How to digitally organise your company’s sustainability

26. July 2024 | Author: Emily Heinig | Reading time: 7 min

When it comes to the success of companies, sustainability has long been one of the key factors. Sustainability management is no longer just a competitive advantage but an essential basis for effective business. Entrepreneurs are faced with the challenge of reconciling economic interests and sustainability criteria. At the same time, in addition to sustainability reporting, you also have to collect your environmental key figures. The logical consequence in practice is the use of sustainability software. This supports companies in the systematic implementation of their sustainability goals.

But what requirements should sustainability software meet to make it worthwhile? We look at the ten most important functions the software solution should include. We also show the key advantages of sustainability software. You can learn more about the interaction between sustainability and HSQE software in our free ebook. It’s worth taking a look!

Sustainability report: Why is it so important?

An example: In the EU more profound requirements have applied to companies’ sustainability reporting since January 2024. The reason is the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD)—the new EU directive on corporate sustainability reporting. As a result, the number of companies within the EU subject to reporting has increased from 11,600 to around 49,000. Sustainability reporting brings with it many questions: What is a sustainability report, and why is it important?

A sustainability report helps you as a company present the ecological and social impacts of your core business and your sustainable commitment. It is important to consider all sustainability dimensions, which include the environment, social issues, and corporate governance (Environmental Social Governance, ESG). Regular reporting also ensures that defined sustainability goals are reviewed and potential risks are identified at an early stage.

You also analyse how your company’s activities affect contestability. This requires relevant key figures that you can use to measure operational actions and services. It also includes a materiality analysis in which you explain the methodology you used to create the report. The sustainability report provides a systematic overview of your company’s economic, ecological and social developments.

What should be included in a sustainability report?

High-quality CSR reports include, among other things, information on the company’s profits and sales, locations, employees, products, customers and business areas. Changes from the previous year must also be presented in a comprehensible manner.

To create a comprehensive sustainability report, you should consider the specific goals of your company and the planned actions in detail. At the same time, it is advisable to explain in which areas you want to improve further. In any case, make sure that you design your report in such a way that all information and figures are completely transparent and verifiable and that youname relevant terminations.

Keeping track with a sustainability software

Sustainability management is no longer just a competitive advantage but an essential basis for effective business.

Business owners are faced with the challenge of reconciling economic interests and sustainability criteria. At the same time, they must take into account not only legal guidelines but also their own requirements. The logical consequence in practice is the use of sustainability software. This supports companies in the systematic implementation of their sustainability goals.

Digital solutions for sustainable corporate development have many names, from sustainability software to sustainability management software. But they all have one thing in common: sustainability is becoming increasingly important in everyday working life.

For sustainability software to be able to support you holistically in all sustainability management processes, it should meet several important requirements. Below, we have summarised the most relevant criteria for selecting sustainability software:

Sustainability management does not work without environmental key figures

Sustainability management in the company includes regular reporting of environmental key figures. These condense extensive environmental data into the most essential information. They provide information about key environmental data and present the environmental impact of your business in suitable metrics. Does that sound too abstract? Examples of everyday company life include key figures for resource consumption or waste, energy, and recycling management.

You can use the key figures to check how effective your environmental management system is and what measures you need to take to increase environmental efficiency. In this context, you should regularly analyse the ecological aspects of your company using environmental key figures. In this way, you make operational environmental performance measurable and enable efficient environmental control. At the same time, the key figures also help you with reporting. They are important instruments for effective environmental management in your company.

Why you should use environmental key figures in your company

Environmental key figures play an essential role in various environmental management processes. Collected regularly, comparing key figures shows you weak points in operational processes. For example, you notice deviations in monthly water consumption and can search for the cause.

In addition to comparing time series, it is also a good idea to compare the environmental performance of several operating sites. This will help you identify areas where environmental relief leads to reduced costs or increased profits. Comparing environmental indicators from different production sites, plants, or time periods also enables you to make decisions about future developments.

What types of environmental key figures are there?

Basically, environmental key figures, according to ISO 14031, can be divided into three classes:

• Environmental performance indicators: They provide information about materials, energy or infrastructure and thus illustrate the impact of your company on the environment. E.g., absolute energy consumption, waste generation per unit of production (e.g. from the waste register)
• Environmental management indicators: The indicators quantify the effort your company makes to reduce environmental impacts. E.g., number of environmental training courses for your employees, results of supplier discussions
• Environmental condition indicators: They provide information about the condition of the environment outside the company and are, therefore, particularly suitable for companies that have a major influence on their surroundings. E.g., the water quality of a nearby lake, regional air quality

Digitising sustainability in the company

With the iManSys software solution, you can systematically record all environmentally relevant data and create transparent consumption reports. Our software world “Sustainability & Environment” enables the intelligent linking of all sustainability aspects in the company. Above all, you save time, money and organisational effort for planning, implementation, monitoring and documentation. With the help of our holistic approach, you can meet your sustainability goals in all areas of the company. You can learn exactly how sustainability management with iManSys works in our free ebook on digital HSQE management. We hope you enjoy reading!

Advantages of sustainability software

We have summarised the advantages of holistic sustainability software once again (excerpt):

• systematic pursuit of environmental, climate and sustainability goals
• increase profitability through continuous cost monitoring
• reducing costs through the efficient use of raw materials
• compliance with environmental laws and regulations
• reduction of accident and health risks
• improving your company’s image
• consolidating market position through sustainable and environmentally friendly products

If you want to utilise all these benefits in your company, then take a look at our sustainability solution!