We have reached Earth Overshoot Day 2023, the day when we have exhausted all the natural resources that our planet can regenerate in a year. The National Footprints and Biodiversity Accounts show that this year’s date is five days later than last year’s. But this is not a cause for celebration. Only one day of this delay is due to real progress. The other four days are because of improved data sets in the latest edition of the accounts.
As leaders, we have a duty to drive change and create a positive impact. We can help build a more balanced relationship between humanity and our planet by adopting sustainability, promoting innovation and collaboration, and advocating for policy change.
I have listened to Global Footprint Network CEO Steven Tebbe’s warning: he says that continuous overshoot leads to more severe consequences, such as unusual heat waves, forest fires, droughts, and floods. This, in turn, increases the risk of compromising food production. His conclusion: it is in the interest of cities, countries, and business entities to secure their own resource security if they want to prosper – to the benefit of the Earth as well.
It is inspiring to see how organizations across the world work together for a sustainable future that will help us #MoveTheDate. According to the Science Based Target initiative, 5,500 companies are taking actions to reduce emissions. More than 2,100 companies out of those have made net-zero commitments. Businesses have realized that it is important to integrate sustainability in their business strategies to mitigate the evolving investor pressure, consumer demand, and regulatory constraints. As the 2023 IPCC AR6 report rightly pointed out, more rapid and far-reaching transitions across all sectors and systems are necessary to achieve deep and sustained emissions reductions and secure a livable and sustainable future for all.
But how can we make this happen? Actually, there are several levers that might significantly move Earth Overshoot Day closer to year’s end – and companies like SAP can contribute to them. Reducing the carbon component of humanity’s ecological footprint by 50% would move Earth Overshoot Day by 93 days, or more than three months.
The most impactful change as identified by the Global Footprint Network is carbon reduction. SAP has continuously expanded its portfolio of carbon reduction measures since 2009. It became the first German company to work with science-based emissions reduction targets in 2017. Two years later, SAP was one of the first seven global companies to have 1.5°C-aligned reduction targets for 2050.
We accelerated this timeline last year by committing to becoming a net-zero emissions enterprise by 2030, 20 years earlier than the original target. While walking the talk is key, providing digital solutions and services to help every business run as an intelligent and sustainable enterprise is how we can scale these efforts. We can support thousands of customers in managing their carbon footprint, reducing material waste, and becoming socially responsible businesses. For example, SAP Green Token helps businesses gain material sourcing transparency and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) data across their supply chains.
This includes the material input scope 3 carbon footprint as it moves from supplier to supplier. SAP’s new green ledger initiative helps companies track their carbon accounting with more precision and control by using actual data across their business operations and supply chains instead of estimates.
We have reached Earth Overshoot Day 2023, the day when we have consumed more natural resources than our planet can renew in a year. The National Footprints and Biodiversity Accounts reveal that this year’s date is five days later than last year’s. But this is not a reason to celebrate. Only one day of this delay is due to real improvement. The other four days are because of better data sets in the latest edition of the accounts.
As leaders, we have an obligation to drive change and create a positive impact. We can help establish a more equitable relationship between humanity and our planet by adopting sustainability, fostering innovation and collaboration, and advocating for policy change.
I have paid attention to Global Footprint Network CEO Steven Tebbe’s warning: he says that constant overshoot leads to more serious effects, such as unusual heat waves, forest fires, droughts, and floods. This, in turn, increases the risk of compromising food production. His conclusion: it is in the interest of cities, countries, and business entities to ensure their own resource security if they want to prosper – to the benefit of the Earth as well.
It is motivating to see how organizations around the world cooperate for a sustainable future that will help us #MoveTheDate. According to the Science Based Target initiative, 5,500 companies are taking actions to reduce emissions. More than 2,100 companies out of those have made net-zero commitments.
Businesses have realized that it is important to incorporate sustainability in their business strategies to mitigate the evolving investor pressure, consumer demand, and regulatory constraints. As the 2023 IPCC AR6 report rightly pointed out, more rapid and far-reaching transitions across all sectors and systems are necessary to achieve deep and sustained emissions reductions and secure a livable and sustainable future for all.
But how can we make this happen? Actually, there are several levers that might significantly move Earth Overshoot Day closer to year’s end – and companies like SAP can contribute to them. Reducing the carbon component of humanity’s ecological footprint by 50% would move Earth Overshoot Day by 93 days, or more than three months.
The most impactful change as identified by the Global Footprint Network is carbon reduction. SAP has continuously expanded its portfolio of carbon reduction measures since 2009. It became the first German company to work with science-based emissions reduction targets in 2017. Two years later, SAP was one of the first seven global companies to have 1.5°C-aligned reduction targets for 2050.
We accelerated this timeline last year by committing to becoming a net-zero emissions enterprise by 2030, 20 years earlier than the original target. While walking the talk is key, providing digital solutions and services to help every business run as an intelligent and sustainable enterprise is how we can scale these efforts. We can support thousands of customers in managing their carbon footprint, reducing material waste, and becoming socially responsible businesses.
For example, SAP Green Token helps businesses gain material sourcing transparency and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) data across their supply chains. This includes the material input scope 3 carbon footprint as it moves from supplier to supplier. SAP’s new green ledger initiative helps companies track their carbon accounting with more accuracy and control by using actual data across their business operations and supply chains instead of estimates.
As leaders, we have a duty to drive change and create a positive impact. We can help build a more balanced relationship between humanity and our planet by adopting sustainability, promoting innovation and collaboration, and advocating for policy change.
I have listened to Global Footprint Network CEO Steven Tebbe’s warning: he says that continuous overshoot leads to more severe consequences, such as unusual heat waves, forest fires, droughts, and floods. This, in turn, increases the risk of compromising food production. His conclusion: it is in the interest of cities, countries, and business entities to secure their own resource security if they want to prosper – to the benefit of the Earth as well.
It is inspiring to see how organizations across the world work together for a sustainable future that will help us #MoveTheDate. According to the Science Based Target initiative, 5,500 companies are taking actions to reduce emissions. More than 2,100 companies out of those have made net-zero commitments. Businesses have realized that it is important to integrate sustainability in their business strategies to mitigate the evolving investor pressure, consumer demand, and regulatory constraints. As the 2023 IPCC AR6 report rightly pointed out, more rapid and far-reaching transitions across all sectors and systems are necessary to achieve deep and sustained emissions reductions and secure a livable and sustainable future for all.
But how can we make this happen? Actually, there are several levers that might significantly move Earth Overshoot Day closer to year’s end – and companies like SAP can contribute to them. Reducing the carbon component of humanity’s ecological footprint by 50% would move Earth Overshoot Day by 93 days, or more than three months.
The most impactful change as identified by the Global Footprint Network is carbon reduction. SAP has continuously expanded its portfolio of carbon reduction measures since 2009. It became the first German company to work with science-based emissions reduction targets in 2017. Two years later, SAP was one of the first seven global companies to have 1.5°C-aligned reduction targets for 2050.
We accelerated this timeline last year by committing to becoming a net-zero emissions enterprise by 2030, 20 years earlier than the original target. While walking the talk is key, providing digital solutions and services to help every business run as an intelligent and sustainable enterprise is how we can scale these efforts. We can support thousands of customers in managing their carbon footprint, reducing material waste, and becoming socially responsible businesses. For example, SAP Green Token helps businesses gain material sourcing transparency and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) data across their supply chains.
This includes the material input scope 3 carbon footprint as it moves from supplier to supplier. SAP’s new green ledger initiative helps companies track their carbon accounting with more precision and control by using actual data across their business operations and supply chains instead of estimates.
We have reached Earth Overshoot Day 2023, the day when we have consumed more natural resources than our planet can renew in a year. The National Footprints and Biodiversity Accounts reveal that this year’s date is five days later than last year’s. But this is not a reason to celebrate. Only one day of this delay is due to real improvement. The other four days are because of better data sets in the latest edition of the accounts.
As leaders, we have an obligation to drive change and create a positive impact. We can help establish a more equitable relationship between humanity and our planet by adopting sustainability, fostering innovation and collaboration, and advocating for policy change.
I have paid attention to Global Footprint Network CEO Steven Tebbe’s warning: he says that constant overshoot leads to more serious effects, such as unusual heat waves, forest fires, droughts, and floods. This, in turn, increases the risk of compromising food production. His conclusion: it is in the interest of cities, countries, and business entities to ensure their own resource security if they want to prosper – to the benefit of the Earth as well.
It is motivating to see how organizations around the world cooperate for a sustainable future that will help us #MoveTheDate. According to the Science Based Target initiative, 5,500 companies are taking actions to reduce emissions. More than 2,100 companies out of those have made net-zero commitments.
Businesses have realized that it is important to incorporate sustainability in their business strategies to mitigate the evolving investor pressure, consumer demand, and regulatory constraints. As the 2023 IPCC AR6 report rightly pointed out, more rapid and far-reaching transitions across all sectors and systems are necessary to achieve deep and sustained emissions reductions and secure a livable and sustainable future for all.
But how can we make this happen? Actually, there are several levers that might significantly move Earth Overshoot Day closer to year’s end – and companies like SAP can contribute to them. Reducing the carbon component of humanity’s ecological footprint by 50% would move Earth Overshoot Day by 93 days, or more than three months.
The most impactful change as identified by the Global Footprint Network is carbon reduction. SAP has continuously expanded its portfolio of carbon reduction measures since 2009. It became the first German company to work with science-based emissions reduction targets in 2017. Two years later, SAP was one of the first seven global companies to have 1.5°C-aligned reduction targets for 2050.
We accelerated this timeline last year by committing to becoming a net-zero emissions enterprise by 2030, 20 years earlier than the original target. While walking the talk is key, providing digital solutions and services to help every business run as an intelligent and sustainable enterprise is how we can scale these efforts. We can support thousands of customers in managing their carbon footprint, reducing material waste, and becoming socially responsible businesses.
For example, SAP Green Token helps businesses gain material sourcing transparency and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) data across their supply chains. This includes the material input scope 3 carbon footprint as it moves from supplier to supplier. SAP’s new green ledger initiative helps companies track their carbon accounting with more accuracy and control by using actual data across their business operations and supply chains instead of estimates.