When you hear the word ‘sustainability,’ the first thing most people think of is environmental sustainability — but sustainability is about so much more than reducing your carbon footprint.
SAP has identified three core pillars of sustainability: society, the environment, and the economy—or, stated differently, people, planet, and profit.
Of these three, people are at the heart of everything to drive a sustainable future for our society, the environment, and the economy.
As a result, SAP introduced the term People Sustainability, which focuses on treating people – those within an organization’s workforce, across their supply chains, and in the communities in which they operate – ethically and fairly. Just as environmental and economic sustainability require careful preservation and use of natural and financial resources, people sustainability requires treating people and human potential as precious resources that must be supported and valued to drive resilience, agility, and achievement of sustainability goals.
The HR organization is in a perfect position to lead the cultural and behavioral changes necessary to reach the organization’s sustainability goals. Fostering a sustainable company culture, acting as role models and advocates for the organization’s sustainability values, and providing guidance to ensure managers and employees contribute to sustainability goals are essential for long-term success.
How People Intelligence can Contribute to Sustainability
The People Intelligence package in SAP Business Data Cloud supports sustainability by optimizing workforce management, improving data-driven decisions, and fostering practices that reduce environmental impact.
Optimizing Workforce Management: By identifying and addressing skills gaps early, People Intelligence ensures that the workforce is equipped to support evolving business needs and green initiatives, contributing to a sustainable and future-ready organization.
Improving Data-Driven Decisions: Centralizing clean, semantically rich data allows for more informed decision-making. This includes decisions related to sustainability initiatives, such as reducing energy consumption, optimizing supply chains, and minimizing waste.
Fostering practices that reduce environmental impact: People Intelligence supports programs that optimize environmental impact by enhancing collaboration and data accessibility. A good example is remote work models, which can reduce commuting and travel, lowering the organization's carbon footprint.