Our sustainability policies, codes, and commitments
We're making the world run better with sustainable business decisions
Learn how SAP is helping businesses connect environmental, social, and financial value creation.
Connecting financial and ESG performance
Since 2012, SAP has issued our annual Integrated Report to present a holistic view of our business performance across environmental, social, and governance (ESG) metrics.
Our Planet Cannot Afford Fragmented Reporting
The days of fragmented reporting must end. Go further with ESG integration and data transparency using SAP Sustainability Control Tower.
Sustainability is a CFO imperative
Where there is harmony, there is victory
SAP CFO Luka Mucic shares his vision for transforming traditional accounting towards holistic steering and reporting – leveraging digital technologies to accelerate this journey.
CFO to CFO: SAP and BMW discuss sustainability
CFOs are getting more involved than ever in the sustainability strategy of their organizations, as social, environmental, and financial performance indicators become part of an integrated steering model.
At first glance, you might think sustainability is not relevant to a CFO. But if you think about a company’s impact and performance from a holistic perspective, there’s no way around it. Social, environmental, and economic performance are at the heart of SAP’s business, and top of mind for our customers. By steering these three components holistically, we can create value for companies, societies, and individuals alike.
Human rights at SAP
We're committed to respecting and promoting human rights across our operations,
extended supply chain, and product lifecycle.
To integrate human rights considerations into our standard business practices, we take guidance from the United Nations’ Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. We have a range of policies and procedures in place to ensure we treat everyone with respect and to mitigate human rights risks occurring in our own business and along the value chain. We also expect all our business partners to respect human rights and avoid complicity in any abuse.
Transparent reporting on human rights and labor standards
In order to be as transparent as possible, we disclose information about our due diligence, governance, guidelines, and how we assess and manage human rights measures in the Human Rights and Labor Standards chapter in the SAP Integrated Report.
Ethical use of artificial intelligence
Recognizing the significant impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on people, our customers, and society, our guiding principles steer the development and deployment of our AI software to help the world run better and improve people’s lives.
Respecting and protecting individual privacy
Our commitment to protecting and respecting individuals' privacy is outlined in SAP Trust Center, which includes our data protection guidelines and global compliance data protection laws.
Accessibility support in our products
We are proud to say that making our software work for more people has been, and continues to be, a high priority. We bring accessibility to life with design and development for inclusion.
Upholding high standards across our supply chain
We expect suppliers and partners to respect human rights. Our codes of conduct require them to uphold labor rights and provide a safe and healthy work environment for all employees.
Feel safe and be heard. SAP’s Global Ombuds Office is there to support every SAP employee worldwide who is experiencing personal and/or professional difficulties by providing conflict consulting, coaching, and mediation as well trainings and workshops for conflict prevention.
The guiding principles are based on the Code of Ethics of the International Ombuds Association (IOA) granting impartial attention without fear of retaliation.
Human Rights Due Diligence
To put our commitment to human rights into action, we have created Human Right Due Diligence (HRDD) Program. This program is designed to identify, prevent, mitigate, and remediate the adverse human rights impacts that may be associated with our business activities.
Our HRDD program is based on the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights as well as legal requirements like the German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (Lieferkettensorgfaltspflichtengesetz, LkSG).
The HRDD program includes the following key components:
- Policy commitment - We have outlined our commitment to respecting human rights in the human rights commitment statement. Read the document here.
- Risk assessment - We conduct an annual (or, if required, ad hoc) risk analysis to identify and assess actual and potential human rights risks.
- Measures and monitoring - We implement preventive and mitigative measures for potential human rights impacts and plan to regularly evaluate the effectiveness of these measures.
- Reporting - We provide regular updates to the SAP Executive Board. We also disclose our impacts, the measures we have taken, and our overall advancements in the human rights due diligence process in the annual SAP Integrated Report.
- Grievance mechanism - Speak Out at SAP is available to all employees and external third parties as a reporting channel for any concerns related to human rights and the environment.
- Stakeholder engagement - Stakeholder engagement is a fundamental part of this program. It helps us understand stakeholder perspectives to assess impacts on human rights and develop appropriate measures.
Identifying concerns and speaking out
SAP encourages you to speak out and report any potential breaches of an international human rights norm or environmental harm. Report your concerns that may relate to, for example, child labor, slavery and forced labor, discrimination, unlawful taking of land, occupational health and safety and related health hazards, withholding an adequate living wage, the right to form trade unions and workers' representations, harmful soil change or water pollution, or torture.
All concerns that relate to any protected right as defined in the German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act § 2 sections 2 and 3 can be reported via Speak Out at SAP, online or via the integrated hotline with local language support, confidentially, and if desired, anonymously.
Depending on the nature of the topic, your report is routed to the appropriate expert team for evaluation.
- The Global People Compliance Office reviews reports relating to topics covered by the SAP Global Anti-Discrimination Policy or allegations against SAP or SAP employees related to child labor, slavery and forced labor, withholding an adequate living wage, the right to form trade unions and workers' representations.
- SAP Corporate Security Investigations reviews reports related to occupational health and safety obligations, unlawful taking of land, environmental pollution, and criminal acts against persons.
- SAP Corporate Security Investigations also reviews reports related to SAP’s supply chain.
Upon receipt of your report, you will receive an acknowledgement within seven working days. You may receive a request for more detail or questions from us to add further information that may help resolve open points. The reported concern will be assessed to determine the eligibility of the matter, the responsible function, the plausibility, and the appropriate next steps. Further communication will depend on the nature of the concern shared and the follow up actions required. You will receive an update on the status of your reported concern within 90 days after sharing it.
SAP has a strict non-retaliation policy and does not tolerate any threatened or actual retaliation toward individuals speaking up and reporting concerns about potential noncompliance. You can be confident that you will not suffer adverse consequences or retaliation for reporting potential issues in good faith.
If you believe you have been or are being subjected to retaliation for making a report, please raise your retaliation concern via Speak Out at SAP.
Note that anyone reporting a concern using the Speak Out tool is subject to the protections granted to them by the European Union Directive 2019/1937 on the protection of persons who report breaches of Union law (EU Whistleblower Directive), in as far as the requirements of the Directive and/or of national implementations thereof apply.
The Global Ombuds Office
The Global Ombuds Office helps any SAP employee worldwide who is experiencing personal and/or professional difficulties by providing consulting and conflict coaching. Our purpose is to provide a place for every employee at SAP worldwide to be heard and to receive impartial attention without fear of retaliation.
Compliance, policies, and commitments
Ethics and compliance
Find out how we strive to undertake business with integrity by doing the right thing and following both the spirit and the letter of the law in all the markets we operate in.
Policies, codes, and commitments
Explore our policies and commitments to employing and safeguarding responsible business practices, based on respecting the Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact.
Energy and environmental management
Discover our environmental and energy management approach for achieving our targets.
Ethics and compliance at SAP
By doing business the right way, SAP can positively impact social and economic development, furthering education, justice, democracy, prosperity, development, and health worldwide.
SAP is committed to the highest standards of ethical business. We strive to undertake business with integrity by doing the right thing and following both the spirit and the letter of the law in all the markets we operate in.
Teaching prevention
SAP has a strong culture of ethical business. We actively and continuously nurture this culture by providing our employees, partners, and suppliers with clear and comprehensive guidance on our high ethics and compliance standards via our Codes of Business Conduct, policies, due diligence processes, and continuous advice, communication, and training.
Identifying concerns
At SAP, every employee has equal responsibility for upholding our high standards of ethical business and is encouraged to speak up with concerns about any situation, without fearing personal retribution. We equally encourage those who do business with us to speak out and get in touch with us about any suspected issues via our network of Field Compliance Officers or anonymously using our reporting tool, Speak Out at SAP.*
Addressing issues
Reported concerns are shared with the relevant SAP department for assessment and next steps.
Matters of compliance relating to potential bribery, corruption and/or fraud are investigated by a dedicated investigation team within SAP’s Office of Ethics and Compliance. This team enacts appropriate measures to address any parties – employees, partners, or suppliers – who are found to have deviated from SAP’s Code of Ethics and Business Conduct. We actively integrate learning from audits, investigations, data analytics, and industry best practices to continuously strengthen the elements of our compliance investigations and management system.
We rely on our employees and ecosystem to assess every decision and action made on behalf of the organization to be legal, fair, and compliant with our policies and Code of Ethics and Business Conduct. SAP encourages you to speak out and report any breaches of the Code, including concerns over potential violations relating to compliance, the law and/or regulations.
There are multiple ways of reporting a concern; directly via the Office of Ethics & Compliance or SAP HR Compliance, or by creating a report using the Speak Out at SAP tool. All submissions and identities are maintained confidentially to the greatest extent practical (in light of the need to perform an investigation and, if necessary, take action).
There are also third-party channels for reporting potential misconduct that involves breaches of EU laws and national implementations thereof according to the EU Directive 2019/1937 on the protection of whistleblowers.
SAP has a strict non-retaliation policy and does not tolerate any threatened or actual retaliation toward individuals speaking up and reporting concerns about potential noncompliance. You can be confident that you will not suffer adverse consequences or retaliation for reporting potential issues in good faith.
If you believe you have been or are being subjected to retaliation for making a report, please raise your retaliation concern via Speak Out at SAP.
Note that anyone reporting a concern using the Speak Out tool is subject to the protections granted to them by the European Union Directive 2019/1937 on the protection of persons who report breaches of Union law (EU Whistleblower Directive), in as far as the requirements of the Directive and/or of national implementations thereof apply.
Our sustainability policies, codes, and commitments
As a signatory of the United Nations (UN) Global Compact initiative, SAP is committed to respecting and promoting human rights across our operations, extended supply chain, and product lifecycle.
We are committed to the highest standards of Ethical Business and expect the same from our ecosystem. Our Code is a cornerstone for this commitment: it guides all SAP employees in fulfilling our purpose and promise with integrity.
We are committed to reducing our impact on the environment in our operations, throughout our value chain, and with our solutions.
The SAP Global Environmental Policy guides our efforts to minimize our ecological footprint, provide environmental performance transparency, and demonstrate leadership in sustainability through transformational strategies and by offering solutions that enable customers to increase resource productivity.
The purpose of this statement is to enforce SAP’s commitment to treating all employees with dignity and respect in a workplace free from discrimination and harassment. At SAP, our commitment goes beyond legal requirements; it is part of our culture and plays a vital role in our vision to help the world run better and improve people’s lives.
This statement is an extension of SAP’s public commitment to the Human Rights Commitment Statement, Luxembourg Declaration on Workplace Health Promotion, the International Labor Organization (ILO) Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (specifically SDG 3 “Good Health” and SDG 8 “Decent Workplaces”).
As a signatory of the UN Global Compact since 2000, SAP believes companies have a responsibility to respect human rights throughout all business operations.
At SAP, we respect and support the values of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Labour Organization's (ILO) Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work by integrating human rights considerations into our standard business practices.
To support human rights, we see three major areas of impact:
- Our employees
- Our ecosystem
- Our solutions and services
This code is a statement of integrity that SAP expects from all our partners.
SAP regards our partner base as a critical and necessary extension of our operations and future success. SAP has created the SAP Partner Code of Conduct to help our partners understand what is expected. This code is a statement of integrity that SAP expects from our partners, including technology, solution, service (consulting, implementation, system integration, hosting, and education), channel (Value Added Reseller, distributor, and other resellers), and all other partners that collaborate with SAP or are part of any partner program of SAP after having been offered a global or local partnership by SAP in any strategic business area or for any customer need in all market segments, and then being nominated as partner by SAP and all employees of the so-defined partners.
SAP has a strong commitment to integrity and sustainability. In-line with this, we encourage our partners to:
- Comply with all regional and federal laws, rules, and regulations
- Uphold the human rights of workers and treat them with dignity and respect
- Operate with sustainable business practices and mindful, responsible use of environmental resources
- Provide a safe and professional work environment that protects SAP's intellectual property
- Refrain from any action that may be considered a conflict of interest
Partners doing business in the market as a nominated SAP partner must be in full compliance with this SAP Partner Code of Conduct and all applicable laws, rules, regulations, and policies, as noncompliance might be regarded as a violation of the partner agreement.
To learn more about the Code or to report potential violations, e-mail SAP at ethicalbusiness@sap.com or submit your concern via Speak Out at SAP.
Please note that the SAP Office of Ethics & Compliance can answer questions about the SAP Partner Code of Conduct but cannot give legal advice.
We encourage our suppliers to adopt sustainable business practices as set forth in the SAP Supplier Code of Conduct.
We regard our supplier base as a critical and necessary extension of our operations and success. To help our suppliers, we created the SAP Supplier Code of Conduct, a statement of integrity that SAP expects from our contractors, consultants, suppliers, vendors, and all other third-party companies that comprise SAP's supply chain ("Suppliers"). All work performed for SAP must be in full compliance with this SAP Supplier Code of Conduct and all applicable laws, rules, regulations, and policies.
We encourage our contractors, consultants, suppliers, and agents to:
- Comply with regional and federal laws, rules, and regulations
- Uphold the human rights of workers and treat them with dignity and respect
- Operate with sustainable business practices and mindful, responsible use of environmental resources
- Provide a safe and professional work environment that protects SAP's intellectual property
- Refrain from any action that may be considered a conflict of interest
The code of conduct is in place for SAP, the parent company of the SAP Group, and all its entities.
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires companies listed in the United States to declare whether they have a code of ethics that, at minimum, applies to certain levels of management. The SAP Supplier Code of Conduct meets the standards set by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the regulations pursuant to the act.
To learn more about the Code or to report potential violations, e-mail SAP at ethicalbusiness@sap.com or submit your concern via Speak Out at SAP.
SAP believes that Artificial Intelligence has the potential to unlock boundless potential for businesses, governments, and society. However, AI may also create economic, political, and societal challenges, depending upon how it is used and implemented.
Our brand-new SAP Global AI Ethics Policy therefore governs the development, deployment, use, and sale of AI systems at SAP, by defining clear rules of ethics that are aligned with SAP’s established guiding principles for AI and its core organizational values.
The policy covers essential elements which are vital to build trust in AI solutions, such as transparency and explainability, human agency and oversight, addressing bias and discrimination as well as civic society.
Acknowledging that tax is an essential element of our overall corporate social responsibility, we have set out guiding principles which determine SAP’s responsible and sustainable approach to tax.
SAP is committed to the highest standards of integrity and sustainable business practices in all the markets in which it operates. SAP recognizes the importance of controls relating to anti-money laundering (AML) and to combat the financing of terrorism (CFT) in support of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations General Assembly.
Energy and environmental management
Learn about SAP entities that have received the ISO 14001 or ISO 50001 certification.
SAP is committed to protecting the environment and continuously improving our environmental performance. An effective environmental and energy management approach is the basis for achieving our targets. Therefore, we are gradually introducing an environmental management system reflecting the ISO 14001 standard at SAP sites worldwide. An energy management system based on the ISO 50001 standard is integrated with existing management systems at select sites, such as SAP’s headquarters.
ISO 14001 main certificate
This multisite certificate confirms that SAP’s environmental management system conforms with the international ISO 14001:2015 standard. The appendix includes all certified sites covered by SAP's environmental management system.
Americas
- SAP Argentina S.A., Buenos Aires, Argentina
- SAP Labs Latin America, Sao Leopoldo, Brazil
- SAP Brasil Ltda., Sao Paulo, Brazil
- SAP Canada Inc., Montreal, Canada
- SAP Canada Inc., Vancouver, Canada
- SAP Chile Limitada, Santiago de Chile, Chile
- SAP COLOMBIA S.A.S., Bogota, Colombia
- SAP México S.A. de C.V., Mexico City, Mexico
- SAP México, Monterrey, Mexico
- SAP Perú SAC, Lima, Peru
- Concur Technologies, Inc., Bellevue, USA
- SAP America, Inc., Chicago, USA
- SAP Americas, Inc., Colorado Springs, USA
- SAP America, Inc., Newtown Square, USA
- SAP Labs, LLC., Chicago, USA
- SAP Labs, Inc., Palo Alto, USA
- SAP Ariba, Pittsburg, USA
Europe
- SAP Österreich GmbH, Linz, Austria
- SAP Österreich GmbH, Vienna, Austria
- SAP Belgium - Systems Applications, and Products, Brussels, Belgium
- SAP Labs Bulgaria EOOD, Sofia, Bulgaria
- SAP ČR, spol. s.r.o., Brno, Czech Republic
- SAP Services s.r.o., Prague, Czech Republic
- SAP ČR, spol. s.r.o., Prague, Czech Republic
- SAP Labs France, Caen, France
- SAP France & SAP Labs France, Levallois, France
- SAP Labs France, Mougins, France
- SAP SE, Markdorf, Germany
- SAP SE Service Center Rot, St. Leon-Rot, Germany
- SAP SE, Walldorf, Germany
- SAP Deutschland SE & Co. KG, Walldorf, Germany
- SAP Hungary Kft., Budapest, Hungary
- SAP Ireland Ltd., Dublin , Ireland
- SAP Ireland Ltd., Galway, Ireland
- S.A.P. ITALIA SISTEMI APPLICAZIONI PRODOTTI IN DATA PROCESSING S.P.A, Milano, Italy
- S.A.P. ITALIA SISTEMI APPLICAZIONI PRODOTTI IN DATA PROCESSING S.P.A, Rome, Italy
- SAP Nederland B.V., ´s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands
- SAP România SRL, Bucharest, Romania
- SAP (Schweiz/Suisse) AG, Biel, Switzerland
- SAP (Schweiz/Suisse) AG, Lausanne, Switzerland
- SAP (Schweiz/Suisse) AG, Zurich, Switzerland
- SAP (Schweiz/Suisse) AG, Taegerwilen, Switzerland
- SAP Turkey, Istanbul, Turkey
- SAP (UK) Ltd., London, UK
- SAP SE, Potsdam, Germany
Africa
- SAP South Africa (Pty.) Ltd., Johannesburg, South Africa
Asia
- SAP Labs India Private Limited, Bengaluru
- SAP Labs India Private Limited, Gurugram
- SAP India Private Limited, Bengaluru
- Ariba Technologies India Private Limited, Bengaluru
- SAP Australia Pty. Ltd., Brisbane, Australia
- SAP Australia Pty. Ltd., Canberra, Australia
- SAP Australia Pty. Ltd., Melbourne, Australia
- SAP Australia Pty. Ltd., Perth, Australia
- SAP Australia Pty. Ltd., Sydney, Australia
- SAP Labs Korea, Inc., Seoul, Korea
- SAP Korea Ltd., Seoul, Korea
- SAP Philippines Inc., Manila, Philippines
- Concur (Philippines) Inc., Manila, Philippines
- SAP Asia Pte Ltd., Singapore, Singapore
- SAP Labs Israel Ltd., Ra'anana, Israel
Frequently asked questions
SAP’s purpose is to help the world run better and improve people's lives with sustainability at the core. Our objective is to create a positive economic, environmental, and social impact worldwide within planetary boundaries. We bring this to life by providing products and services that meet the sustainability challenges and opportunities of our customers (enabler) and leading by example in our own sustainable business operations and practices (exemplar). Learn about our approach to sustainability.
SAP has been on its sustainability journey for more than a decade and is a recognized leader as a sustainably run company. This has given us the insights and experience to respond to the increasing demands from customers, partners, investors, and employees for SAP to not only run our company more sustainably, but also to use our position to enable customers to run more sustainably, too. There is an urgency to this as many reports indicate that climate change, waste, and social inequalities are becoming increasingly acute problems around the world. We believe sustainability is the new frontier of digital transformation. We want to help customers reinvent themselves as intelligent and sustainable enterprises. We want to help them make sustainability profitable and profitability sustainable. We believe this is a long-term strategic imperative that will help SAP grow while helping our customers achieve their overall corporate ambitions which increasingly center around running sustainably.
SAP Cloud for Sustainable Enterprises is a flexible solution bundle of sustainability-focused applications to help companies achieve holistic sustainability management. Companies can now integrate sustainability metrics seamlessly into their end-to-end business processes. We realize each company is at a different stage of implementing sustainable performance, so SAP Cloud for Sustainable Enterprises provides maximum flexibility for customers to choose which solutions and capabilities they want to incorporate into their sustainability management portfolio at the time that is right for them. The solutions can be broadly adopted for holistic management, or selectively implemented to operationalize specific areas of sustainability performance. The customizable suite is easy for companies to adopt with a single license, and SAP expert implementation support and our highly skilled partner ecosystem.
SAP’s products and services help deliver environmental and social impact on four dimensions including climate action, circular economy, social responsibility, and holistic steering and reporting.
- Holistic sustainability management: SAP’s sustainability and ESG reporting solutions contribute to a future where decisions in our global economy are made based on their sustainability impact. Example: SAP Sustainability Control Tower helps organizations connect their environmental, social, and financial data holistically so they can steer their business towards sustainability.
- Climate action: SAP’s climate change solutions contribute to a future with zero emissions. Example: SAP Product Footprint Management enables organizations to assess and reduce greenhouse gas emissions of their products and operations along their entire value chain.
- Circular economy: SAP’s circular economy solutions contribute to a future with zero waste. Example: SAP Responsible Design and Production enables organizations to make circularity a key principle of product design and production. It helps them re-use materials, protect resources, eliminate waste, and build regenerative businesses.
- Social responsibility: SAP’s social responsibility solutions contribute to a future with zero inequality. Example: SAP Business Network and our SuccessFactors Human Experience Management (HXM) Suite provide the visibility needed to support organizations in integrating ethical and socially responsible sustainable business practices to ensure diversity, equity, and inclusion across the entire value chain.
- The most sustainable companies across industries run SAP
- 97% of the greenest companies in the world run SAP
- 90% of the most socially responsible companies in the world run SAP
- SAP has the best ESG Score in the Software industry
- The most sustainable companies run SAP with 73% higher ESG Scores and 24% lower CO2 emissions
- The most sustainable companies run SAP S/4HANA with 50% higher ESG Scores
- The data used comes largely from our internal Best Run Intelligence team which has licensed the S&P 500 ESG disclosure data set and has run analysis on the data. Many of the S&P 500 companies are SAP customers. Other data comes from commissioned research conducted by Oxford Economics.
(All data based on a 2021 data set.)
Yes, we are working with companies of all sizes, across geographies and industries, at various stages of maturity from pilots to full deployment. Hear the stories of our visionary customers using SAP Sustainability solutions.
Global market analysis of GHG emission efficiency (a measurement of GHG emissions as a percent of revenue) indicates the gap between average and top performers by industry is 14%. SAP customers are responsible for 87% of total global commerce, they are also responsible for 84% of total global GHG emissions. SAP can help customers reduce their emissions by up to 14%, or an equivalent of 5 billion tons annually.
SAP addresses sustainability, including climate action, as one of our key focus areas through a dual approach. As an enabler, we aim to provide products and services to our customers to reduce their carbon emissions and pave the way toward a low-carbon future together. As an exemplar, to live up to our responsibility and build climate resilience, we strive to lead by example by running our own business operations and practices more sustainably.
To get insights into how SAP addresses climate change with our three-fold approach “avoid-reduce-compensate,” please see the SAP Integrated Report. SAP’s environmental efforts and targets are also outlined in the Global Environmental Policy.
For an overview of how SAP embeds sustainability in our solution portfolio, please visit our Web site.
Since 2018, SAP reports in alignment with the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) recommendations. The topic of climate change-related risks is addressed in the chapter "Energy and Emissions" of our Integrated Report.
More than a decade ago, SAP set out on its sustainability journey with the objective to create positive economic, environmental, and social impact within planetary boundaries. Along the way, we have continuously added and raised financial as well as pre-financial targets and established ourselves as a front-runner in integrating economic, social, and environmental performance into how we measure and steer our business success holistically.
In January 2022, we committed to achieve net zero across our value chain by 2030 – 20 years earlier than originally planned. This moves forward our commitment by 20 years.
On our pathway towards net zero, the next intermediate milestone is 2023, when SAP aims to be carbon neutral in its own operations – two years earlier than originally targeted. This includes all direct (Scope 1), indirect (Scope 2), and selected categories of value chain (Scope 3) carbon emissions, such as business flights, employee commuting, and external data centers (co-locations and hyperscalers). The potential for decarbonization can however be amplified considerably if we enhance our efforts along the entire value chain. In 2022, gross carbon emissions amounted to 10,688 kilotons (kt) along SAP’s entire value chain (including upstream and downstream emissions), compared to 441 kt gross emissions for SAP’s own operations (see Integrated Report 2022).
SAP is committed to protecting the environment and continuously improving our own environmental performance. Therefore, we are gradually introducing an EMS reflecting the ISO 14001 standard at SAP sites worldwide. We aim to increase the EMS scope to 100% of SAP’s major company-owned sites by 2025 (2022: 85%). In addition, an ISO 50001-certified energy management system is integrated with existing management systems at selected sites, such as SAP’s headquarters. View our ISO certificates on sap.com (go to “Energy and environmental management”).
SAP aspires to a world of zero waste and is eager to move to an interconnected, circular economy through ambitious enabler and exemplar activities. As an example, in July 2019, SAP launched the initiative Beyond Single-Use Plastics to phase out single-use plastics in our own operations, a project which concluded in June 2021. In 2020, at the World Economic Forum, SAP joined the Global Plastic Action Partnership to create a cleaner ocean by 2030 and became part of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation to pave the way to a circular economy.
We also manage our electrical and electronic waste (e-waste) responsibly by cooperating with international and local IT asset lifecycle partners that help us to refurbish, recycle, and sustainably dispose our discarded devices. Further details can be found on our Circular Economy Web site and our Integrated Report.
SAP also aims at helping its clients fighting against plastic pollution and becoming more circular. More about SAP solutions for Circular Economy can be found on sap.com.
Since 2012, we annually release an Integrated Report which combines our full-year financial, social, and environmental performance, allowing us to present a clear and holistic overview of what drives our company and our long-term success. The current SAP Integrated Report can be found at www.sapintegratedreport.com.
Connecting financial and non-financial ESG metrics is key to comprehensively analyzing all dimensions of a company’s performance and working toward their integration and harmonization. On this journey, digital technologies play a fundamental role in delivering embedded, validated, and real-time data. In addition to the perspective of connecting financial and non-financial ESG metrics, holistic steering and reporting integrates the dimensions of positive and negative impacts that businesses create along their complete value chain.
Building on our experience in connecting financial and non-financial measures, we co-founded the Value Balancing Alliance (VBA) in 2019 to support the development of a standardized impact measurement and valuation methodology that helps companies, investors, and other stakeholders understand, quantify and compare financial and non-financial performance. These insights enable companies to create business value beyond revenue or profit growth while taking into consideration the long-term impacts of business operations on the environment and society as a whole. Further details on SAP’s journey on holistic steering and reporting and the results of the third VBA methodology pilot phase can be found in our Integrated Report.
SAP uses the following three key measures: Customer Net Promoter Score (NPS), Employee Engagement Index, and carbon impact. Outlook and results for the current year can be found in the SAP Integrated Report.
In addition, SAP tracks further social and environmental indicators, such as women in management, employee retention, the Business Health Culture Index, energy consumption, and e-waste. Please review SAP’s Finance and ESG Data Hub where we display employee indicators and environmental metrics.
Since 2020, SAP’s executive short-term incentive (STI) compensation includes sustainability targets (sustainability KPIs) on top of our financial targets with a total weight of 20%. The sustainability KPIs are: Customer Net Promoter Score, which measures SAP’s customer loyalty; Employee Engagement Index, which measures SAP’s employee commitment, pride, and loyalty; and Carbon Impact, which measures SAP’s greenhouse gas emissions. See the SAP Compensation Report .
To select the topics to be included in our integrated reporting, we conducted a comprehensive materiality assessment in 2022, applying the requirements of the German Commercial Code as well as the newly introduced materiality definition of the Universal Standards of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI): “Material topics are topics that represent an organization’s most significant impacts on the economy, environment, and people, including impacts on their human rights.”
Have a look at our Integrated Report for further details about the key stages of the process we followed to assess the significance of each economic, social, and environmental impact.
Yes, the social and environmental data and information included in SAP’s Integrated Report was prepared in accordance with the GRI Standards. Please see our latest GRI Content Index for further details. Furthermore, we have committed to several additional multilateral standards to cover a wide scope of responsibilities, stakeholder needs, and sustainability aspects:
SAP is committed to the highest standards of ethical business. We have a robust compliance framework to support employees in acting ethically and compliantly and within the law in all the markets in which we operate. The framework includes clear Policies, Codes, and a Global network of experts, all underpinned by a Global Code of Ethics & Business Conduct (the Code) which includes, amongst other topics, loyalty, bribery and corruption, and confidentiality.
For more information, please see the chapter “Business Conduct” in the SAP Integrated Report and/or Ethics and Compliance at SAP on sap.com.
Yes, learn more about SAP’s Global Tax Principles here.
We have implemented safeguards to help protect the fundamental rights of everyone whose data is processed by SAP, whether they are our customers, prospects, employees, or partners. In addition, we work toward compliance with all relevant legal requirements for data protection. You can find more information in the chapter "Security, Data Protection and Privacy" of the SAP Integrated Report, on SAP Trust Center, in the SAP Privacy Statement.
As a signatory of the UN Global Compact since 2000, SAP believes companies have a responsibility to respect human rights throughout all business operations. SAP is committed to respecting and promoting human rights across our operations, extended supply chain, and product lifecycle. We set high standards of fairness, diversity, and inclusion for ourselves, and expect all of our business partners to respect human rights and avoid complicity in any abuse.
We take guidance from the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights as well as legal requirements like the German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (Lieferkettensorgfaltspflichtengesetz, LkSG), to operationalize our commitment.
Further key References:
Please see our Integrated Report for related disclosures.
SAP embraces the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and embedded the framework as a foundation to our strategic approach to sustainability. We use this framework to evaluate global progress – both for our roles as a role model and exemplar and as an enabler. Our contribution to the SDGs is a cross-company effort driven by experts from almost every board area and aligned through the internal SDG Network. Engagement with customers and other activities contributing to the SDGs are published in our continuously updated Web book “SAP and the UN Global Goals” and addressed in our Integrated Report, where we describe the potential positive and negative direct or indirect impacts of our company and of our products and services related to the SDGs.
About 43% of SAP’s institutional investors are classified as SRIs. Learn more in the SAP Integrated Report.
Yes, learn more about SAP's sustainability awards and recognitions here. You can also access SAP’s ESG performance directly via the web sites of rating agencies such as:
- Sustainalytics: SAP scoring a low ESG risk rating
- MSCI: AAA rating
- Refinitiv (search for SAP SE): SAP scores 95/100
- CDP: SAP receives an A- in the climate change assessment 2022
- Corporate Sustainability Assessment by S&P: SAP #1 as one of two companies in the software industry (see the 2023 Sustainability Yearbook)
- Corporate Knights: SAP listed in the Global 100 ranking of the world’s most sustainable companies 2023