The SAP Solution Transforming How Businesses Navigate Plastic Regulations - Seite 3

But the real beauty lies in the solution's ability to adapt once the data is integrated. It can seamlessly adjust to different market requirements, working to enable straightforward report generation for tax and EPR compliance at the click of a button.

"What we're talking about here is simplicity," says West.

Redesigning a More Sustainable Future

Data and insights are just the start. The real challenge is translating this information into action.

Beyond supporting businesses in fulfilling operational obligations such as paying plastic taxes and accurately calculating EPR fees, the solution can enable informed strategic decisions. By offering insights into the impact of material choices and compositions, it helps empower businesses to embrace sustainable and responsible packaging solutions and business models.

After working with SAP Responsible Design and Production, Henkel was able to meet its fundamental obligations more efficiently, gaining better insight into its data. These new capabilities have delivered far more than short-term efficiencies. They've spotlighted Henkel's ongoing efforts to reduce its environmental footprint, adding a new dimension to its green leadership in the industry.

"One of the greatest things about this solution is what it does for an organization like Henkel," says Stephen Jamieson, global head of Circular Economy Solutions at SAP. "Namely, allowing it to evidence the good work it is already doing very effectively."

Henkel's initiative with SAP Responsible Design and Production dovetails well with a related Henkel initiative to strengthen supplier communication, collect more data, and enrich its sustainability database.

These efforts equip Henkel's teams to pinpoint the products with the highest plastic tax load. These insights could soon guide strategic product redesign, potentially leading to significant cost savings. Moreover, by laying a solid foundation in regions such as Spain and the UK, Henkel is preparing itself to adapt to regulatory changes across markets.

The Road Ahead

As the global economy begins to look towards a more circular model, SAP Responsible Design and Production is innovating in stride. Recognizing that businesses interact with diverse material types, the solution will expand in the future to accommodate elements such as food, land use, textiles, batteries, waste electronics, and more - all cornerstones of the circular economy - measuring key factors such as virgin materials, recycled content, embedded CO2, and renewable content.