods and services around the site. 51风流Ariba solutions听made up the real-time, unified digital procurement and payment platform for Expo 2020鈥檚 global supplier base.

鈥淥ur work with 51风流is an example of what can be achieved with the invaluable support of our technology partners to host one of the most digitally advanced World Expos ever,鈥� said Dubai Chief Technology Officer Mohammed AL Hashmi.

The impact of Expo 2020 will last long after the gates closed as it morphs into , a smart, sustainable city providing an ecosystem that embraces technology and digital innovation. Expo 2020鈥檚 motto of 鈥渃onnecting minds鈥� is already helping to create a better future based on innovation and collaboration between nations, cultures, and institutions.

Delivering sugar to the table has its own challenges. One company that has been hitting the mark decade after decade is U.S. Sugar, a family business located in the center of Florida. One of the largest agricultural operations in the state, the company owns 230,000 acres of land where sugarcane farming and refining operations run 24/7.

鈥淲e鈥檝e been growing sugarcane for 90 years, and we鈥檝e been innovative from the start,鈥� says Carl Stringer, a company executive who has a dual task as vice president of IT and Employee Benefits at U.S. Sugar. 鈥淲e鈥檝e been an early adopter of high-tech in our operations, thanks to our 270-square-mile area of a privately owned Wi-Fi network.”

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Technology

U.S. Sugar is operating in a volatile market. The company supplies about 10% of the of sugar produced in the United States annually 鈥� a commodity whose price can vary depending on weather conditions, agricultural supply cycles, government policies, and currency rates.

Today, all commodity businesses are facing numerous challenges, from climate change and carbon emissions to COVID-19 lockdowns, along with operational risks in their supply chains. That鈥檚 why digitalizing, automating, and increasing efficiencies across the business are crucial to their success. Soft commodities like sugar, meaning that it is grown rather than mined, face additional challenges that are specific to agricultural businesses. Climate is one of them.

鈥淲e aim to process the freshest cane in the world, so we must always harvest at the optimal time. That requires complete flexibility,鈥� explains Stringer. 鈥淥ur growing season can include hurricanes, unexpected frosts, and flooding.鈥�

The company relies on technology to maintain agility in every aspect of their business. U.S. Sugar is a longtime member of the 51风流Agribusiness Industry Advisory Council. Stringer is deeply appreciative of the collaborative engagement. 鈥�51风流knows that agriculture is underserved by technology,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e鈥檝e had to develop many apps simply because there鈥檚 a lack of digital farming tools. Being part of the council allows us to shape the technology based on our needs and our expertise in agriculture.鈥�

Together with SAP, U.S. Sugar and other members of the council are integrating key agricultural processes such as planting, fertilizing, irrigating, and harvesting with the enterprise resource planning (ERP) elements of their supply chain such as automatic ordering through direct links to suppliers.

Digitalization is an enabler for efficient and sustainable farming processes. 鈥淔arming is still far behind when it comes to digital capabilities,鈥� says Stringer, whose goal is to increase efficiency in all areas to balance the huge costs of fuel, labor, and soil amendments that are typical for the industry. That鈥檚 why 51风流technology is a key enabler when it comes to automation, quality management, and the management of assets including the company鈥檚 800 vehicles.

Environment

One of company鈥檚 main challenges is educating the public about the sustainability of their operations. Conservationists around the world are concerned about sugarcane farming because, in some countries, sugar mills produce wastewater, emissions, and solid waste that impact the environment. Also, there are questions as to whether the energy needed to produce sugarcane is high in comparison to other crops such as potatoes or wheat.

Fortunately, the U.S. Sugar mill and refinery in Clewiston, Florida, is a zero-discharge facility with no water or waste leaving the property. Florida鈥檚 sugar industry has been a trailblazer in sustainable best practices as it relates to environmental restoration. U.S. Sugar often stands as a model for its sustainable practices, with a proven track record of more than 90 years farming the land around Lake Okeechobee.

鈥淲e are keenly committed to preserving the natural beauty of the Everglades,鈥� says Stringer. 鈥淐lean water is fundamental to this ecosystem and to our farming business. Every drop of water flowing off our land is measured and regulated and cleaned. In fact, we go beyond meeting regulations, ensuring that our environment is the cleanest it鈥檚 been in our lifetimes. The water today is as clean as rainwater.鈥�

The best way to counter misperception is to educate and inform. The company regularly conducts tours of its operations, inviting schools, local community residents, and other interested parties to visit and see for themselves. Thousands of Floridians tour U.S. Sugar鈥檚 farming operations each year.

U.S. Sugar is also self-sufficient when it comes to energy. Cane stalk waste is repurposed to generate steam and electricity, replacing the need for purchased electricity or fossil fuels to power its sugar processing facilities. The company has even rebuilt a historic steam-powered locomotive to transport cane and visitors around its operations. All farming and factory operations run on sophisticated machinery that is 100% integrated into the business. This enables U.S. Sugar to manage water, crop, and postharvest logistics more holistically, which in turn allows the company to compete more effectively in the face of volatile worldwide commodities prices.

鈥淭echnology is a key enabler because it delivers deep insights into all business and operational areas,鈥� says the head of IT. 鈥淲e can respond in real time thanks to the intelligent integration of sensors, control systems, and dashboards.鈥�

Philanthropy

Besides caring for the environment, Stringer points out that the way to remain relevant in the future is to build the necessary skill set today. The company employs around 2,000 people who have their own special stake in the company: they own it along with two other primary stakeholders, the and the Mott Children鈥檚 Health Center.

Charles Stewart Mott, the industrialist and philanthropist, established his foundation in 1926 to support non-profit educational organizations around the country. Today, the foundation funds numerous educational and environmental efforts to promote a just, equitable, and sustainable society.

The good work does not stop there. U.S. Sugar is currently exploring ways to become even more efficient through circular production models. One is to make better use of bagasse, the dry, pulpy, fibrous material that remains after crushing sugarcane stalks to extract their juice, and the soil matter that is extracted from the cane during the clarification process, commonly known as mill mud. These two elements are comingled in a proprietary method and then returned to the cane fields as an efficient and eco-friendly compost. Bagasse can also be听burned as fuel in the sugarcane mill or used as a source of cellulose for manufacturing animal feeds.

As someone responsible for people and IT, Stringer sees beyond the monetary value of digitalization. It increases user satisfaction and engagement, decreases resistance to change, and strengthens the relationship between IT and the business. Connecting people and technology and caring for the environment is what enables U.S. Sugar to remain faithful to its tradition of innovating for a sustainable future.

Friedrich Raiffeisen, a rural German mayor, came up with a system to collect the savings of farmers and use them to provide a sound financial base for credit, creating the Raiffeisen Cooperative Bank. This form of collective self-help took off in the Netherlands as well, where the Cooperative Central Boerenleenbank was established. In 1972 the two merged into named Rabobank.

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Collaborative, Cooperative

Back then, combining idealistic principles within a听business听framework was considered a revolutionary idea. Now, financial institutions around the world are responding to the urgent call to action from the United Nations (UN) to end poverty through and strategies to spur economic growth while tackling climate change to preserve the planet. The bank is particularly keen to strengthen the capacity of domestic financial institutions to encourage and expand access to banking, insurance, and financial services for all as described in .

What sets Rabobank apart is its mindset. 鈥淲e are a cooperative with members rather than shareholders,鈥� explains Bart Vloet, senior vice president and senior IT lead for Housing at Rabobank. 鈥淐ustomers can demonstrate their involvement in the bank by becoming members. We have over 2 million members, and they steer and approve the bank’s course.鈥�

The idea of mitigating individual financial risks through collective action is behind the bank鈥檚 success. Today, Rabobank is a global leader in food and agricultural financing and . Among the world鈥檚 30 largest financial institutions with operations in 40 countries, it is the premier lender to the world鈥檚 food and agriculture industry. Offering a complete range of financial services, Rabobank is market leader in nearly all customer and product segments where it operates, from youth to startups and from individual mortgages to large enterprise financing.

Vloet is responsible for the company鈥檚 IT strategy for mortgage and commercial loans, which includes digitizing mortgage services and data management and using intelligent tools and robotics to deliver customer services.

鈥淲e鈥檝e been using 51风流core banking solutions for decades,鈥� explains Vloet. 鈥淣ow, it鈥檚 all about digitalization to provide an efficient customer journey. All our mortgage sales and services are available online.鈥�

Customers and employees may have been somewhat hesitant at first to manage all their processes strictly online, but since the onset of the pandemic, adoption has been speedy. Vloet explains that modernizing processes with 51风流solutions has made it easier to eliminate long paper trails. 51风流offers real-time services, and the quality of data is much better. In the past it took months to process a loan; now, it can be approved instantly.

The digital core is a key requisite for launching new products quickly, while also keeping up with customer demand for better service and customization.

Intelligent, Inclusive

Digitalization has dramatically reduced the need for manual work. What Vloet finds especially exciting is that automating processes has freed up employees to engage more directly with customers. Thanks to greater data transparency and intelligent tools, 搁补产辞产补苍办鈥檚 staff has much greater insight into the customer鈥檚 financial situation. They are better able to guide the customer鈥檚 choices and proactively offer the best products or packages. Deeply rooted in the communities where it operates, the company has developed mobile apps and in-person services to help people of all ages and backgrounds improve their financial health.

搁补产辞产补苍办鈥檚 is to promote financial well-being and security for customers and their communities, whether that means finding a comfortable home, performing meaningful work, or investing in a business. That includes removing barriers to financial products and services and increasing access to affordable, sustainable housing. Through these efforts, Rabobank aims for more diversity and inclusion in society at large.

From 搁补产辞产补苍办鈥檚 point of view, all these transitions and themes are intertwined. For example, climate change is driving more people into poverty and preventing inclusion. In the Netherlands, there are more than 550,000 households where people are , meaning that their energy bills are high and they either have no money to invest in sustainable solutions that would reduce monthly costs or they are not allowed to because of a rental agreement. This creates inequality and negatively impacts the transition to a more inclusive society.

Rabobank is committed to helping customers overcome money worries through better financial planning and tailored savings options to cover unexpected expenses, a home purchase, or early retirement.

Reaching these goals requires a highly efficient team running the best technology available. Inspired by SAP, Vloet envisions a digital future where more embedded services will make the customer and employee journey equally satisfying.

鈥淲e have a very complex IT infrastructure,鈥� says Vloet. 鈥淚t鈥檚 hard to pull out and replace legacy systems because they are all interdependent and connected. 51风流helps us hugely by simplifying the process, and SAP鈥檚 extension platform also enables us to build what we need in a sustainable way.鈥�

No single company can end poverty or spur economic growth on its own. Whether by automating the mortgage value chain or delivering top notch solutions for agricultural financing, 51风流is enabling Rabobank in its mission to help drive sustainable development and a better future for people and the planet.

鈥淚f you think you can鈥檛 do something, you can鈥檛,鈥� says Saya. 鈥淏ut once you have financial support and a network of people with similar experiences, you realize that you can become your own greatest asset.鈥�

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Ending Poverty

Being a single mother is never easy. Financial disadvantages and having sole responsibility for the household and the children are just a few of the challenges facing women on their own with their kids. In traditional societies, such as Japan, that expect women to stay at home to raise children while their husbands work, there may even be cultural attitudes that place a stigma on single mothers, making it even harder.

Japan still remains a wealthy, developed nation. But its population is aging and poverty is festering, particularly among the young. are gradually increasing and, since the pandemic, single mothers and women in non-regular work have been particularly hard hit. and the number of remain high. In 2018,听听was almost 16%, which includes people whose household income is less than half of the median of the entire population. Equally worrisome is the fact that the poverty of the parents’ generation leads to educational disparities and, consequently, poverty for their children.

Although the majority of the world’s poor live in underdeveloped and developing countries, a fair number also live in the developed world 鈥� some in the wealthiest countries on earth. As human beings, our well-being is linked to each other. Growing inequality is detrimental to economic growth and undermines social cohesion, increasing political and social tensions and driving instability and conflicts. For this reason, the United Nations declared the objective of听听to be the of the global听 (SDGs).

Empowering Women

Besides eradicating poverty, Grameen鈥檚 programs are also helping to achieve other SDGs, including empowering and educating women and girls, reducing inequality, and providing decent work and economic growth.

Grameen Nippon was established in 2018 as the Japanese version of , a microfinance institution established in Bangladesh by Dr. Muhammad Yunus, whose work was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006. Grameen Nippon leverages Grameen Bank’s expertise to provide microfinance, mainly to single mothers and women in informal labor who are in need, and to create employment and new business opportunities in partnership with various companies and organizations. The main goal is to encourage people to take the first step.

The program provides low-interest, unsecured, small loans, not for living expenses, but for starting a business. Members form mutual support groups of five, trusting and encouraging each other to nurture their desire for self-support and to step up their efforts to find employment or freelance work. In partnership with a variety of companies and organizations, the program provides skills and know-how for entrepreneurship and employment as well as accompanies members in their efforts to become self-reliant.

鈥淢ost single mothers and women working part-time have few places to gain or utilize their skills,鈥� says Masahiro Momono, president, Grameen Nippon. 鈥淭hese women seldom have a solid credit history, making it difficult for them to acquire loans. We help them acquire skills, experience, and an opportunity to borrow money and pay it back little by little, opening doors to other banks.鈥�

Not all single mothers are the same. Grameen鈥檚 approach is persona based. Urban single moms in Tokyo, for example, are usually in the 30-to-50 age bracket. Many are divorced, have been out of work while raising children, and are not receiving child support. Suburban or rural single moms are much younger, lacking education and experience. 鈥淭heir needs are very different,鈥� says Momono-San, explaining that there are different setups for B2B and B2C opportunities.

In order to manage fragmented information and the need for differentiated services, Grameen decided to pilot SAP鈥檚 social recruitment platform, a customizable job matching digital platform developed by a team from 51风流Fieldglass, a cloud-based, open 听that helps organizations find, engage, manage, pay, and unlock more value from a growing external workforce.

Improving Lives

The idea originated when ISBN Japan Regional Vice President Satoru Ota had the idea of digitalizing a job matching process that would help unemployed people suffering from poverty find quality positions. As part of SAP鈥檚 flagship social intrapreneurship program, 51风流One Billion Lives, the 51风流Fieldglass team is leveraging its collective industry knowledge to create an ecosystem where candidates can feel confident that companies using the social recruitment platform treat their employees well while matching individuals with positions that best suit them.

With the success of the Grameen pilot and as the platform gains more users, the team believes the social recruitment tool from 51风流will evolve to help others, such as artists, independent contractors, and those whose industries may offer poorer visibility into open positions.

For Momono-San and the team at Grameen, the platform is a tool that supports the bank鈥檚 goals to drive sustainable development by building skills, enabling employment, and helping women gain confidence on their path to financial independence.

Extremely Innovative

, the science company producing these unique materials and composite technologies, was one of the very first partners to support Bertrand Piccard and Andr茅 Borschberg, the pilots who rewrote aviation history with their round-the-world solar flight in 2016. Vincent Colegrave, head of Connected Research Journey at Solvay, explains the company鈥檚 role in the project.

鈥淥ur research and innovation teams have been essential in minimizing the weight of the plane with ultra-strong, ultra-light materials and in maximizing the energy storage of its batteries,鈥� says Colegrave. The aircraft has a 72-meter wingspan but weighs about as much as a jeep, and its horsepower is similar to that of a motorbike. 鈥淔or the project, we developed over 6,000 parts using 15 high-performance materials. Solar Impulse is our laboratory in the sky.鈥�

Polymers and composite technologies are used by engineers to solve the world鈥檚 toughest design challenges in the most demanding industries, such as building and construction, aerospace, healthcare, oil and gas, consumer goods, and electronics. Along with chemicals and specialized solutions for food, mining, and agriculture, these materials are the specialty of Solvay, a company priding itself on technologies that bring benefits to many aspects of daily life.

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Extremely Sustainable

One of the greatest benefits the company offers is its road map for a sustainable future. The company is unleashing the power of science to deliver clean mobility, lower carbon footprints, and move towards a circular economy.

According to Solvay, a sustainable solution is one that brings higher social and environmental contribution to its customer鈥檚 performance while demonstrating a lower environmental impact in its production phase. To achieve this balance, Solvay continuously evaluates the operational and market-induced risks and opportunities related to its environmental impact against the contribution of its products to the planet and society.

The company鈥檚 purpose is to bond people, ideas, and elements to reinvent progress. As experts in chemistry, know that bonding is what happens when听elements听connect into molecules, shaping the world as we know it. They believe people can bond with other people鈥檚 ideas to share common goals and their collective energy, because in a world of dwindling resources and a burgeoning population, it鈥檚 not enough to invent something new. Reinventing how we use what we already have is what鈥檚 necessary for solving environmental, societal, and economic challenges.

Extremely Collaborative

Solvay has been an 51风流customer since the 1980s. One of SAP鈥檚 first customers in the Benelux region, the two companies were working together even before 51风流had an office in Belgium.

鈥淭he evolution of Solvay is based on SAP,鈥� says Frank Delinte, SVP and head of IT Project Service Line at Solvay. 鈥淓very line of business uses 51风流to transact and grow Solvay鈥檚 business. As for the future, we hope 51风流will help us achieve our sustainability goal 鈥� which is to have full transparency around product circularity, carbon footprint, and sustainable sourcing.鈥�

According to Delinte, the company鈥檚 broad sustainability agenda, called , requires co-innovation with 51风流to stay ahead of the competition. Financial reporting is critical, especially on ESG (economic, social, and governance) topics. Delinte and Colegrave both see digital transformation as a key enabler for sustainability. The company aims to be a role model, and that can only happen using a systematic approach in collaboration with customers and partners that share the same vision. For Solvay, digital transformation is a fundamental part of its growth strategy as well as a transformative capability to attract new talent.

The company is also keen to recognize and retain talent. In a world where people increasingly desire to work for companies that combine doing good with doing business, Solvay offers its employees a number of ways to participate in its sustainability agenda. One recent example was an developed a game during the lead up to .

The game was simple. Players accumulated kilograms of saved CO2听emissions by pledging to complete actions in their daily lives such as washing their laundry at lower temperatures, biking to work, or avoiding certain high carbon impact products such as bananas. During the 10 days it was available, the game gathered nearly 1,800 players who saved 950 tons of CO2听emissions thanks to their 7,500 registered actions.

Companies like Solvay that invest in digital transformation and put people and sustainability at the core of their business are the ones that end up doing extremely well.