Few companies embody that philosophy better than .

Innovation is not a department

鈥淲e are living at a remarkable crossroads in history. For decades, the sky was simply a place we traveled through. Today, it has become a testing ground for the future of humanity,鈥� said Nicolas Jourdan, senior strategist at Airbus SAS. He was speaking at the for 麻豆原创 Energy and Utilities in Toulouse, the operational headquarters of the company.

At Airbus, the mission goes far beyond manufacturing aircraft. It鈥檚 about designing systems that connect cultures, advance technology, protect the planet, and extend humanity鈥檚 reach into space.

鈥淔or us, innovation is not a department. It鈥檚 a way of thinking. It means asking ‘What if?’ when others say something is impossible,鈥� said Jourdan. 鈥淚t鈥檚 very simple. Innovation is about creating value for someone, somewhere, at a moment in time鈥攁nd sustaining it over time.鈥�

While this may sound simple, it requires challenging the status quo. It means embracing cultural change, taking calculated risks, and accepting failure as part of learning.

Legacy of breakthroughs

In 1970, Airbus entered an aviation market dominated by giants like Boeing, McDonnell Douglas, and Lockheed. They didn鈥檛 compete by being similar, but by being fundamentally different. The company has consistently challenged conventional thinking in aviation.

• At a time when experts believed twin-engine aircraft couldn鈥檛 safely cross oceans, Airbus proved them wrong with the A300 revolution, forever changing long-haul aviation.
• When most aircraft required a three-person crew, Airbus redesigned the cockpit to automate the flight engineer鈥檚 role. Despite resistance, the two-pilot cockpit became the global standard.
• Replacing analog dials with digital displays transformed how pilots interact with aircraft; glass cockpit innovation made flying safer and more intuitive.
• Airbus introduced digital flight controls, replacing mechanical systems with computers. Fly-by-wire technology increased safety and enabled flight envelope protection and more efficient operations. What once looked like a video game controller is now industry standard.

One of Airbus鈥檚 most impactful innovations is cross-crew qualification, meaning pilots can transition between aircraft models鈥攆rom the A319 to the A350鈥攚ith minimal additional training. This reduces costs for airlines and improves operational flexibility.

鈥淚nnovation isn鈥檛 always flashy. It鈥檚 mostly about making complex systems simpler and more human-friendly,鈥� Jourdan reminded his audience.

Running the factory

Airbus builds big sections such as the fuselage, the wings, and the tail in different places. The sections are then shipped to one factory for assembly and testing in the Airbus Beluga, an oversized cargo aircraft developed especially to transport large components between production sites across Europe. Altogether, this process can take up to 12 months, especially for wide body aircraft.

The company uses 麻豆原创 ERP systems, including 麻豆原创 S/4HANA, to manage core business functions. It also uses 麻豆原创 Manufacturing Execution directly on the factory floor and assembly lines, as well as 麻豆原创 Integrated Business Planning to plan production, manage supply chain complexity, and optimize resource usage.

鈥溌槎乖� and Airbus have a long-term partnership,” Jourdan said. “Without 麻豆原创, our systems would not be as efficient as they are. We鈥檙e in continuous development.”听

Future scenarios

When it comes to pioneering new horizons, Airbus doesn鈥檛 rely solely on internal expertise but regularly explores unconventional approaches with external thinkers. These exercises help identify blind spots, validate strategy and understand societal and environmental shifts

To maintain both an inside and an outside-in perspective, Airbus created Skywise, an aircraft data analysis engine platform which acts as a digital brain, connecting aircraft, operations, and maintenance systems. A data platform for airlines and aircraft operations, it collects vast amounts of data into one system. It then performs predictive maintenance increasingly supported by AI to detect patterns and predict failures before they happen in order to prevent delays, failures, and expensive repairs.

Airbus鈥檚 future strategy is built on three transformational pillars:

• Decarbonization: The aerospace industry faces mounting pressure to reduce emissions. Airbus is tackling this head-on by exploring hydrogen-powered aircraft, sustainable aviation fuels, blended wing body designs, and fully electric propulsion concepts. Their goal is to launch the world鈥檚 first zero-emission commercial aircraft.
• Digital transformation: To enable fully connected ecosystems, Airbus is developing satellite-based connectivity networks, smart cabin and cargo systems,. and real-time operational data platforms. This enables better decision-making, reduced costs, and improved passenger experiences.
• Automation and autonomy projects: Projects like DragonFly are pushing the boundaries of pilot assistance and automation. Future capabilities include automatic emergency landing, weather-independent operations, and advanced navigation systems. The goal is not to replace pilots, but to enhance safety and efficiency.

Beyond Earth 

From orbit to deep space, Airbus is helping shape humanity鈥檚 next frontier. The company plays a key role in searching for life on Mars together with the European Space Agency using the ExoMars rover. It also collaborates with the European Service Module for NASA鈥檚 Artemis program missions and is helping to develop satellite systems enabling global communication and climate monitoring.

Often, new ideas are met with skepticism, cultural resistance can slow adoption, and mistakes are inevitable. Airbus embraces this reality and considers it part of the process.

鈥淭he biggest challenges of our time鈥攃limate change, global connectivity, and space exploration鈥攃annot be solved by one company or even one industry. Decarbonization alone depends on energy providers, governments, infrastructure developers, and airlines and manufacturers. It鈥檚 a shared responsibility,鈥� Jourdan concluded.

Managing abundance

These are just some of the challenges facing KETRACO, , as Africa鈥檚 energy sector is undergoing a shift from a centralized power system to a more diversified, renewable-energy-based grid.

鈥淩enewable energy is abundant. The real challenge is how to manage, integrate, and stabilize it,鈥� Dr. Njogu Kimando, energy expert at KETRACO, said, speaking at the TAC Insights conference for in Toulouse. 鈥淭he energy transition is not constrained by capacity, but by our ability to manage complexity in real time.鈥�

Geothermal power generated in the Great Rift Valley provides about 40% of electricity in the region, making Kenya Africa鈥檚 largest geothermal producer. About 24% is generated by hydro power from rivers. The rest of the demand is met by wind power coming mostly from Lake Turkana, Africa鈥檚 largest wind farm, as well as solar. The fastest growing sector, solar is widely used in rural homes and businesses. Kenya has one of the highest household solar adoption rates in the world.

While renewables reduce costs, support climate alignment, and provide energy security, challenges include drought-induced water shortages, sun and wind variability and grid instability.

Lack of synchronized intelligence

In the traditional grid, power is generated at a few centralized plants, creating a stable source of supply that is easy to control based on demand forecasts. The renewables (REN) grid, on the other hand, fluctuates with the weather, requiring real-time monitoring, rapid balancing, and more dynamic system control.

The core challenge in modern power systems is not the absence of data, but the lack of unified, real-time visibility across fragmented systems. This lack limits the ability to make timely and coordinated operational decisions. 

鈥淲e鈥檙e constantly balancing supply and demand,鈥� Kimando explained. 鈥淲e have limited real-time visibility across generation sources, transmission assets, and demand patterns.鈥�

As renewables expand, KETRACO鈥檚 role has evolved from simply building and operating transmission lines to managing power flows in real time, coordinating variable energy generation, and ensuring grid stability and reliability. The company is relying on digital systems to accomplish these tasks.

Kimando outlined the company鈥檚 new, integrated smart grid infrastructure. Forming an end-to-end digital value chain, it functions as the digital twin foundation for the grid and links operational technology with enterprise systems and advanced analytics.

Data is captured by SCADA, an industrial control system for infrastructure and utility networks, and is securely routed through 麻豆原创 Business Technology Platform middleware to 麻豆原创 S/4HANA, which serves as the enterprise backbone. It is here that operational data is translated into structured business processes.听

From data to decisions

鈥淲e鈥檙e relying on 麻豆原创 technology to transform that raw data into predictive, actionable intelligence,鈥� said Kimando, citing asset lifecycle management and outage reduction metrics as examples of ways to shift from reactive maintenance to predictive grid reliability. 鈥淒igital transformation is no longer a technology choice, but a strategic necessity. It鈥檚 a balancing game: values versus risks.鈥�

For KETRACO, the goal is to unlock the full value of renewable energy while avoiding the escalating risks of operating in a complex and dynamic power environment. Inaction leads to grid instability and operational inefficiency, underutilization of energy investments, rising costs, and exposure to regulatory and compliance risks. Action based on data analytics leads to improved financial efficiency and better CAPEX decisions. It also leads to enhanced operational resilience with reduced outages and faster system recovery.

鈥淭ogether, this strengthens our strategic positioning for the energy transition and ESG compliance,鈥� Kimando explained.

The next frontier

At KETRACO, AI is considered a capacity multiplier, enabling a crucial shift from resource-intensive grid expansion to intelligence-driven grid optimization. 

鈥淎I is helping us achieve more with the same workforce. We鈥檙e enabling engineers, not replacing them,鈥� the expert shared. 鈥淎utomation is enabling our people to focus more on predictability and decision making.鈥�

In addition, AI supports long-term sustainability goals because simulating scenarios before investing reduces errors and costs. It also enables self-optimized grid operations, reducing manual interventions and improving collaboration and integration among regional power systems and cross-border energy flows.

KETRACO鈥檚 role is to transmit electricity across Kenya and connect the country to the wider East African power market. Its importance is growing as Kenya has become a REN hub, expanding its geothermal, wind, and hydropower generation. Without its transmission infrastructure, much of Kenya鈥檚 renewable energy could not be delivered efficiently to consumers or neighboring countries.

In closing, Kimando summarized how digital transformation is changing the way power is managed, stabilized, and optimized: REN presents a system challenge, not a technological one. Technology must align to operations and strategy, control is achieved through visibility and integration, and partnerships accelerate scale and execution.

鈥淭he future grid will not be defined by how much power we generate, but by how intelligently we manage it,鈥� he concluded.

鈥淭he global energy demand won鈥檛 stop growing,鈥� he explained. 鈥淎s renewables only provide a small share of the energy we currently use, we鈥檒l still need oil and gas that are safely produced as we transition to a lower carbon world.鈥�

Crude oil still remains indispensable where alternatives are limited, particularly in heavy transport and the chemicals industry, and natural gas plays a key role in the low-carbon transition, both as an energy source and in large-scale hydrogen production.

A unique model

What鈥檚 interesting about Harbour Energy, one of the world’s largest and most geographically diverse independent oil and gas companies, isn鈥檛 just that it鈥檚 big. What鈥檚 interesting is how it got big and how it operates differently from traditional energy companies. The company was founded in 2014 by private equity firm EIG Global Energy Partners with a goal to build a global, independent company by acquisition.

鈥淲e鈥檙e basically trying to solve a very hard problem. How do we scale like a major, but stay agile like a startup?鈥� Young said during his presentation about Harbour鈥檚 rapid growth journey. He explained that in a company that grows through acquisitions and runs multiple ERP systems, the role of technology is less about 鈥渙ne system鈥� and more about connecting everything, standardizing insight, and accelerating change.

Masters of integration

Most oil and gas giants grew over decades. Harbour did it in about 10 years by pursuing an aggressive strategy of mergers and acquisitions, buying assets such as oil fields from industry giants like Shell. The company also scaled rapidly across 11 countries giving it a broad geographical reach. Crucially, Harbour Energy was often able to integrate acquisitions within a year, demonstrating a rare combination of speed and integration.

鈥淎 lot of companies struggle after acquisitions,鈥� Young said. 鈥淪ystems break, processes clash, value gets lost. At Harbour, we focus on quickly stabilizing new assets, extracting synergies early, and reducing operating costs even while growing.鈥�

Young鈥檚 team took a different approach to technology. While most companies push for one massive ERP system, Harbour doesn鈥檛 blindly take that path. It runs multiple ERP systems when it makes sense, focuses on fit-for-purpose architecture, and uses tools to connect processes rather than force everything into one box. Such flexibility is a big advantage for a company that keeps acquiring new businesses.

The digital backbone

Because Harbour Energy operates multiple ERP systems rather than a single monolithic platform, complexity is unavoidable. , particularly 麻豆原创 LeanIX solutions and the 麻豆原创 Signavio portfolio, connects this landscape by aligning processes, linking capabilities to systems, and providing a unified view of 鈥榳hat鈥檚 where,鈥� ultimately creating visibility across an otherwise fragmented environment.

鈥淏efore we implemented the 麻豆原创 tool chain, processes were hidden in Excel and PDFs. It was all part of the local knowledge we acquired,鈥� Young said. 鈥淲e had no clear view of duplication or inefficiencies. For example, we found that we had dozens of HR systems, which we were able to reduce by half.  We were able to consolidate 33 different ways to do travel expenses into just one.鈥�

One major impact is speed. Whereas traditional transformation planning took up to 24 months, now, with the tool chain and process modeling, key design cycles can sometimes be achieved in four to six weeks. This is enabled by standard process templates and automated modelling for faster validation cycles leading to faster execution of integration and transformation programs.

In addition, tools like the 麻豆原创 Test Automation solution by Tricentis and 麻豆原创 Cloud ALM for application lifecycle management help ensure that releases are safer and fewer operational surprises occur during go-lives, which is critical in an industry where downtime is expensive.

By connecting systems and processes, the tool chain enables cost transparency across business units and investment prioritization based on real data. This directly supports financial discipline and shareholder value creation

For a company built on acquisitions, probably the biggest value driver is that the tool chain helps rapidly map the systems of acquired companies and compare them against Harbour鈥檚 core model identifying what to keep, retire, or migrate. This is why Harbour can integrate acquisitions quickly instead of getting stuck in years of IT consolidation.

Structure before automation

Only when processes are structured and visible can they be used for automation, which is why these tools all play a crucial role in enabling AI adoption. Standardized workflows and process maps are input for AI tools, and digital adoption platforms guide users through systems.

The three key engines provided by the 麻豆原创 tool chain include:

• Transparency engine makes the business visible end-to-end
• Standardization engine aligns processes, systems, and capabilities globally
• Acceleration engine speeds up M&A integration and transformation delivery

Together with 麻豆原创 Analytics Cloud for global forecasting and planning, these tools are at the heart of the company鈥檚 successful business transformation.

Young listed the three strategic levers keeping the company strong, resilient, and ambitious. The first is maintaining strict financial discipline, followed by using data driven insights that ensure the company remains competitive, and, last but not least, equipping the business teams with advanced capabilities ensures resilience.

鈥淭he 麻豆原创 tool chain allows us to grow aggressively through acquisitions without collapsing under complexity,鈥� Young concluded. 鈥淚t鈥檚 essentially the difference between chaotic expansion and controlled, scalable growth.鈥�

Check out the 麻豆原创 integrated tool chain and its core capabilities .

He mentioned driverless cars in San Francisco, autonomous drones conducting warfare, and robots that are trained to care for humans as real humans would. Speaking at the recent TAC Insights sponsored conference featuring , Weber admitted he finds it all rather scary, but also very exciting.

For an energy company operating critical infrastructure, this pace of technological change is not just fascinating or frightening鈥攊t creates a responsibility to adopt innovation in a controlled, resilient, and purpose鈥慸riven way.

Riding the waves

Weber sees these developments as a continuation of various “big waves” of technology that keep touching our hearts and minds as they shape the world around us. Who can imagine the world without the internet? Who can deny that the mobile phone didn鈥檛 revolutionize the consumption of IT when people started expecting the same ease of use in the workplace?

鈥淎I is creating the same response,” Weber explained. “ChatGPT makes my life easier at home solving gardening issues, so I expect it to make my life easier at work.鈥�

One of E.ON鈥檚 biggest challenges is closing the widening gap between the rapid pace of technological innovation in the outside world and the organization鈥檚 internal ability, shaped by its structure and DNA, to absorb and implement these changes effectively.

This tension became evident when leadership questioned whether sustained IT spending at large scale was justifiable. It soon became clear that continuous investment is the price of system stability, affordability, and resilience in a digitized energy system if E.ON is serious about becoming the leading playmaker in Europe鈥檚 green energy transformation.

To achieve this ambition, the company has defined three strategic priorities鈥攇rowth, sustainability, and digitalization鈥攔ecognizing that falling behind in digital capabilities would carry far greater long-term costs.

鈥淏ringing the system up to speed requires internal readiness. It means we must think deeply about investments, prioritization, and most importantly, people and culture,鈥� said Weber. 鈥淥ne thing is sure: we won鈥檛 be going back to what was normal speed before.鈥�

Becoming strategic

E.ON operates across three domains: energy grid, customer solutions, and energy infrastructure solutions. 听This broad scope creates a high level of operational complexity, requiring scalable, transparent, and collaborative ways of working across the organization.

To meet these challenges, E.ON is strengthening its internal capabilities and investing in its people. By expanding in-house expertise, the company has welcomed over 1,000 specialists, including more than 500 in data and 300 in cybersecurity, fostering greater ownership, collaboration, and innovation across the organization.

This move reflects a broader philosophy. IT is no longer just a support function; it is foundational to pioneering the energy transition and delivering competitive advantage.

As E.ON鈥檚 transformation unfolds against a backdrop of rapid technological evolution, AI is at the heart of the current inflection point. Technologies like AI-powered assistants and automation tools are not novelties; they are actively redefining how customers interact with services. E.ON recognizes this shift and is embedding advanced technologies directly into its core systems, rather than treating them as add-ons.

Closing the gap

Weber explained that digital transformation at E.ON means putting the right technology into the core of the business to better serve its 47 million customers.

It starts with platform standardization, followed by cloud ERP transformation and the 麻豆原创 S/4HANA migration. Instead of building fragmented custom solutions, this strategy allows the company to integrate leading technologies into a cohesive architecture, ensuring scalability while avoiding unnecessary complexity. These basic investments in foundational infrastructure have delivered tangible results, including an 77% reduction in IT downtime within five years.

A key lesson from E.ON鈥檚 journey is the importance of embedding digital capabilities into the heart of operations. 鈥淲e鈥檝e moved away from isolated innovation hubs such as digital labs or experimental ‘garages’ in favor of integrating digital tools directly into business processes,鈥� Weber explained.

While innovation is essential, E.ON places equal emphasis on governance and control. Managing a digital ecosystem at this scale requires strong oversight to ensure security, consistency, and cost discipline. The company implemented centralized governance structures, including standardized contracting and unified IT system management to help maintain control without stifling innovation.

Equally important is investment in people. Through targeted training and capacity building initiatives, employees are empowered to turn new technologies into measurable business impact.

Harnessing AI

As with many companies, AI is at the center of E.ON鈥檚 forward-looking strategy, but the company is approaching it with deliberate caution. Rather than rushing to build proprietary platforms, E.ON is leveraging partnerships with established technology providers while maintaining flexibility in its IT portfolio. This approach allows the company to explore the potential of AI in customer service automation, predictive maintenance, and operational optimization without overcommitting to unproven solutions.

鈥淚n essence, our experience highlights a broader truth about digital transformation,鈥� said the IT expert. 鈥淪uccess really depends on balance. We absolutely must push innovation forward, but not at the expense of stability, cyber security or governance.鈥�

Equally, digital tools alone are not enough. Without proper training and alignment with business needs, even the most advanced technologies can fail to deliver value. E.ON addresses this through a “BizDevOps” mindset, ensuring that digital initiatives are an integral part of business goals and supported by the right capabilities.

In summary, E.ON鈥檚 transformation illustrates what it takes to modernize at scale in a complex, highly regulated industry. By doubling down on IT investment, bringing expertise in house, and adopting a disciplined yet forward-looking approach to innovation, the company has positioned itself for the future of energy.

The result is not only improved system performance or reduced downtime. It鈥檚 a fundamental shift in how technology drives business success, turning technology into a cornerstone of making new energy work鈥攔eliably, affordably, and at scale.

Perhaps the most famous example of this predicament was the 2014 FIFA World Cup semi-final where Germany defeated Brazil 7-1. Traditional metrics favored Brazil, leaving the South American team stunned by their devastating loss and highlighting the inefficacy of existing statistical models in accurately representing team performance.

The Soccer Statistic You鈥檝e Never Heard

Stefan Reinartz, a former midfield Bundesliga player and UEFA Champions League competitor, cited that example on a hosted by Soccerex Miami. After experiencing his own 鈥淎ha!鈥� moment, Reinartz became the founder of , a German analytics company that revolutionized the role of statistics in the world of soccer.

鈥淐ommon soccer statistics like ball possession, winning tackles, running distance, and so on actually have no correlation to the end result,鈥� Reinartz said. “I was quite shocked when I realized they really can’t tell you anything about a player鈥檚 or a team鈥檚 performance.”

He came to that realization when he read about the Moneyball approach, which uses advanced statistical analysis to acquire undervalued players and thus assemble a competitive team despite a limited budget.

鈥淪ome sports such as baseball may be more conducive to such a data-driven strategy, while others like soccer are more complex, making it difficult to create the right KPIs,鈥� he explained.

Soccer is a low-scoring game involving 22 players in continuous action, requiring complex strategies and a lot of hard work to get past opponents to score. Apart from the number of goals and passes, individual statistics are almost nonexistent, making it challenging to create universally reliable metrics.

Realizing that soccer statistics did not measure the true value of individual players changed his own assumptions. Together with another midfielder, Jens Hegeler, he founded IMPECT with the goal of听developing soccer data that can be used to make valuable assessments of players and teams. They invented 鈥減acking鈥� to quantify the value of a pass or dribble.

The basic statistics in soccer, such as goals and assists, primarily reflect strikers and attacking midfielders, the players who do most of the scoring and assisting. Midfielders, who do most of the running and passing to initiate offensive moves, are seldom recognized statistically. What they do best is move the ball past opposition players. That is what packing measures.

The methodology is simple: Players earn a point for any move 鈥� a cross, a dribble, a long pass 鈥� that causes the ball to move past opposition players. Receivers also get points.

Today, IMPECT is a thriving business collecting and selling packing data to help teams scout for players, analyze their own performance, and learn key facts about opponents.

What鈥檚 麻豆原创 Got to Do With It?

During the discussion, Achim Ittner, vice president of Sports at 麻豆原创, described the company’s journey from its roots in business software to developing specialized sports applications, emphasizing user-centric design and collaboration with renowned coaches and national teams.

鈥淟ike IMPECT, we鈥檝e been focused on developing data-driven solutions and relevant tools for sports clubs using direct feedback and a design thinking approach,鈥� Ittner said. He explained that 麻豆原创 built a unified platform to address fragmented software ecosystems in sports. The platform integrates APIs and data sources to support processes like injury prevention, training recommendations, match preparation, and player well-being.

鈥淪ports analytics embodies the blend of data science and athletic performance, providing a blueprint to guide decisions made by coaches and trainers,鈥� he shared. 鈥淭he significance of data in today鈥檚 sports ecosystem cannot be overstated.听It鈥檚 necessary for everything from strategizing game plans to refining individual skills.鈥�

麻豆原创鈥檚 engagement with IMPECT is just one example of how the compay collaborates with a variety of teams and experts to further shape its sports technology. New technologies — like social media, mobile, and digital capabilities, as well as sensors in player uniforms and equipment — are disrupting the sports industry. 麻豆原创 is committed to helping sports organizations take advantage of these new innovations to deepen fan engagement, improve team performance, grow revenue faster, and efficiently operate their business and venues.

Besides solutions for scouting and measuring team performance, 麻豆原创 also has one for customer engagement and marketing. Afterall, the fan experience is just as important as the team鈥檚 performance. The 麻豆原创 Sports One solution provides a to better target individual preferences and purchasing behaviors by offering personalized experiences over online, mobile, and social channels. Teams can grow their fan base, manage their merchandise, and increase loyalty with personalized rewards.

Delivering the Experience

鈥淎 great sports experience is about so much more than winning the game,鈥� said Ittner. 鈥淚t involves a mix of elements that includes players, spectators, and organizers.鈥�

For the fans, food and beverage, merchandise, a good streaming experience, and clear communications on schedules and navigating the venue are critical. Having the right players for a winning team and providing them with the best care and training before and after the game is the job of team management. And finally, the venue must provide exceptional facilities, infrastructure, safety, and security.

麻豆原创 helps bring this all together, creating an intersection of sports, technology, and innovation.

The partnership has continued to this day with a mission to make great wines and spirits that bring people together. Now, the company has over 2,000 hectares of vines under cultivation in 12 wine-growing regions of Spain, Chile, and Mexico, where the producer deploys sustainable agricultural techniques to bring indigenous vines back into production.

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Running a Responsible Business

鈥淔or us, everything revolves around sustainability,鈥� said Elisabet Braza Valle, head of 麻豆原创 Supply Chain and Finance at Gonz谩lez Byass, during an interview at 麻豆原创 Sapphire Barcelona. 鈥淥ur goal is to be a reference in the wine sector and also in the field of sustainability, and we鈥檙e using technology to do that.鈥�

Valle explained that digitalization is helping to drive efficiency by improving processes and that people are already noticing a more expeditious service. 鈥淎ll the processes are connected,鈥� she said. 鈥淐lients notice that we are preparing their packages and managing their invoices faster than before. That鈥檚 because, thanks to 麻豆原创, we have all the data in the same place.鈥�

In addition to its core 麻豆原创 ERP system, Gonz谩lez Byass recently implemented , a solution that helps enterprises calculate extended producer responsibility (EPR) obligations and define corporate commitments to optimize material choices. It鈥檚 also designed to help address all the requirements of the new plastic taxes in Europe.

To help promote a more circular economy, for example, Spanish law mandates an indirect tax levied on plastic in packaging. Calculating the taxable amount is particularly complex and burdensome. Companies must know how much non-recycled plastic is in the non-reusable plastic packaging contained in the shipments they receive. This information should be furnished by the suppliers that now find themselves in a challenging situation as they did not have to comply with this type of requirement before. Collected data must be reliable and verifiable to ensure accuracy when sharing with customers or if it should be questioned by the Spanish tax authorities.

鈥溌槎乖粹�檚 solution not only helps us comply with the law, but it also helps us manage our materials more efficiently,鈥� said Valle, who believes one of the greatest assets of the solution is the visibility it provides into the company鈥檚 supplier landscape. 鈥淲e are encouraging all of our suppliers to commit to being more sustainable, and we assess them every year. We also work together to improve our environmental behavior.鈥�

Valle cited several examples of collaborative engagement, such as reducing the weight of glass bottles and using recyclable packaging materials. The company has already substituted some materials with more sustainable alternatives and is buying cardboard boxes and wood sourced from certified forests.

鈥淲e have all the information about our materials in 麻豆原创 Responsible Design and Production, so we can see how much plastic we are using and how much of it is recycled. That determines the amount of tax we pay,鈥� Valle explained. 

All these improvements are part of the company鈥檚 People and Planet program that is designed to ensure a nature-friendly, energy-efficient foundation for future generations. The efforts are paying off.

Simplifying a Complex Landscape

According to its sustainability report for 2022, Gonz谩lez Byass already reuses or recycles 99% of the waste it generates and 79% of the energy it consumes comes from renewable sources. Water conservation efforts include using rainwater for irrigation, underground irrigation, and satellite-controlled irrigation.

Gonz谩lez Byass has already reduced carbon emissions by 20% and is committed to a 55% reduction by 2030. Besides managing its own regulatory obligations in Spain, the company must also be compliant with other regulations in the EU and the UK that impact its business. For example, recycling glass packaging waste is mandatory in all EU Member States. In Spain, this process is driven by Ecovidrio, a non-profit entity managing the Collective System of Extended Producer Responsibility (SCRAP).

鈥淥ne of our next projects is to set up Ecovidrio in the 麻豆原创 Responsible Design and Production solution, where we manage all our tax declarations and reports,鈥� Valle said. 鈥淎nother critical report is the declaration for the Ministry of Ecological Transition. Technology is helping us become a global reference in the sector because now we鈥檝e integrated all relevant information needed for compliance.鈥�

Four of its wineries have received the Wineries for Climate Protection certification, the first of such credentials specific to the wine industry targeting environmental sustainability. The certification recognizes sustainability activities in wineries in four key areas: reducing greenhouse gas emissions, managing water, reducing waste, and increasing energy efficiency.

Valle is confident that with the aid of technology Gonz谩lez Byass will not only be a leader and a reference in the sector, but, most importantly, it will secure its place as an exceptional winemaker for posterity. After all, since its most iconic wine , it鈥檚 a good thing Gonz谩lez Byass is doing everything to continue producing the best wines and spirits for future connoisseurs. 

According to a听 by the American Journal of Public Health investigating the effects of green buildings on employee health and productivity, employees who moved from conventional offices to buildings rated for Leadership Energy Environmental Design (LEED) reported a reduction in absenteeism, depression, and stress levels as well as an increase in their sense of happiness.

Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council () in the late 1990s, LEED certification is a globally recognized symbol of sustainability, providing third-party verification that a building was built to address energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, and indoor environmental quality. LEED is a holistic rating system that looks at the big picture, factoring in all critical elements that work together to create the best building possible for the people who work there and their visitors.

Hybrid Air Conditioning, Rooftop Greenery

麻豆原创 understood this concept from the early days of its global expansion. As the company grew and acquired facilities, it committed to creating workspaces that combined efficiency with employee well-being. Designed with sustainability in mind, 麻豆原创 Americas headquarters in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, for example, was awarded LEED Platinum level in 2011, receiving high points for energy efficiency, water management, and innovative design.

The building is one-third more energy efficient compared to conventional buildings by using intelligent design features. The building’s sensor system is integrated with exterior shading devices that automatically adjust the lighting and help control the temperature level in the facility. A hybrid air conditioning system produces ice to cool the building during the overnight hours when energy demands and electric rates are the lowest.

The building saves 2 million gallons of water and 2 million kilowatt hours of power per year and reduces 麻豆原创 carbon footprint by 85,000 tons. Floor-to-ceiling glass exteriors and a green roof, planted with native and regional vegetation, integrate the office with the natural environment surrounding it.

Lush Forests, Natural Beauty

Another 麻豆原创 building that received LEED certification early on is the 麻豆原创 Labs Latin America location. The Gold certified location is surrounded by lush, subtropical forests in the south of Brazil, embodying the idea of an exceptional workplace. Every single workstation in the building has an external view, giving employees a sense of communing with nature, a feeling intensified by the natural light and the swathes of local vegetation and running water in the internal courtyards. Built solely from sustainable materials, including wood, metal and glass, the building uses recycled water and its temperature is regulated by the building automation system.

鈥淲e even made sure to position the staircase centrally and keep the elevators off to the side, so people automatically take the stairs,鈥� quips Dennison John, managing directors of the location. Built in three stages, between 2006 to the present, 麻豆原创 Labs Latin America is not only one of the greenest buildings operated by 麻豆原创 worldwide, it is one of the greenest on the entire continent.

鈥淎t 麻豆原创, we are enablers and exemplars of sustainability,鈥� says John. 鈥淏esides providing employees with a healthy environment, our goal is to show customers how we as a company are reducing our carbon footprint. With over 200 customer visits per year, we have ample opportunity to demonstrate the environmental advantages of a green building and showcase the natural beauty around us.鈥�

Nap Zones, Neighborhoods

Another LEED Gold certified building is the 麻豆原创 Labs India location in Bangalore. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, it became increasingly important to provide a workspace suitable for flexible working, prompting a complete overhaul fully focused on sustainability.

During the two-year transformation period, traditional workspaces with dedicated desks were transformed into activity-based work areas and free seating to maximize team collaboration and social interaction. Dedicated home zones for teams, known as neighborhoods, were created based on 麻豆原创鈥檚 4C design principles to enable collaboration, communication, concentration, and community.

One of the objectives of the renovation was to reflect the vast diversity characterizing India. The campus environment highlights the architecture and culture of India in many aspects.听 The building is designed around three primary courtyards, which connect all elements and people both vertically and horizontally. The workspaces intercept with social spaces and discussion pockets, all with easy access to the courtyards.

The entrance of the building leads to a colossal solarium that connects all floors to a large-scale digital wall used for demos, coffee corner sessions, customer engagements, and employee all-hands meetings. The solarium offers a view of the beautifully manicured landscape surrounding the building. Like their Brazilian colleagues, instead of using the elevators, people prefer to use the iconic staircases to move between floors.

Almost 95% of 麻豆原创 Labs India campus operations run on green energy sources. seventy percent of the car fleet runs on electric vehicles, and charging stations on campus for employees aim to help them make responsible choices and create a cleaner environment.

According to 麻豆原创 Chief Sustainability Officer Daniel Schmid, 麻豆原创 is aiming for a minimum of LEED Silver standard for new buildings worldwide.

鈥淭he buildings in Newtown Square, Bangalore, and Brazil are among the pioneers in green building design worldwide. Besides reducing energy costs and emissions, we create a truly welcoming environment for our employees. This is one of the ways that we role model our strategies on our journey to net zero,鈥� he says.

In the meantime, with many LEED certified buildings worldwide, 麻豆原创 has become a true enabler and exemplar of sustainability for people, planet, and profit.

For more information on how 麻豆原创 helps companies record, report, and act on their sustainability goals, visit听.

Pioneers in Circular Solutions

The German giant recently relaunched its brand to reflect its strategic vision to become the leader in circular economy solutions, hence the circular logo with a triad of people, steel, and technology in the center. Three elements 鈥� circular mindset, pioneering partnerships, and sustainability solutions 鈥� are needed to bring the strategy to life.

鈥淥ur mission is to transform the industry, so we can produce steel without emitting CO2,鈥� says Gunnar Groebler, CEO and chairman of the Executive Board of Salzgitter AG. 鈥淐urrently, about two tons of CO2 are emitted per ton of steel produced in the traditional way. We aim to replace coal with hydrogen, reducing emissions to virtually zero. We鈥檒l be delivering green steel as of 2025.鈥�

Steel is the world’s most important engineering and construction material. It is used in every aspect of our lives, from cars and cargo ships to surgical scalpels and spoons. It鈥檚 also one of the most sustainable materials because it can be recycled endlessly.

Salzgitter AG is in the process of redefining its business model, moving from the linear approach to a circular one that reduces, reuses, and recycles energy and materials 鈥� and, most importantly, continuously rethinks the process.

True circularity requires joint product lifecycle planning and holistic processes in full collaboration with partners and suppliers across the entire value chain. 鈥淲e鈥檝e been in a classic relationship with our customers, which ends when the product is handed over. We鈥檙e working with them to take back the products after use, so we can reuse them or reintroduce the material into the production cycle,鈥� Groebler explains.

Partnerships across the Value Chain

The company and its subsidiaries have been producing steel for over 150 years. Peiner Tr盲ger, for example, is already melting around 1 million tons of crude steel from steel scrap in one of its electric steelworks in an environmentally friendly and energy-efficient manner. Its high-quality products are a clear testimony that steel can be recycled without any loss of quality.

鈥淚 worked in the utilities industry for over 20 years, so I’ve witnessed the move from lignite, or soft coal, to offshore wind 鈥� a massive transformation. Seeing what was possible within a decade or so is highly motivating for me,鈥� says Groebler. 鈥淚 realize that by driving this transformation at Salzgitter AG, we are ultimately moving the entire industry to a more sustainable way of production.鈥�

He is amazed at how many companies are redefining their role from being customers to partners.

鈥淲e鈥檙e all transforming together,鈥� he explains. 鈥淥ur customers need to fulfill their own targets. Take the automotive industry: not only do they have to decarbonize the vehicle itself, but they also decarbonize its use throughout its lifetime. Considering that steel is a prominent part of the vehicle, our automotive partners expect us to decarbonize steel.鈥�

Groebler thinks a lot about the expectations of society. Today, Salzgitter AG emits roughly 1% of the German CO2 footprint, about 8 million tons per year. The good thing is that most of it is generated in one spot, making it easier to manage reduction efforts, versus the effort that goes into reducing emissions generated by combustion engines in cars, which are all over the place. With the strategy and funding already in place, Groebler is confident Salzgitter AG can reach net zero in the next 10 years.

Sustainability Tools and Solutions

Groebler is also very mindful of how environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors are impacting brand reputation. Sustainable business practices play a major role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and conserving resources, and companies that actively pursue them benefit from increased trust and loyalty among customers and consumers, creating opportunities for improved market share.

鈥淚f you consider the way ESG is developing, we need to look at environmental data in the same way we look at financial data. We鈥檙e experts in steel production, but not in handling data,鈥� says Groebler. 鈥淭his is where 麻豆原创 comes into play. 麻豆原创 helps us really consolidate the in an easy way.鈥�

Salzgitter Group is achieving greater ESG transparency with the data analytics and business logic functionality in . Along with and , the company uses to gain deeper insight into its environmental data and maintain safe and sustainable operations.

There have been some highly visible changes since Salzgitter Group embarked on its journey to circularity. Six massive wind power turbines, each 150 meters high, have reshaped the skyline over the steelworks. A lot of development is happening behind the scenes. Hydrogen production will not take place exclusively on-site, so the biggest challenge is sourcing it from other locations and creating the necessary infrastructure. During the transitional phase, the company will use a mixture of natural gas and hydrogen before switching exclusively to hydrogen.

Groebler is highly optimistic: 鈥淲e鈥檙e seeing a sweeping cultural change within the Salzgitter Group. Employees are engaging proactively, from an employee cooperative to finance a photovoltaic system to our local tree-planting campaign 鈥� our sustainable business approach has a positive, far-reaching impact everywhere in our organization.鈥�

Together with customers and suppliers, technology partners like 麻豆原创, and its people, Salzgitter AG is clearly leading the way to a circular future.

For more information on how 麻豆原创 helps companies record, report, and act on their sustainability goals, visit听.

In 2020, the EU identified green hydrogen as a cornerstone of a climate-neutral energy system to be in place by 2050. At that time, hydrogen accounted for consumption and was primarily used to produce chemical products, such as plastics and fertilizers. Ninety-six percent of this hydrogen was produced with natural gas, resulting in significant amounts of CO2 emissions.

The other aspect driving this strategy is the need to reduce the dependency on imported fossil fuels. Diversification and access to new forms of renewable energy such as hydrogen will make the region more resilient.

The European Commission resolved to produce 10 million tons of renewable hydrogen and import 10 million tons by 2030. While green energy can be produced anywhere, countries with high availability of solar and wind energy such as Brazil offer more favorable conditions for efficient and affordable production. With its hydroelectric plants and policies favoring renewable energy as a substitute for fossil fuels, Brazil is a promising candidate for strategic green fuel trade partnerships with Europe.

However, Brazilian companies trading green hydrogen nationally and exporting it to regions such as the European Union must provide transparent proof of origin based on certification schemes.

The Public-Private Partnership between 麻豆原创 and GIZ

In order to validate the general requirements and develop concepts for a software to support the green hydrogen certification for Brazil and Germany, 麻豆原创 has formed a public-private partnership with the (GIZ). To help Brazilian suppliers prove their hydrogen is truly green, the project will evaluate and summarize certification rules and test digital solutions as well.

鈥淭his cooperation aims to promote sustainable hydrogen projects in developing and emerging countries,鈥� said Sabine Bendiek, chief people and operating officer and member of the Executive Board at 麻豆原创 SE, after signing a Letter of Intent (LoI) outlining the understanding between all parties. The LoI was later countersigned by GIZ Brazil at a delegation ceremony attended by the German Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, Robert Habeck.

“One of 麻豆原创鈥檚 first collaborative aspirations with GIZ is to develop a pilot project to digitize the hydrogen certification processes for Brazilian companies. We鈥檙e excited to work with GIZ on this project, which will eventually allow certification data to be exchanged and evaluated along the value chain in a tamperproof, cost-efficient, and traceable manner,鈥� said Bendiek.

The GreenToken by 麻豆原创 solution, for example, can provide supply chain transparency right back to the origin of any material using a blockchain based chain of custody for trust based on recognized standards such as ISCC PLUS, ISCC EU, and REDcert2. This unique digital twin on a blockchain approach can provide transparency into ESG (environmental, social, and governance) facts such as commodity origin, child labor, and recycled and/or sustainability status across company borders.

Building the Green Hydrogen Economy

鈥淏razil has the ideal conditions to become a global player in this area, including the infrastructure needed to create a relevant domestic market and become a major exporter of green hydrogen. This makes Brazil an excellent partner for countries like Germany that intend to import green hydrogen,鈥� said Dr. Markus Francke, GIZ vice country director in Brazil. 鈥淎s Brazilian hydrogen companies are looking to sell their products in domestic, European, and other markets, this project will help prepare them for the requirements of region-specific certification processes.鈥�

Funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK), the results of the partnership are expected to benefit small and medium enterprises as well as large companies in Brazil.

While decarbonizing the economy, the development of a green hydrogen industry in parallel can boost economic growth and resilience, creating local jobs in countries that produce green hydrogen such as Brazil. The new partnership between 麻豆原创 and GIZ will contribute significantly to developing the hydrogen economy in Brazil by creating the necessary proof points through reliable certification for Brazil, Germany, and 鈥� and through its compliance to European directives 鈥� the European Union Member States.

Despite its usefulness and in alignment with the aims of organizations such as the and the , governments, businesses, and civil society听are cooperating on ways to curb the waste and pollution it causes.

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A First Step听听听听

As part of international efforts to fight climate change, for example, the European Union (EU) launched the , an action plan for transforming the economy from a linear one to a circular one that designs out waste and pollution. One key measure in tackling plastic pollution is the plastics tax applied to single-use plastic, plastic packaging, and microplastics.

Rather than a regional tax, however, the EU has mandated a national contribution from each of the 27 member states based on the amount of non-recycled plastic packaging waste it generates. The tax design varies greatly state by state, with some focusing on packaging in general and others on single use only. Some have different taxes for domestic or foreign-sourced plastic products. In short, member states are allowed to implement the tax in their own way, with their own rules and regulations.

The result is a an extremely fragmented landscape. Dealing with it requires the right strategy, tools, and expertise, especially in the areas of compliance and international supply chains. On January 1, for example, the Special Tax on non-reusable plastic containers took effect in Spain, imposing 鈧�0.45 per kilo of non-reusable plastic.

鈥淭his new tax presents a number of challenges for companies, not only because they will have to pay the designated tax, but because they will have to address this new process within the organization,鈥� says Maria Monasor, 麻豆原创 sustainability principal EMEA South and a spokesperson for 麻豆原创 Spain. 鈥淥ne of the greatest issues is the amount of information that needs to be collected and analyzed, all coming from different sources and, in many cases, from different countries, hampering collaboration.鈥�

Last April, the government in the UK introduced the first (UK PPT) to be implemented globally. The UK tax is 拢200 per metric ton of plastic packaging either produced听in or听imported into the UK that does not听contain听at least 30% recycled plastic.听Like their European counterparts, UK companies face two key challenges: getting the data to prepare their tax return and processing it to make tax decisions.

A Practical Solution

As has been the case with many challenges in recent times, technology has become a fundamental element in helping companies resolve their issues. is a cloud solution created specifically to facilitate the design of products for a circular economy and to help address the entire process involved in the new taxes.

Besides working to simplify manual reporting processes through automation, 麻豆原创 Responsible Design and Production allows companies to access data on logistics and materials, including details on the composition of packaging. 鈥淲ith this tool, companies will be able to calculate and submit reports in relation to the Spanish tax on plastics and reduce the risks of non-compliance,鈥� says Monasor.

The Ultimate Goal

In the long run, 麻豆原创 Responsible Design and Production can enable organizations to increase their sustainability KPI measurement and management capabilities as well as gain better visibility into material flows across all business processes. Improved traceability helps increase the accuracy of plastic tax payments and mitigates compliance risks. The solution can also implement changes to regulations and taxes and optimize the choice of materials for packaging to help reduce those taxes and boost circularity, which is the ultimate goal of the tax.

Despite all efforts to date, about 90% of the plastic currently produced worldwide is not recycled. 鈥淭he EU plastic tax and the UK PPT are harbingers of the worldwide movement reinforcing the polluter pays principle alongside extended producer responsibility,鈥� says Stephen Jamieson, global head of Circular Economy Solutions at 麻豆原创.

By disincentivizing the use of unsustainable materials, governments are incentivizing the market value of recyclable plastic, fostering a sustainable circular economy that will have global repercussions. Estimates indicated that plastic tax contributions would provide the EU with approximately 鈧�7 billion of additional revenue each year.

These efforts are only the first steps on a long, arduous journey. While most nations agree on the necessity to curb plastic, many are hesitant about the supply chain disruption it can bring to their economies. The ones that are embarking on the journey are pioneers whose efforts will provide valuable lessons for the ones that follow. The is to facilitate the process of transforming from a linear to a circular economy and to enable cooperation between nations, organizations, and their partners, no matter how fragmented the landscape. 麻豆原创 Responsible Design and Production fills that role by enabling companies to meet their sustainability commitments, comply with legislation, and develop more circular processes.

鈥淭oday, bathrooms are where we go to rejuvenate ourselves. It鈥檚 also where our customers can make significant contributions to preserving water, our most vital natural resource,鈥� said Alp Gu虉ldu虉r, IT director and digital leader at Eczaciba艧i Building Products. Speaking at the , he added that the group鈥檚 products are designed to be both stylish and sustainable.

Market Leadership

Turkey鈥檚 first and largest producer of ceramic sanitary ware, Eczaciba艧i Building Products, began producing VitrA-branded ware in 1958, adding faucets, bathroom furniture, bathtubs, shower trays, and a range of accessories along the way. The company designs many products in-house and also collaborates with renowned international designers and studios. Eczaciba艧i Building Products鈥� plant in Boz眉y眉k, Turkey, one of the world鈥檚 largest under one roof, is the first in its industry to receive TS EN 16001 Energy Management System Certification. VitrA is also the first and only brand in Europe to receive a Type-III Environmental Product Declaration for ceramic sanitary ware.

In faucets, Eczaciba艧i Building Products places among the top 10 producers in Europe. Its Artema brand is the only one from Turkey to achieve an A rating of the European Water Label, and it鈥檚 also the first from any industry to receive the Turkish Standards Institute鈥檚 Double Star rating, meaning products greatly exceed the benchmark.

鈥淎s Turkey’s first and largest manufacturer and exporter of ceramic tiles and sanitary ware, we play an important role in society,鈥� said G眉ld眉r.

According to the , the market trend is positive, thanks to factors such as the growth of the construction industry and a rise in infrastructure projects. Increased preference for ceramic sanitary ware is another factor fueling the industry growth.

But there are some challenges associated with production, including the volatility in the price of raw materials and stringent regulations. At the same time, systems and processes must be updated to meet the needs of digitized customers.

Customer Experience

To help address these challenges, Eczaciba艧i embarked on a massive digital transformation program called Vitramax. 鈥淥ur goal was to provide unique and seamless experiences for our customers and other stakeholders by being a technology and data-driven organization,鈥� said G眉ld眉r. 鈥淲e wanted to establish ourselves on social media and digital sales channels, and we鈥檝e done it. In the past, reacting to social media took about 48 hours; now, we can react in less than two.鈥�

After an intense greenfield implementation using agile methodology, Eczaciba艧i now runs as the background for its core 麻豆原创 business solutions, and is the backbone of its customer experience solutions. Thanks to its digital strategy, the company is now present on marketplaces in many different countries. Customer feedback is used by the innovation department to improve products and services, leading to higher quality.

The transformation project enabled Eczaciba艧i to completely revamp processes resulting in greater agility and efficiency and a reduction in costs. Most importantly, the system provides full visibility on all aspects of the business.

鈥溌槎乖� S/4HANA provides us with the platform to run our business,鈥� said G眉ld眉r. 鈥淏est of all, we don鈥檛 need to double check data accuracy, an activity that took up a lot of our time in the past.鈥�

Sustainability

Improving operational efficiency allows the company to focus on other important areas such as protecting the environment and using resources carefully. Eczaciba艧i signed the United Nations Global Compact, a voluntary initiative based on CEO commitments to implement universal sustainability principles and support UN goals, back in 2006.

As a member of the compact, Eczaciba艧i is continuously investing in innovation in all production, design, and management stages to ensure sustainable practices. It is also committed to uphold the 10 principles of the compact, which involve the protection of human rights and the environment, fair labor practices, and the prevention of corruption.

When companies like Eczaciba艧i take steps to become more efficient and sustainable, it can only result in a better world for all.

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 麻豆原创 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 麻豆原创 Business Technology Platform (麻豆原创 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 麻豆原创 implementation partner that got the application up and running, were keen to help 麻豆原创 develop the application.

Like 麻豆原创, 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 麻豆原创 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.

One company with extensive expertise in ESG reporting is , the world鈥檚 largest brewer. The company鈥檚 strategy for growth through the digitization of its ecosystem 鈥� which includes 200 breweries, 6 million customers, and over 2 billion consumers, generating over 10 million weekly transactions 鈥� involves a lot of data.

The Right Data

鈥淏rewing requires the best ingredients, which requires a healthy environment. We are an agribusiness. We see the far-reaching implications of climate change in our operations and sourcing regions,鈥� said Ezgi Barcenas, chief sustainability officer, Anheuser-Busch InBev. 鈥淲ith operations in over 50 countries, we鈥檙e looking at many metrics. Just inside our walls, we have 400 operating practices for tracking efficiency, water, energy, maintenance, and sourcing, to name a few.鈥�

Barcenas explained that as the company looks at its supply chain, it must think through the environmental and social impact up- and downstream, from the smallholder farmers down to the half million SMEs that are its customers selling its products around the world, all the mom-and-pop shops as well as the big chains.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 a lot of data,鈥� she said. 鈥淣ow add all your research and innovation data, security data, and ideas about the future of packaging and logistics. The point is, sometimes you need better data, not more. You need to ask yourself: is this data useful for making decisions? Does it help drive the right actions through the business?”

Another data-heavy company participating in the discussion was Schneider Electric SE, a French multinational specializing in听digital automation and energy management for buildings, data centers, infrastructure, and industries. By 2025, thanks to its energy and sustainability services and green product innovations, it will have and avoid 800 million tons of CO2.

鈥淲e need to triple our speed to avert climate disaster. Reporting scope 3 emissions is extremely important, because we can only track what we measure and we can only improve if we measure,鈥� said Michael Lofty, senior vice president, Power Products, Schneider Electric. The good news is that about 70% of Schneider Electric鈥檚 revenue already comes from green solutions. The company invests heavily in innovation. 鈥淎ny innovation coming from Schneider Electric is a sustainable offer,鈥� he explained. 鈥淓ach product is more sustainable than the one before it, and metrics are key proof points.鈥�

At Schneider Electric, the main challenge was to get suppliers on board the sustainability journey. The company launched a Zero Carbon Project to help 1,000 suppliers responsible for 70% of its upstream carbon emissions become more sustainable. 鈥淭his is a movement and it鈥檚 a must-have movement, because we are only as strong as our smallest supplier,鈥� said Lofty. The project aims to quantify supplier emissions to establish a baseline and identify key sources of emissions. This enables data-driven prioritization of intervention and road map creation.

ESG Reporting

Most people assume that ESG investing is designed to reward companies helping the planet. According to a by the Harvard Business Review, however, ESG ratings that underlie ESG fund selection are based on materiality, an accounting principle stating that all items likely to impact investors鈥� decision-making must be recorded in detail in a business鈥檚 financial statements using听.

Some businesses are already linking materiality to their own fortunes and that of the planet. A revealed that a significant minority of respondents say sustainability is already financially material to their businesses and a larger group believes it will be imminent in the near future. Companies like Anheuser-Busch IN Bev and Schneider Electric are finding ways to make that link pay off with the help of data.

鈥淥ne change we鈥檝e seen over the last few years is that investors have a better understanding of which data is material to the business, and they ask more questions around it,鈥� said Barcenas. 鈥淲e鈥檙e increasingly trying to provide more context around our data.鈥�

Providing accurate data is the only way to really demonstrate the impact of the changing world on a company鈥檚 profits and losses. Having one global framework and mandatory reporting would certainly help address the data challenge, but that won鈥檛 happen in the near future.

鈥淲e still need to progress on some of the standards and regulations before we can make them mandatory,鈥� said Gunther Rothermel, senior vice president, head of Sustainability Engineering, 麻豆原创. 鈥淲e need to look at the common denominator underlying the regulations and cover that level first, and then grow this common denominator as the regulations mature and become accepted.鈥�

Companies like 麻豆原创, he said, with products that also need to meet standards, will, at least for now, have to serve numerous frameworks. In the meantime, 麻豆原创 solutions help organizations of all sizes and industries achieve their zero emissions, zero waste, and zero inequality goals through ESG data transparency across crucial business processes, business networking, and a large ecosystem of partners.鈥�

鈥淲e believe that embedding sustainability at the core of business strategy can help drive operational efficiency, innovation, employee engagement, supply chain resilience, risk mitigation, improved sales, and other strategic business benefits,鈥� said Rothermel.

Having the right data proof points will help companies better understand the return on their sustainability investment (ROSI) and the materiality underlying investor decision-making, resulting in shareholder returns and long-term benefits to the environment and society.

For more information on how 麻豆原创 helps companies record, report, and act on their sustainability goals, visit .

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. 麻豆原创 is helping the company to reinvent itself once again to remain relevant for the next 100 years 鈥� and beyond. 鈥溌槎乖� 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.

Consumer behavior is behind this ever-growing conundrum — as retailers offer better and more affordable mattresses, consumers replace them more and more frequently.

鈥淐hanging consumer behavior is one of the ways to fix this problem,鈥� said听, chief creative officer for Ingka Group, IKEA Retail, at the London Design Festival鈥檚 麻豆原创-sponsored panel discussion about . 鈥淚t鈥檚 not enough to educate consumers to adopt circular behavior patterns. They also need the facilities and infrastructure to actually behave with a circular mindset. So instead of discarding old furniture and mattresses in landfill, customers can return them to us for creating new materials out of low value waste.鈥�

When asked what鈥檚 the next step after circular economy, Engman responded that circular economy is not about phases. It鈥檚 a mindset that will change the world. 鈥淲e鈥檙e moving into a future where waste is the raw material. It鈥檚 about designing from the bottom up, and thinking in components,鈥� he explained.

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Democratic Design

At IKEA, the concept of sustainability and circularity isn鈥檛 a new idea. IKEA was quite sustainable from the beginning without even knowing it. The company鈥檚 purpose has always been to create a better everyday life for the many people. This vision goes beyond home furnishings; it鈥檚 about having a positive impact on entire communities.

鈥淲e鈥檙e a low-price company. Being low price means you have to be low cost, which means adopting non-wasteful behavior in everything you do,鈥� said Engman. 鈥淚t begins with designing processes that generate no waste whatsoever. For example, IKEA鈥檚 flat packaging contains zero air, because we don鈥檛 like shipping air. That doesn鈥檛 make sense.鈥�

Common sense is in the IKEA DNA. With over 1 billion customers per year, the company sees an opportunity and a responsibility to design for change and not for production, because design and sustainability go hand in hand. The company handles resources as carefully as possible to increase affordability.

Changing people鈥檚 mindset to consume more sustainably begins with making products that are affordable. People need to understand where materials come from and why things cost what they do. Cost is a crucial part of the design, along with four other design principles that are applied to every single product the company produces.

is a tool used to develop and evaluate the products in the IKEA range. It has five dimensions including function, form, quality, sustainability, and low price. When there is a balance between all five, the design is considered to be democratic, meaning it improves the everyday life of many people.

Collaboration and Innovation

Regarding the role of collaboration in the circular economy, for Engman it鈥檚 based on curiosity and generosity. He cited听 as an example. This unique initiative was established by Ingka Group, the largest IKEA franchisee, and H&M to help people bring their innovative ideas to life. Driven by a collective of creatives, makers, manufacturers and design industry experts, it focuses on the merits of local design and production.

The first batch of products from Atelier100 include听a vase made from London clay excavated from below the River Thames, handcrafted in ceramicist and artist Alison Cooke鈥檚 West Hampstead studio, and a floor light using a free-standing London cobblestone for weight and balance, produced in Mitre & Mondays鈥� Islington workshop.

For Engman, innovation and sustainability go hand in hand, and require collaboration for long-term success. Wood, the most ancient material used for furniture, is critical to the company鈥檚 product line. Using it sustainably requires a special relationship with nature. 鈥淚n Sweden, where I come from, nature is in your face. You learn from an early age how to embed nature in your daily life and how to forage to fill your pantry,鈥� he said.

Responsible wood sourcing is at the heart of IKEA鈥檚 business, and the company has been using its size and reach to improve forest management across the world. Partnering with a variety of stakeholders to increase the volume and availability of wood from responsibly managed forests is key to IKEA鈥檚 own supply and goes well beyond. IKEA was one of the founders of Forest Stewardship Council () in 1994, which unites stakeholders from around the world to improve forest management on a global and national level. In FY20, more than 98% of the wood used for IKEA products was FSC-certified or recycled.

Technology is another key element in the circular mindset. 鈥淚n the U.S. we introduced IKEA Kreativ, a new part of the IKEA app that helps people design their space using virtual and mixed reality,鈥� said Engman. 鈥淭hey take pictures of their rooms and scan them into the app where they can move around old and new furniture. People can try things out virtually instead of buying things and sending them back if they don鈥檛 fit.鈥�

Although IKEA鈥檚听听solution is still in the development phase, IKEA鈥檚 numerous innovative partnerships and sustainable initiatives are examples of how to change behavior, production and processes to create the circular mindset that will drive the economy of the future.

For more information on how 麻豆原创 helps companies record, report, and act on their sustainability goals, visit .

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Paying a High Price

Everyone suffers from climate change, but some regions suffer disproportionately from its negative consequences. Africa contributes only three percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, the least of all regions. Yet increasing temperatures, extreme droughts, and floods threaten human health and safety, food and water security, and socioeconomic development in Africa.

African leaders meeting recently at the called on their counterparts from wealthier nations to increase funding for projects to help them adapt to climate change. This topic was already addressed at the COP26 meeting last year, where world powers for developing countries to around $40 billion a year by 2025, but .

“If we want our continent to thrive, we have to adapt to climate change — and to achieve this, financing needs to start flowing at scale,” said Ghana President Nana Afuko-Addo at the summit. The African Development Bank has already committed half the amount needed for the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program, but African leaders are looking for the world’s big CO2 emitters to step in.

These discussions will be the focal topic at the 27th Convention on Climate Change this month in Egypt. With a volatile geopolitical backdrop dominating world dynamics since early 2022, leaders at COP27 have their work cut out to around climate.

In the meantime, businesses can play a key role in improving people’s lives.

Harnessing the Power of People

By 2050, Africa will be home to some of the world’s largest cities, including Lagos and Kinshasa, and a $29 trillion economy. The continent boasts the largest youth labor market in the world and is at the forefront of digitalization and cloud technologies. Tech-savvy young people equipped with the right skills and vision can dramatically impact productivity and sustainability, making education and vocational training vital to success.

While connectivity has improved over the last decade, its reach varies. About 600 million Africans still lack access to electricity, and frequent power outages keep the existing supply unstable. Political, economic, and social instability exist in many countries, but the most significant problem remains the high unemployment rate across the entire continent.

“In a world where one employee may be supporting ten family members, sustainability and compliance to environmental, societal, and governance factors may seem a luxury,” says Cathy Smith, managing director of 麻豆原创 Africa. “African enterprises don’t want their growth to be hampered by restrictions from outside their region. At the same time, they realize the need for greater efficiency, lower costs, and less waste in running their business. It’s common sense.”

Africa is vast and diverse. Whereas some countries like Kenya, Ruanda, and Nigeria have digitally savvy populations striving towards digital transformation, others depend on traditional industries such as mining and oil and gas, where change happens at a slower pace. Small and midsize businesses remain the backbone of most economies on the continent.

Businesses have never been a more critical player in responding to significant global volatility, disruption, and conflict. Still, regional enterprises must develop at their own pace based on their strategic objectives and customer needs.

Understanding Human Needs

Like elsewhere, consumer behavior shifts have impacted the African continent since COVID-19. As opposed to many Western countries, where consumers focus more on sustainability, African shoppers are more concerned with household spending. According to a on South African Consumer Outlook, brand loyalty has weakened as consumers more frequently select the lowest-priced product to meet their needs and budgets.

“It’s very critical for consumer goods companies to ensure their portfolio accommodates the changing circumstances of shoppers,” Smith says. “Our job is not to mandate how those companies manage their green lines. Our job is to help them move beyond disconnected, piecemeal approaches and use technology’s power to build inclusive, sustainable, and resilient value chains.”

That said, shifts in consumer behavior toward sustainability are not impacting Africa. According to by De Beers Group, sustainability considerations are now on par with price and design for consumers when purchasing diamonds. While there is undoubtedly a dark side to how people have acquired their sparkling stones, the upside is that the industry creates high employment levels and contributes significantly to the GDPs of the countries producing them.

As quoted in the report, De Beers Group CEO Bruce Cleaver says the research provides important insights on how sustainability factors influence consumer attitudes toward diamonds. A tipping point is happening: sustainability is no longer a trend; it’s already one of the critical considerations in diamond purchases.

Finding the Right Balance

For business leaders, it is a matter of weighing the pros and cons and finding the right balance to benefit people, profit, and the planet. In addition, government policies need to align all relevant parties. Consistent collaboration among governments, businesses, and partners can help maintain the sense of urgency required to ensure the well doesn’t dry.

This approach will help African enterprises of all sizes in all industries chart a sustainable path for the future.

For more information on how 麻豆原创 helps companies record, report, and act on their sustainability goals, visit .

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, 麻豆原创 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 麻豆原创鈥檚 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. 麻豆原创 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 麻豆原创 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.

鈥淭here is no life on earth without the sun, and it鈥檚 there for everyone,鈥� said Anselma W枚rner, COO and one of the three cofounders of Exnaton, a Swiss company that develops software for communities trading renewable energy in local neighborhoods.

W枚rner was explaining how her company created a smart energy system at the recent听听in Munich, Germany. 鈥淲e have a new generation of prosumers 鈥� people who consume and produce their own energy 鈥� who are using new connected technologies and renewable power like solar to exchange energy through the grid.鈥�

Sun Powered

Humans have always depended on the sun for light, heat, and food, and its all-encompassing power has influenced cultures and religions around the world. Although advances in technology have decreased our dependence, the importance of solar energy in our efforts to reduce our carbon footprint is a reminder that we still depend on it for survival. That鈥檚 why the cofounders picked the name 听for their enterprise. Looking for a word that connects 鈥渆nergy鈥� and 鈥渆xchange,鈥� they hit upon the Egyptian pharaoh Akhenaten (pronounced Echnaton) who raised the status of the sun above that of all other gods and created an early monotheism that briefly became a state religion.

The goal of Exnaton is to help integrate prosumers into the grid. Currently, the legal framework is very complex, and there is no clear ROI for them. There are no feed-in tariffs or policy mechanisms designed to accelerate investment in renewable energy technologies by offering long-term contracts to renewable energy producers.

鈥淎t the moment, there is no value for the community, and we want to change that,鈥� said W枚rner, who is responsible for fundraising, data science, and recruiting at Exnaton. 鈥淲hat most people don鈥檛 realize is that renewable energy is not always produced when it鈥檚 needed most. So, when it is available, prosumers should be able to sell their energy directly.鈥�

People who own solar panels could actually sell a lot of energy to other households, if only they had the means. W枚rner and her team believe it should be as easy to sell to other consumers as it is to sell any other products on the market. 鈥淧rosumers are faced with fragmented solutions, complex regulations, and frustrating user experiences. What they need are simple solutions, trusted local providers, and proactive community and user groups,鈥� she explained.

Community Centric

Enter Exnaton鈥檚 EnergyCommunity software add-on for听 solutions, which won an听听in the Partner Paragon category together with Best Practice Consulting (BPC) and is now available on 麻豆原创 Store. This user-centric extension enables utility companies to empower prosumers to buy and sell energy within their local communities and also track all relevant data.

Here鈥檚 how it works. Any prosumers in the community can sell their solar energy to any consumers in the grid. The EnergyCommunity tracks their energy data and informs them exactly where the energy is coming from and how much CO2 it is generating. The utility company can easily bill these energy exchanges with their regular 麻豆原创 billing system thanks to the integration offered by Exnaton in working with the 麻豆原创 system integrator BPC. At the same time, the utility company can sell additional hardware installations to members of the community, making it an attractive option for all parties.

鈥淭he EnergyCommunity makes it easy to exchange energy within the community. Participating in their local community creates a closer bond between people, and the platform provides a new customer channel for the utility company,鈥� said听the technology expert, who has a PhD in Information Systems. 鈥淎t the end of the day, with Exnaton鈥檚 energy sharing software-as-a-service platform, energy suppliers can offer their customers more independence.鈥�

Exnaton is responding to the challenge faced by prosumers who currently have no possibility to sell their extra energy directly on the market and the one faced by utilities companies as they realize they must offer new models as they transition to renewables with a decentralized approach. A number of utility companies are already running the solution in communities across Germany, Austria, Luxemburg, and Switzerland, and the goal is to expand to other European countries where there is a strong regulatory framework. More importantly, the solution enables energy companies to equip their customers for a sustainable future.

Future Focused

Over 733 million people on the planet still don鈥檛 have access to affordable, sustainable energy, which is why providing energy is goal seven on the list of the听. For Exnaton, goal seven is its core business, but at the same time, it is equally committed to goal 11, developing sustainable cities and communities; goal 12, enabling responsible production and consumption; and goal 13, taking urgent action to combat climate change and its impact.

The good news, according to the recent听听report, is that renewables overtook fossil fuels as the number one power source in the European Union for the first time in 2020. Renewables generate 38% of electricity, compared to 37% for fossil fuels. Also, at least two million people in the EU are already involved in more than 7,700 energy communities, and engagement is rising. Energy communities have also contributed up to 7% of nationally installed capacities of renewables, estimated at 6.3 GW.

For W枚rner and the team at Exnaton, producing energy where it is consumed decreases the dependence of the region on imported resources. Energy from the sun is practically limitless, and it more than covers the entire demand of the planet. With advances in technology and solutions like the EnergyCommunity, households and small businesses benefit from electricity powered by the sun, making renewable energy accessible and cost effective. What could be more natural, sensible, or sustainable?

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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 麻豆原创 Agribusiness Industry Advisory Council. Stringer is deeply appreciative of the collaborative engagement. 鈥溌槎乖� 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 麻豆原创, 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 麻豆原创 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.

During two decades at 麻豆原创, she rose through the ranks to become the first woman to lead 麻豆原创 Labs India. Today, Gangadharan is among the leading voices in the world of technology and is widely regarded as a “technology humanist.”

Q: What is a technology humanist, and what makes you one?

A: I am passionate about using technology to serve people. Throughout the pandemic we witnessed the power of technology to make things better.

For example, the second COVID-19 wave took everyone in India by surprise, crippling the entire healthcare system. There was an acute shortage of medical oxygen. The reason for the shortage was not a lack of oxygen, but the inadequacy of the distribution network to get it from the point of manufacture to the hospitals. This entire supply chain was severely disrupted at multiple levels due to the sudden rise in demand across the country.

At 麻豆原创 Labs India we decided to use our greatest assets — our technology and our employees who have the finest minds in the country — to help the government. About 80% of India鈥檚 oxygen suppliers already run on 麻豆原创, so we worked together to create an oxygen supply chain dashboard — literally over one weekend!

I believe 麻豆原创 Labs India really stepped up to save lives.

What influenced you during your formative years to pursue a career in technology?

I grew up in India at a time when the tech craze was engulfing the country. I was inquisitive, I loved mathematics, and I was fascinated by the incredible possibilities of technology.

My home city, Bengaluru, was transforming into a tech center with specialized labor for global technology markets. After getting a degree in computer science, I got a job as a developer in 1999 just after the inauguration of 麻豆原创 Labs India. Later, I moved to 麻豆原创 headquarters in Walldorf, Germany, where I held several strategic and leadership positions shaping 麻豆原创鈥檚 integration product portfolio. I also became the head of Strategy for 麻豆原创 Intelligent Enterprise. This gave me a digital first mindset.

You are the first woman to lead 麻豆原创 Labs India. What can you tell us about the role?

After living and working at 麻豆原创 headquarters in Germany for 20 years, I became managing director in India. That meant a complete change in culture and environment for myself and my family, as we had become fully integrated in the German lifestyle, but the change brought new opportunities for personal growth.

麻豆原创 Labs India is the second-largest after Walldorf. The teams work on all the major solutions 鈥� from 麻豆原创 S/4HANA and 麻豆原创 HANA through 麻豆原创 Business Technology Platform to the entire range of business area products. As the managing director, I oversee over 13,000 麻豆原创 employees across Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, and Hyderabad. Many successful products and solutions such as the 麻豆原创 Asset Intelligence Network have originated from 麻豆原创 Labs India.

India is an incredibly diverse nation. How has that influenced your leadership style?

Coming from a very diverse nation, where there is no single common theme and the average person may speak three or four different languages, we tend to see things from a variety of perspectives. We are a technology-focused nation, but at the same time, we are rooted in ancient traditions and customs. I would say this ingrained diversity helps me lead with empathy.

In addition, the ratio of men to women in this business means there is automatically a gender imbalance. Often, people think male leadership traditionally means being more decisive and aggressive, whereas women leaders are more empathetic and have more patience and emotional intelligence. They believe women aren’t capable of making hard decisions, but that is obviously not the case. One of my goals is to create a balanced workplace that attracts and retains women in tech roles.

How do you define innovation? How is it helping companies in India become more efficient and sustainable in post-pandemic times?

Innovation and sustainability go hand in hand. The pace of transformation has accelerated so rapidly thanks to the cloud, which gained a much wider adoption across all industries and lines of business during the pandemic. With challenges such as climate change and the war in the Ukraine, enterprises need greater resilience. The cloud acts as a technology backbone for companies of all sizes. We know that sustainable growth is incomplete if one of the three dimensions is missing; besides the top line and the bottom line, investors and employees are also looking at the green line.

At 麻豆原创, we are not only enabling half a million companies worldwide to run more efficiently and therefore more sustainably, we are also leading by example in how we manage our own business.

You mentioned how 麻豆原创 Labs India helped create a sustainable supply chain for oxygen. What other industries or lines of business are benefiting from 麻豆原创鈥檚 innovation?

India was one of the first countries to impose a ban on single-use plastics. The Indian government is mandating full business responsibility by the end of 2023, so enterprises are looking to 麻豆原创 for guidance on how to go about it. At the same time, there is a surge in partnerships and startups to help us achieve the goal, so there is a strong collaborative aspect.

One key area is retail. India is a nation driven by consumption; we have the third-largest base of online shoppers in the world. There are 700 million active internet users with mobile devices, and this number will soon reach 1 billion. E-commerce growth is expected to scale up to $130 billion in the next years. Helping enterprises in this industry respond to consumer demand for more sustainable practices is one of our main challenges.

I鈥檓 confident we can help enterprises reduce climate impact across their value chains and embed sustainable behavior in their organizations with the right tools — in other words, use technology to benefit humanity.

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 麻豆原创 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 麻豆原创 solutions has made it easier to eliminate long paper trails. 麻豆原创 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 麻豆原创, 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. 麻豆原创 helps us hugely by simplifying the process, and 麻豆原创鈥檚 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, 麻豆原创 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 麻豆原创鈥檚 social recruitment platform, a customizable job matching digital platform developed by a team from 麻豆原创 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 麻豆原创鈥檚 flagship social intrapreneurship program, 麻豆原创 One Billion Lives, the 麻豆原创 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 麻豆原创 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.

With over three decades of experience in the industry, Palmaka has always been passionate about the power of technology to transform businesses for success and positively influence the region鈥檚 economy.

Q: You started working at a very early age. What was your first job?

A: When I was 16, I applied for a trainee position with Philips Electronics. I was still in high school in S茫o Paulo. I didn鈥檛 have any expectations because Philips was a big company — why would they hire me? I just entered my name and went through some interviews. But I really wanted the job, because my family needed the income. When I was selected, that was a big thing. When I was 17, I was hired as an employee. Like many young people in this region, I had to juggle my day job and going to school at night. My mother was worried that I was commuting by bus alone across the city at night.

How did this shape your work ethic and your sense of responsibility?

As a child, I lived a modest life. My parents and my grandmother came to Brazil from Poland, where their values had been shaped by the restrictions of the Second World War. At home, nothing was wasted, everything was reused. Milk came in recycled bottles, and we made our own yogurt. Our clothes were hand-me-downs from family. Books and backpacks were used with care so that others could reuse them later. We never left the water running or the lights on. There was a conscious use of resources; we had a huge sense of respect for things like energy, food, and water.

The concept of circularity has been ingrained since childhood. How does innovation and technology help drive sustainability?

Whenever I hear the word innovation, I think it means doing something that has not been done before, or applying known methods to get different results.听 It鈥檚 about those “aha” moments in life.听 I鈥檝e been very inspired by a young woman, Anna Luisa Beserra, a Brazilian environmental entrepreneur who is the founder and CEO of a startup called Sustainable Development and Water for All (SDW). When she was 15 years old, she developed a filtering system to disinfect rainwater collected in cisterns. It鈥檚 called Aqualuz, it鈥檚 a portable water purification system that uses solar energy to make water contaminated with bacteria safe to drink. Today she has her own business that brings safe water and sanitation to some of the most arid regions of Brazil.

You are now a member of the Board of Directors of her company. And under your leadership as regional president, all the managing directors of 麻豆原创 Latin America and Caribbean are women. Was that one of your goals?

No, not all. It was a natural evolution that began during the succession planning phase for my replacement when I moved into my current position. We always start with a list of criteria we are looking for to fill a certain position. Who has the right skills, knowledge, and ability? Then it鈥檚 a process of elimination, weighing pros and cons, weighing the different skills, different backgrounds. I consider different perspectives, sometimes the difference between men and women, but I did not set out to hire women for these positions. I was looking for people who could bring something new to the table, people who are able to lead by example. Gender is just one aspect of a balanced organization.

Talk about sustainability is everywhere. Companies are trying to figure out how to address their environmental, societal, and governance (ESG) factors. How are you and your team guiding customers in that direction?

We need to learn how to articulate what’s behind those three letters: ESG. There are many things that we can each do personally. In my case, as I lead in the company, I have to educate those around me and guide those conversations with our customers. CEOs and C-level executives are telling us sustainability must be embedded into everything we do. A year and a half ago, we hired a sustainability officer that reports directly to me. We are actively looking at how customers are dealing with the ESG factors to find examples we can learn from and replicate. The oil and gas industry comes to mind, where there is immense pressure to transition to renewable energy for environmental reasons. Agribusiness is big in Latin America and also has environmental issues. Of course, this topic really accelerated during the pandemic, and in our region there is a special need around the societal factors. We鈥檙e dealing with a huge gap between the rich and the poor. We have skills shortages, workforce issues, salary in terms of equity, and so on.

What about governance?

This is a key factor. In the past when people talked about sustainability, it was about planting trees. Today, thanks to increased focus on ESG factors, you need a holistic strategy. Both global and local companies have to consider governance because they are doing business in different parts of the world and are impacted by all the regulations. Some companies are improving in the ESG area because they have to comply, others are doing it because it鈥檚 the right thing to do, and it鈥檚 embedded in their core vision and purpose. It doesn鈥檛 matter. Companies are responding to the push to do better for whatever reason. We鈥檙e seeing a lot of innovation in startups, which has a lot to do with the mindset of the new generation.

Let鈥檚 not forget, this is not about one single company. Every company, large and small, plays a role. Sustainability is becoming part of the business DNA.

Read more stories from the 麻豆原创 Pioneers series.