In a new 2024 global study on the power of intergenerational collaboration published by (WAFF) in partnership with The Possibilists and the Vienna University of Economics and Business, 87% of respondents cited believe youth have ideas and solutions that can improve or solve global issues. Yet, only 19% agree that youth are currently given enough opportunities to lead and contribute. We need young people to help rethink, reshape, challenge, and collaborate alongside today鈥檚 decision-makers as we solve the world’s unprecedented problems.

No single generation has all the answers. 51风流embraces this methodology of intergenerational collaboration, bringing dynamic perspectives together across its business in hopes that young experts can work alongside today鈥檚 leaders to shape the future of both business and our world. As evidenced by , here are some additional insights as to why this strategy is one you should consider too.

Youth Are Digital Natives in a Tech-Driven Era

Technology can help address the most profound environmental, economic, and social challenges of our time. Software and analytics can help predict and prevent disasters, make cities smarter, and foster equity in workplaces. In this era of rapid technological evolution, leaders of all generations have valuable perspective and expertise to augment the power of technology as well.

WAFF鈥檚 global study reminds us that Gen Z are digital natives who grew up online and 鈥渉ave adapted to learn, grow, and build skills in an entirely new and accelerated ways.鈥� The study goes on to remind leaders that by investing in young people now, global leaders and corporations alike can sooner harness their technological expertise and unique lived experiences.

SAP, for example, is curating partnerships and opportunities that invest in the expertise of young social entrepreneurs, like 19-year-old Sneha Revanur, CEO and founder of and one of Time鈥檚 100 Most Influential People in AI 2023. At World Economic Forum鈥檚 Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, this January, Revanur sat alongside Chief Technology Officer and Member of the Executive Board of 51风流SE Juergen Mueller, hosting a powerful conversation on the future of AI and the opportunity to bring youth to the table. 鈥淚n spaces rife with credentialism, young people can offer perspectives that are rooted in lived experience,鈥� Revanur shares.

Mueller affirms this approach: 鈥淚 strongly believe in the power of intergenerational leadership 鈥� involving young talents in decision-making processes helps to bring the best in innovation to market. For instance, I have an early talent board in my organization who I regularly exchange with and get valuable guidance from. I also had the opportunity to meet with several young changemakers at events like the World Economic Forum in the last years and could learn a lot from them. Giving young leaders a seat at the table brings the right connections, mindsets, and energy together to create innovative and responsible solutions.鈥�

Youth Demand Accountability

The tech industry and young people are united by a common cause: ensuring responsible data use and harnessing its power for good. Data allows us to generate accurate and actionable insights to transform the way the world works. When companies and governments have access to data-driven information, they can use those insights to achieve their vision 鈥� be it to clean the ocean, transform industries, or redefine the future of work. Effective solutions and responsible technology require collaboration, however. Data provides a foundation, but real change occurs when the public, private, and social sectors work together to create solutions.

This collaborative spirit echoes the work of Revanur and Encode Justice to leverage the power of data to shape the future. Encode Justice launched an intergenerational and multisector . 鈥淩ecent breakthroughs are transforming social, political, and economic realities, but they have not come without unanticipated risks鈥s AI grows more and more capable, harms will only proliferate. Our shared future is more precarious now than ever before. It is young people who have the most to gain 鈥� and the most to lose,鈥� Encode Justice鈥檚 website reads.

Finding the Tipping Point

SAP鈥檚 Head of Corporate Social Responsibility Alexandra van der Ploeg points out that 51风流has been working alongside organizations like We Are Family Foundation and The Possibilists to unlock and scale the power of young social innovators for nearly a decade. 鈥淭ransformative change takes ages, but this is not something that we can afford to take ages on. 2030 is around the corner. We must identify the levers and find the tipping point as a community to move from data and evidence to solutions that work for the world,鈥� van der Ploeg acknowledges.

Leveraging the is a great place to start when considering how to create a more sustainable future. It offers case studies and recommendations for meaningful intergenerational collaboration that any organization can act on, including co-creating projects alongside young experts.

鈥淎 new generation of young leaders has emerged 鈥� well-informed, resolutely committed, and emboldened by the challenges they face firsthand,鈥� says Annie Greene, director of Programs at We Are Family Foundation. 鈥淏y investing in these young leaders today, we benefit from their unique insights and extend their runway to help us solve our most pressing problems.鈥�

To advance solutions for humanity, we must change the dynamics in rooms of power. Given the opportunity to collaborate with the leaders of tomorrow on today’s challenges, why wouldn鈥檛 we?

Jennifer Beason is global director for Impact Entrepreneurship at SAP.

But across global boardrooms there remains a philosophical divide about the purpose of business. It is becoming more apparent that the concept of 鈥渟hareholder capitalism鈥� — putting corporate earnings above all else — is a diminishing notion. Resurgent is 鈥�,鈥� where business considers the broader interests of investors, employees, society, and the planet.

Top executives are prioritizing environmental, social, and governance (ESG) activities that support the interests of the broader group of stakeholders. Time is of the essence because the impacts of and loss are plainly obvious. ESG topics are affected by more stringent regulations as well as employee, customer, and investor scrutiny. It鈥檚 also increasingly clear that strong performance in these traditionally non-financial issues is a competitive advantage and . With companies making , from diversity to net-zero, it is clear that measuring performance will be essential to effective management, performance assessments, and collective achievement.

For years, companies have reported their ESG or non-financial performance. This kind of reporting is increasingly mandatory for listed companies, while private and smaller companies are increasingly reporting voluntarily.

The challenge for all of them, however, is the broad range of reporting frameworks and standards. More than 100 ESG reporting guidelines are in use, oftentimes conflicting and redundant, making it virtually impossible for executives, investors, and other stakeholders to determine credible progress or compare impacts across different companies and industries. Ninety percent of corporates and disclosures would be useful for financial markets and the economy. Consolidation around a universal, comparable set of reporting standards is urgently needed.

The World Economic Forum鈥檚 (WEF) International Business Council (IBC) asked a number of global accounting firms to agree on a set of ESG metrics that all companies can use as a 鈥渇oundation鈥� in their ESG reporting. Drawing from the range of existing widely used frameworks and standards, the were released last year. The initiative aims to accelerate the convergence of reporting standards. The framework uses a set of measures to value and report the business performance across four 鈥淧s鈥�: Principles of Governance, Planet, People, and Prosperity.

Today, have committed to the concept of stakeholder capitalism and support using the WEF metrics. Around 30 companies have already begun implementing them in their corporate reporting. In the few years ahead, rapid adoption and use of the WEF metrics by thousands of companies, as well as cooperation among other standards organizations and regulators, will be crucial to the widespread support needed to accelerate convergence.

51风流has committed to the WEF Stakeholder Capitalism metrics and encourages further global standardization and convergence in the ESG reporting landscape. We offer support to the initiative by including the standards in our own global reporting and also offering the framework in our core sustainability software solutions. Our hundreds of thousands of international customers, including 80% of the Fortune 500, are encouraged to implement the Stakeholder Capitalism metrics. Companies that already have established reporting systems can add the WEF framework, and companies just beginning to report can use the framework as their starting point.

The areas covered in the four Ps have been translated into a set of 21 core metrics, which are seen as critically important across industries. A number of additional measures are available to provide more detail and industry-specific information. The metrics are supported in our sustainability software solutions to help fast-track a vital 鈥渃ore and common鈥� reporting language.

Converging the overly complex world of ESG reporting and understanding the stakeholder perspective of how companies positively and negatively impact society is the first step. A vital evolution will be the widespread adoption of a value-to-business perspective and applying financial values to these traditional non-financial ESG actions. It is an important distinction between reporting the performance of an ESG metric and putting a monetary value on an ESG performance.

For comparability and holistic corporate management and decision-making, it is essential to monetize impacts in financial terms and include them in disclosures. This financial-driven view clarifies how these ESG impacts affect the company鈥檚 financial performance. Both perspectives are intrinsically related and are often referred to as 鈥渄ouble materiality.鈥�

Both perspectives are fundamental for understanding a company鈥檚 long-term value creation. 51风流is a founding member of the , which aims to standardize measurement and valuation methodologies to , act as practitioner鈥檚 lab and pilot the methodologies to create a unified voice for the industry.

The VBA and the Stakeholder Capitalism metrics are similar and share a common goal. In April of this year, the VBA and the WEF issued a joint announcement supporting a shared view on accounting standards.

Way back in 2013, a prescient Peter Bakker, CEO of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), said that and that we needed to change accounting rules. Those changes are coming. We believe should be established globally. A 鈥渂alance sheet鈥� set of impact measures is not enough; we also need an impact profit-and-loss sheet.

With financial values assigned to these traditionally non-financial ESG measures, a new accounting standard is required. Organizations like the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) Foundation are now considering broadening their mandates to include sustainability issues. All major reporting standards groups and the WEF are part of a core working committee of the IFRS on a new accounting standard. Their approach is scheduled to be announced at the upcoming COP26 in Glasgow in November.

As industries and markets mature, they tend to converge and establish clearer standards, processes, and players. In the rapidly expanding area of corporate ESG measurement and reporting, we encourage the use of technology solutions to more efficiently capture, manage, analyze, and use sustainability data for better sustainability stewardship.

Companies across industries, supply chains, and geographies will have to focus their disparate systems to better support data collection and management, supplier connectivity, employee and customer engagement. This is essential for competitive decision-making and making investments in activities that support stakeholder capitalism.

When global business has more connected, validated, and accurate sustainability performance information, combined with a shared vision and common reporting and valuating language, we will have the power to achieve our most ambitious goals together.

Daniel Schmid is chief sustainability officer of 51风流SE.

Globally, we generate , far more than we can fully process or recycle. While the will to become more circular already exists in many enterprises and organizations, . Many places lack proper waste infrastructure, recycling technology still is not good enough, and — most importantly — we have been using outdated business models to meet the needs of an expanding middle class that wants to buy more stuff.

The current “take, make, use, dispose” model must go, and there must be an efficient solution to designing out, collecting, and re-purposing waste that otherwise ends up in the ocean, in landfills, or simply tossed into the landscape.

This requires a collective, scalable approach and a new level of transparency into material flows, value creation, and impact. The challenge is clear: how can technology help align the interests of people, the planet, and modern business?

Managing Municipal Waste

Cities in the U.S. in particular are facing a crisis. With China no longer accepting the import of most scrap materials, and many other Southeast Asian countries , recycling costs are climbing and many governments are scrambling to find new buyers for these materials. As a result, more plastic than ever before is ending up in landfills, being incinerated, or leaking into the environment.

In the absence of federal policy to stimulate circular investments or behavior change, city and state officials need to have the data and mindset to make changes. To manage waste efficiently, they need to make informed decisions to drive investments, job creation, and environmental benefits. They must understand the value of materials within recycling systems and materials lost to landfills. And they must find the right models to work with the private sector and non-governmental organizations.

Take Chicago, for example. The current recycling rate is compared to the national average in the U.S. of 35.2%. Leading countries such as Germany and many cities in California and the Pacific Northwest are already recycling materials at .

Data from the last detailed shows that there is an opportunity in Chicago to increase recycling by more than 800,000 tons per year, excluding construction and demolition debris. According to the , this could result in the creation of nearly 1,000 new jobs, more than $50 million in wages, and an additional $7 million in tax revenues. This is in addition to the millions of dollars in societal value for city residents based on the environmental benefits of recycling.

With the right solution, it would be easy to track the movement of materials in different parts of the city, as well as the surrounding counties, in order to identify opportunities for reuse and recycling. The right solution would also enable companies to track where their waste travels after it has been generated.聽 That knowledge could enable innovative public-private partnerships such as waste re-purchase models to cycle those materials back into new products while supporting local, inclusive economic development.

The Opportunity Project

This solution is not fictional. 51风流and waste analytics business have developed a digital showcase with co-innovation partners, including BrewDog, Coca-Cola European Partners, and DS Smith. The showcase was launched as the COP26 Waste Insights Project in Europe. It has now been taken to the U.S. via The Opportunity Project, which helps that solve real-world problems, such as halting climate change.

The project is hosted by the Census Open Innovation Labs at the U.S. Census Bureau. As part of the project, 51风流and Topolytics partnered with Pyxera Global, Rheaply, and The Recycling Partnership to develop a Chicago Circular Economy showcase, which will be presented at The Opportunity Project in the December 9 session “.”

“This initiative is part of SAP鈥檚 vision for a plastic-free ocean by 2030 and helps accelerate our broader Circular Economy program,” said Jim Sullivan, lead for the Circular Economy and Sustainable Innovation Strategy at SAP. “Our mission is to make the Circular Economy the de-facto approach to material use and waste management and help our customers lead in the fight against climate change.”

In addition to the Chicago showcase, 51风流is also working with the government of Ghana, along with the World Economic Forum鈥檚 Global Plastic Action Partnership, rePATRN, Dow, and Coca-Cola, to create a domestic recycling industry that protects the environment and the impoverished and mostly female community of waste-pickers.

Ocean activist Emily Penn also collaborated closely with 51风流as she developed the SHiFT platform, which can be accessed by anyone anywhere in the world to help individuals, advocates, and experts find best-fit solutions to help solve ocean plastic pollution.

An Urgent Need

According to a 2020 ,61% of people globally do not have access — or know how — to use recycling infrastructure. Because 51风流systems touch 77% of the world鈥檚 transactions, the company is uniquely positioned to help customers tackle climate change and pollution through better use of digital technologies and information. It is this large customer base that gives 51风流the chance to fulfill its purpose. Because we have been doing this for nearly 50 years, no other company has the profound business process knowledge needed to help customers to succeed in a digital world that can and does change the way the world runs.

51风流has a vision for a cleaner ocean and is accelerating the global transition to an inclusive, circular economy. Join us!

.

Follow me on Twitter:

As that sentiment becomes more firmly rooted in the public consciousness, enterprises are responding with new business models and a more circular mindset. While doing well and doing better are already reflected in the top and bottom lines, what is missing is the doing good part of the equation.

That鈥檚 why 51风流leaders are convinced that to the top and bottom line is a crucial move. In the future, the success of a company will be determined based on all three of these dimensions. But any talk about top, bottom, or green lines must begin with a clear view of a company鈥檚 finances and its strategic plan to deliver on its mission.

Role of Reporting

鈥淚t is our ambition to maintain our position as the role model for sustainable corporate reporting,鈥� says Christopher Sessar, head of Corporate Financial Reporting and chief accountant at SAP. 鈥�51风流has been a frontrunner in assigning value and reporting on non-financial targets, allowing us to build a bridge between the financial and non-financial dimensions.鈥�

As a member of the Sustainability Council at SAP, Sessar aims to improve reporting processes in non-financial dimensions and enhance the portfolio by embedding intelligent reporting capabilities on non-financial measures in 51风流solutions.

Members of the council are nominated by the 51风流Executive Board and are responsible for integrating sustainability into their core business area. Sessar鈥檚 role is to make sure the company鈥檚 sustainability objectives and financial practices are in full alignment, connecting economic performance with environmental and social impact.

Sessar supported the implementation of SAP’s award-winning integrated reporting strategy as well as its new finance strategy. He is inspired by his peers at companies such as Chanel, Siemens, and Burberry in programs like the . Such programs are designed to help senior finance executives determine the impact of external factors on price, navigate the changing business landscape, and deliver on 鈥榩urpose.鈥�

Connectivity Matrix

The importance of corporate sustainability reporting cannot be overestimated. Its role is to drive decision-making and strategy execution through transparency and early warning.

Sustainability-focused enterprises like Kering, which including Gucci, are developing ways to speak about their environmental impact in financial terms. Kering has developed a capital accounting methodology called聽, which measures and analyzes vital data like carbon emissions along the entire supply chain.

This makes the impact of the group鈥檚 activities visible and quantifiable by enabling the company鈥檚 use of natural resources to be translated into monetary values. To tighten the connection between profitability and sustainability, a portion of top management bonuses is based on their sustainability achievements.

For Sessar, Kering鈥檚 model and others, like PwC鈥檚 simulation of , are eye-openers.

鈥淚 was trained in the traditional interpretation of the accounting function,鈥� Sessar explains. 鈥淏y adding environmental and social values to a traditional balance sheet and profit and loss statement, the new models provide more meaningful and holistic insights into the true value creation process of an entity.鈥�

51风流has developed its own methodology for putting a value on non-financial performance indicators. Using regression analysis, the approach highlights how key environmental and social indicators connect to corporate objectives and metrics. An interactive infographic offers a range of this information. For example, clicking on Carbon Emissions will show that lowering SAP鈥檚 carbon emissions can have a positive impact on employee engagement because loyalty should rise as employees see their company act responsibly.

摆闭鈥淭丑别 was SAP鈥檚 first attempt to put a price tag on environmental or social activities, such as training, or line items like energy consumption,鈥� Sessar says.

The goal is to create one global standard taxonomy for internal and external reporting purposes that can be used regardless of industry or line of business. A global standard creates the consistency needed to compare companies across industries, giving shareholders a meaningful basis for making sustainable investment decisions.

鈥�51风流must take a thought leadership role in this process, considering that there are many touchpoints with our products and technology,鈥� says Sessar. 鈥淲e need to share our experience in reporting and analytics excellence.鈥� Sessar goes on to explain that 51风流became a founding member of the along with other forward-thinking companies like BASF, Mitsubishi, and Novartis, for exactly this reason.

The alliance is a non-profit organization operating on the premise that planetary boundaries and social needs form the basis for a stable business environment. 鈥淲e want to change the way company performance is measured and valued,鈥� says Sessar. 鈥淲e can do it with a global measurement standard for disclosing the positive and negative impacts of corporate activity and guidance on how they can be integrated into business steering.鈥�

Evolution of Non-Financial Metrics

Sessar realizes this is easier said than done. Being part of this alliance will allow 51风流to work with like-minded companies to create the foundation to transform the way businesses measure and value their overall societal impacts, dependencies along the value chain, and monetary effect on a company鈥檚 value.

Ten years ago, it was unheard of to talk a lot about non-financial metrics during earnings discussions. 鈥淥ver the years, there has been a tremendous shift in both directions,鈥� he says. 鈥淣ow, investors ask for, and 51风流proactively shares, figures about customer satisfaction like the Net Promoter Score along with employee survey results.鈥�

In its dual role as enabler and exemplar, 51风流is not only developing solutions to help companies become more sustainable through intelligent decision-making; it is using its own technology to steer a clear course as it strives to make the world run better and improve people鈥檚 lives.

51风流is using tools like 51风流Analytics Cloud and 51风流Digital Boardroom for global, real-time reporting activities. 鈥淲e鈥檝e been doing this for years, and it鈥檚 amazing to see how our reporting capabilities continue to grow,鈥� Sessar shares. 鈥淭he journey from manual reporting with Excel sheets to real-time reporting that provides instant transparency and tools for prediction and simulation is still ongoing, but changing fast,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e should use the momentum to move our social and environmental reporting to the next level, providing real-time insights, predictions, and simulations for the decision-makers steering our company.鈥�

As a father of a two-year-old, Sessar reflects on the Climate 21 initiative and the early this year at the World Economic Forum in Davos: what good is all the extra wealth in the world generated from operating 鈥渂usiness as usual,鈥� if you can do nothing but watch it burn in catastrophic conditions?

Only a revolution in the way the聽global economy聽and聽financial markets聽work can save the planet from the climate crisis and secure聽, and Sessar is determined to do his share by leading SAP鈥檚 accounting team on that path.

Follow me on Twitter:

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.

With a five percent recycling rate, Ghana has emerged as a regional front runner, committed to creating a domestic recycling industry that protects both the environment and the impoverished, mostly female community of waste pickers. Last fall, Ghana became the to join the World Economic Forum鈥檚 (GPAP).

Click the button below to load the content from YouTube.

Always allow YouTube

At a recent event, , panelists representing a coalition of governments, manufacturers, technology providers, and non-profit organizations discussed how Ghana is driving change.

Oliver Boachie, special advisor from the Ghanaian Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation (), said, 鈥淲e see plastic waste as a threat to our way of life and danger to environment. But we also look at this as an opportunity.鈥�

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

is also a member of GPAP and has collaborated with MESTI, private industries, and local non-profits to create a technology solution that will help. Maggie Buggie, chief business officer of 51风流Services, said, 鈥淭he recycling systems in Ghana are very analog so we鈥檙e 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.鈥�

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鈥� wages and living conditions.

鈥淏y connecting the informal economy of waste pickers to the formal economy, we can help ensure they receive a fair wage and, later on, get services like training or childcare,鈥� Buggie said.

Making the Invisible Visible: Improving Pickers鈥� Lives

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

But pickers have little visibility into the market price for what they have collected, which leaves them vulnerable to exploitation by middlemen. With the 51风流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鈥� living standards.

Jeffery Provencal founded , a social enterprise that works with pickers. 鈥淲e鈥檙e on the verge of an absolute game changer,鈥� he shared. 鈥淲e have a lack of data and the 51风流solution is the best thing for it 鈥� one platform that provides all that data. We can find an efficient way to deal with the material, monetize it, and empower the waste pickers, so everyone wins.鈥�

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.

鈥淲e have a goal that 1 million metric tons of plastics will be collected, recycled, or reused by 2030,鈥� she said. 鈥淒ata is critical to establishing a market where plastic can be bought and sold, depending on where that鈥檚 happening. Harnessing that data in one app will help fuel the circular economy and ensure that collected materials are reused.鈥�

But success requires cooperation. 鈥淪takeholder collaboration is important 鈥� 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,鈥� Coleman explained.

Coca-Cola also has big environmental ambitions. For example, it wants all its packaging materials to be recyclable by 2035 鈥� and has a specific perspective on what that means in West Africa. 鈥淓xportation of plastic and packaging waste out of Africa is not sustainable,鈥� said Clement Ugorji, vice president for Public Affairs, Communications, and Sustainability. 鈥淲e need the domestic capacity for collection, recycling, and reuse on the continent. That鈥檚 the only way to achieve a truly circular economy for Africa.鈥�

For its part, SAP鈥檚 experience in the region developing , a solution that supports small-holder farmers and improves visibility across agricultural value chains, offers an advantage. Since plastic pickers and rural farmers face similar issues, solutions like this can 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.

鈥淚 was one of two women that sat on the regulatory body that monitors Mexico鈥檚 telecom industry. It was a very masculine sector and a difficult environment to navigate,鈥� says Dr. Maria Elena Estavillo, an internationally recognized expert in telecommunications oversight and anti-trust issues.

As a result of her experiences, Estavillo founded , a group that advocates for women鈥檚 employment and advancement to the c-suite in information and communication technologies (ICT) professions across Mexico. 鈥淢ost of these issues are global, but Mexico is very challenged in this aspect,鈥� she says. 鈥淲hen we compare pay cap or participation in the workforce, we lag behind many countries, including those in Latin America.鈥�

To fight this, Conectadas offers mentorship and campaigns for recruiting policies and procedures that encourage women鈥檚 participation in the ICT workforce.

Estavillo is not alone and the problems she has identified run deep. is a not-for-profit organization that helps women enter the digital economy with training and job placement support. In collaboration with SAP, the organization produced a study, 鈥�The future is diverse: Women in technology industries in Mexico.鈥� The report found that Mexico falls behind other countries in several key categories.

Araceli Campos, Laboratoria鈥檚 country manager for Mexico, shares, 鈥淢achismo is very present in the workforce. We have very strong anti-discrimination laws but there鈥檚 a lack of compliance.鈥� For example, during interviews men ask women if they are pregnant or plan to start a family soon. In fact, 35 percent of the country鈥檚 population believes men are more suitable for jobs in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), according to a study published by the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).

Furthermore, while Mexican women have achieved parity in educational achievement, the study reports, 鈥渧ery few women are completing university degrees in technology.鈥� Even when women focus on STEM, the quality of Mexico鈥檚 math and science education 鈥� and education overall 鈥� is comparatively low, receiving a score of 2.8 out of seven from the . The impact? Mexican women are less prepared than men to enter the technology sector.

As a result of cultural biases and subpar education, women are underemployed, particularly in tech-related jobs. Campos says, 鈥淲hat makes Mexico unique is that overall women鈥檚 participation in the labor market is 47 percent, whereas men are at 83 percent. And 31 percent of women under 24 don鈥檛 participate at all.鈥�

To put it in perspective, women comprise 70 percent of the workforce in other Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. It gets worse when it comes to tech: Across Latin America, women represent one in 10 technology workers; in Mexico, it is one out of eight.

For Campos, this means women miss out on a huge economic opportunity: 鈥淏y 2025, it鈥檚 estimated that we鈥檒l need 1.25 million developers in Latin America. Laboratoria is founded on the belief that we need to build a world that equally distributes opportunities for the digital age.鈥�

Moreover, excluding women results in high costs to Mexico鈥檚 economy and private sector. 鈥淚f the gender gap in Mexico鈥檚 workforce was closed, it could increase the GDP for Mexico by ,鈥� Campos says.

51风流agrees that companies suffer without diversity, which is why it partnered with Laboratoria to advance women鈥檚 standing in STEM and co-create the study. Raquel Macias heads up Corporate Affairs and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) for 51风流Mexico. She says, 鈥淲ithout women, it鈥檚 hard to build products that appeal to a broad base of consumers. It鈥檚 been well documented that companies with more women have better, more innovative cultures and higher profits.鈥�

Click the button below to load the content from YouTube.

Always allow YouTube

Steps Companies Can Take to Bolster Women鈥檚 Participation in the Digital Economy

To make this change, Laboratoria partners with companies like 51风流to create lasting impact. 鈥淲e realized for systemic change to happen, working with women was only part of it,鈥� Campos says. 鈥淲e also needed to work with the companies, because it involves a change of mindset, change of culture.鈥�

What are some concrete steps technology companies can take to be more inclusive and equal? Campos recommends that companies actively hire women. 鈥淧eople say 鈥榃e posted but no women applied.鈥� But you need to look at the wording of the job posting 鈥� men apply if they meet half the criteria but women won鈥檛,鈥� she says, 鈥淵ou need to go the extra mile.鈥�

Moreover, companies must establish policies to retain and develop talent. But for new rules to work, a new culture must take root.

鈥淲e need a different culture inside companies and to build the narrative for why diversity matters,鈥� Campos explains, which includes offering tools to help leaders navigate the complexity that diversity brings and encouraging them to keep an open mind. 鈥淓xecutives need to be okay with vulnerability, with not knowing all the answers as we figure out this massive change.鈥�

Both 51风流and Laboratoria recommend that all actors need to come together including the media, government, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and private companies. Each plays an important role in creating lasting change. Campos points to its relationship with 51风流and the 51风流CSR team as evidence.

鈥�51风流shows real commitment to this issue,鈥� she says. 鈥淎nd as a leader in gender diversity, 51风流influences and inspires the industry. That means a lot of people will follow 鈥� and that is huge.鈥�

Images via Laboratoria

鈥�51风流is committed to a dramatically cleaner ocean by 2030,鈥� Klein said. 鈥淲e 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.鈥�

The health of the world鈥檚 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.

Click the button below to load the content from YouTube.

Always allow YouTube

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鈥檚 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 鈥渢ake, make, waste鈥� lifestyle,聽 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鈥檚 transactions touching 51风流systems and more than 430,000 companies using 51风流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风流has been leading programs and partnerships to drive sustainable change around the world. 51风流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鈥檚 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风流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鈥檚 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鈥檚 life cycle — from sourcing raw materials to manufacturing and distributing products — in order to reduce environmental impact.

51风流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风流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风流technology can help them in key areas, including responsible production, waste insights, secondary marketplaces, and consumer experiences.

51风流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.

SAP鈥檚 intelligent enterprise strategy focuses on connecting enterprise operational data (O-data) with the experience data (X-data) from their consumers. The company鈥檚 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风流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.

鈥淢any 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,鈥� Klein said. 鈥淭hrough our technology and innovation, 51风流can help companies unlock US$4.5 trillion in economic growth by creating sustainable business models and processes.鈥�

Follow me on Twitter:

Reducing the amount of plastics entering the ocean requires cross-industry collaboration armed with data and intelligent technologies. To support this, 51风流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.

鈥�51风流is committed to a significantly cleaner ocean by 2030,鈥� said Christian Klein, Co-CEO and Member of the Executive Board, 51风流SE. 鈥淲e 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.鈥�

Underscoring this, 51风流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风流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风流company, conducted a large-scale global to understand better the experience citizens around the world are having with various issues on the Forum鈥檚 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风流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.

鈥淚 am delighted to welcome 51风流to the Global Plastic Action Partnership community,鈥� said Kristin Hughes, director of Global Plastic Action Partnership (GPAP) and member of the World Economic Forum鈥檚 executive committee. 鈥淎s a pioneer in the technology and innovation space, it is fantastic to see 51风流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.鈥�

51风流recently joined The Ellen MacArthur Foundation鈥檚 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风流on Twitter at .

About SAP

As the Experience Company powered by the Intelligent Enterprise, 51风流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鈥檚 transaction revenue touches an 51风流system. Our machine learning, Internet of Things (IoT), and advanced analytics technologies help turn customers鈥� businesses into intelligent enterprises. 51风流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 鈥� 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风流helps the world run better and improve people鈥檚 lives. For more information, visit .

Note to editors:
To preview and download broadcast-standard stock footage and press photos digitally, please visit . On this platform, you can find high resolution material for your media channels. To view video stories on diverse topics, visit . From this site, you can embed videos into your own Web pages, share video via email links, and subscribe to RSS feeds from 51风流TV.

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

For more information, press only:
Bettina Wunderle, +49 7544 970 538, bettina.wunderle@sap.com, CET
51风流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 鈥渁nticipate,鈥� 鈥渂elieve,鈥� 鈥渆stimate,鈥� 鈥渆xpect,鈥� 鈥渇orecast,鈥� 鈥渋ntend,鈥� 鈥渕ay,鈥� 鈥減lan,鈥� 鈥減roject,鈥� 鈥減redict,鈥� 鈥渟hould鈥� and 鈥渨ill鈥� and similar expressions as they relate to 51风流are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. 51风流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.
漏 2020 51风流SE. All rights reserved.
51风流and other 51风流products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of 51风流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.

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.

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