Gathering the Customer Information You Need

Click play to start the video.

GreenPath is a global leader in eco-friendly packaging, with manufacturing operations across North America, Latin America, Europe, and Asia. The company produces a broad range of sustainable packaging solutions, including corrugated boxes, bulk packaging, paper bags, containerboard, and Kraft gypsum board paper.

In addition to its products, GreenPath offers end-to-end packaging services, such as structural and graphic design, printing, testing, fulfillment, assembly, and mechanical packaging. With a circular approach to sustainability, GreenPath focuses on recycling, waste reduction, and environmentally responsible innovation.

Currently, GreenPath operates 25 manufacturing plants and 15 recycling facilities worldwide, generating $2.34 billion in gross revenue for FY2023, supported by its global workforce of 13,872 employees.

As demand for sustainable packaging surges, GreenPath has grown rapidly, driven by its reputation for sustainability. However, its legacy ERP system struggles to support the increased production demands, creating inefficiencies and threatening its ability to remain competitive.

GreenPath is pursuing strategic initiatives to enhance growth, improve operations, and increase profitability:

1. Expand Operations: Acquire 2 manufacturing plants and 4 recycling facilities in North Africa, strengthening the company’s corrugated packaging business in Europe and Africa.
2. Reduce Emissions: Decrease toxic chemical emissions by 30% within the next two years.
3. Rebuild Investor Confidence: Counteract declining revenues (-4.6% YoY) due to reduced average sales prices and rising operating costs by demonstrating improved operating performance.
4. Address Operational Inefficiencies: Resolve inefficiencies caused by suboptimal resource usage, process disruptions, and limited enterprise visibility.

To drive transformative changes, GreenPath wants to establish comprehensive insights into its end-to-end operations, enabling every line of business to gain a deeper understanding of hidden factors behind their performance and drive sustainable and profitable decisions based on the data that they can trust.

The GreenPath executive team has specific goals to overcome challenges and drive the company forward:

	Chief Purchasing Officer Secure Long-Term Supply Sources To balance raw material supply costs, GreenPath aims to reduce supply costs by 12% over the next 6 months and is working on long-term agreements with suppliers. Establish an Environmentally Friendly Image GreenPath has established a "Sustainable Initiative for the Future"​ (SIF) program that promises tighter emissions control across the supply chain and clean water initiatives. Rapid Integration of Acquired Facilities To show immediate top-line and bottom-line results to its investors, the company needs to drive rapid integration and show ‘economies of scale’ and scope through its newest acquisitions.
	Chief Financial Officer Manage Long-Term Debt The acquisition costs of automated machinery generate large amounts of long-term financial debt. In addition, manufacturing and recycling plant expansions demand substantial and reliable long-term investment. Mortgage notes​ are used to secure the investment. Find Cost-Effective Alternative Sources Financial staff work together with product development teams to find cost-effective alternative sources for energy and materials. Rising fuel and raw material costs – especially for pulp, energy, and chemicals – are a key concern.
	Chief Information Officer Unify Platform and Automation Integrate systems and data across all departments (finance, HR, supply chain, etc.) to streamline operations and provide faster access to business information. Use automation to simplify routine tasks, such as order processing and restocking, while reducing inventory issues. The aim is to support long-term strategic growth. Set Up Control System Architecture Enhance manufacturing efficiency by gathering and managing automated data about product quality and processes. Provide managers with accurate reports to analyze and improve production.
	Chief Human Resources Officer Hire and Retain Specialized Personnel Address workforce challenges, including reassigning displaced workers from automated production lines to new roles, while minimizing layoffs wherever possible. Renegotiate Trade Union Work Rules and Benefits Adapt job roles, wages, and benefits to reflect changes from automation. Collaborate with unions to renegotiate contracts, ensuring alignment on new roles and retraining needs, sometimes requiring concessions to sustain operations.
	Chief Revenue Officer Compete with Large Companies Stay competitive in markets dominated by larger companies by minimizing labor and energy costs and offering specialized products. Sell to General and Specialized Markets Invest in R&D to improve packaging solutions with eco-friendly, high-performance materials and customizable designs. Focus on meeting the needs of diverse industries, such as food, electronics, and cosmetics, to boost customer satisfaction and loyalty.
	Chief Operating Officer Diversify the Supply Chain Reduce reliance on vulnerable pulp and paper suppliers by sourcing alternatives in stable regions, even if it increases transportation costs, to mitigate disruptions caused by environmental or regulatory issues. Drive Packaging Innovation Collaborate with specialized suppliers and prioritize customer feedback to create innovative packaging solutions, such as water-resistant cardboard and sugar-cane fiber products. Streamline procurement for R&D materials to speed up product development and stay competitive.

SAP empowers businesses like GreenPath to achieve scalable growth, operational excellence, and innovation through its integrated systems and AI capabilities. Meanwhile, SAP Business Suite's scalability ensures it grows with GreenPath's business, while its end-to-end connectivity can help reduce errors, enhance customer experiences, and deliver action-ready insights.

AI is embedded directly into SAP applications, where it matters most and Joule, our AI copilot, is where we see the real power of AI unfold. Joule is more than a copilot; it’s a collaborative AI multi-agent orchestration layer. Altogether, Joule agents transform AI from a single-use feature into a dynamic, enterprise-wide powerhouse. Joule agents continuously learn from data in context, orchestrate cross-functional workflows, and operate at scale to drive innovation where you need it most. That’s the essence of SAP’s unrivaled AI.

SAP Business Suite connects GreenPath’s diverse processes across geographies to unlock business-wide efficiency. Through SAP Business Data Cloud, GreenPath can:

• Harmonize Data:Unify SAP and non-SAP data (structured/unstructured) into a semantic layer, providing real-time, trustworthy insights.
• Enhance Visibility: Gain enterprise-wide control by linking supplier information, logistics, sustainability compliance, and operational data to streamline decision-making.
• Increase Profitability: Automate cost allocations (e.g., shipping costs to specific orders) for precise profitability analysis.
• Sustainability Compliance: Verify and manage certifications like FSC automatically, ensuring adherence to ESG regulations alongside financial compliance.

GreenPath can expect to achieve20% cost savings and 30% improvement in procurement and inventory management in the first year.

For example, an SAP customer based in Finland that focuses on sustainable wood-based bioeconomy, adopted SAP solutions and improved transparency across the supply chain, enabling better demand forecasting and inventory management, and reduced manual interventions. This resulted in cost savings and increased productivity. Similar results were achieved by other SAP customers in this industry.

With SAP’s unified data model, GreenPath will gain deeper business insights tailored to their sustainability, operational, and growth goals. This is realized through real-time information from a unified, trusted source of data that connects insights across SAP and third-party systems, getting a complete business picture with harmonized data prepared and contextualized for deeper analysis and strategic decision-making:

• Perform scenario modeling for alternative material sourcing (e.g., sugarcane fiber) and energy usage, aligning operational costs with customer feedback.
• Drive faster innovation cycles, reducing product development timelines through predictive data analysis and simulation tools.
• Support profitability in specialized markets by analyzing packaging demand and tailoring solutions to industry-specific needs, such as tear-resistant packaging for heavy equipment or tailored corrugated boxes for e-commerce.

• Companies using SAP for closed-loop decision-making report a 118% ROI, 30% faster product development cycles, and a 12% increase in product margins.
• GreenPath expects to achieve 10% increase in customer satisfaction and 25% ROI from industry-specific marketing campaigns within a year after implementation.

An international motorcycle manufacturer streamlined their product development processes and accurately calculated the cost of each new motorcycle model with SAP solutions. As a result, the customer reduced its product development cycle times and improved its product margins.

In another example, a multinational beauty company, tailors marketing and sales strategies for its various brands and product lines. By leveraging customer data and analytics with SAP, this customer was able to understand the unique preferences and behaviors of consumers in different regions and demographics, allowing them to create personalized experiences and product offerings for each market segment.

With SAP Business AI, everything becomes a conversation. It’s deeply embedded, outcome-focused, and designed to help your business achieve more—at scale. SAP sets itself apart with Business AI embedded into its platform, transforming data into actionable decisions:

• Joule AI Co-Pilot: A multi-agent orchestration layer connecting specialized AI systems across GreenPath’s operations, driving intelligent workflows and accelerating decision-making.
• Predictive Maintenance & Smart Workflows: IoT sensors monitor machines, while AI optimizes production schedules, ensuring alignment between demand forecasts and equipment availability.
• Reskilling Workers with SAP Job Matching: Match displaced workers’ skills with open roles and training programs, achieving 90%+ accuracy in job alignment and internal mobility.

A conservative estimation is that GreenPath will see a 20% increase in OEE and a 15% decrease in downtime within the first year of implementation.

On the human capital side, SAP Job Matching will help GreenPath to identify potential job openings that align with the skills and experience​ of the production workers who have been displaced by the automated machinery. The application can analyze the workers' qualifications and competencies and match them with suitable job vacancies or internal mobility opportunities within the company, with job matching accuracy of 90% or above.

• SAP customers in the same industry and ecosystem as GreenPath represent the 3rd highest cloud growth at 20.6% Cloud Revenue Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) 2023-2028.
• SAP Business Suite can help GreenPath eliminate operational silos by integrating data and business processes into a set of integrated solutions, enabling seamless communication and context-rich transformative insights across the organization. An initial entry scope can be implemented in 6-12 months to meet the CIO's expectations.
• Based on benchmarks from companies with similar sizes and complexities, the user adoption rate for GreenPath is estimated to have at least 80% of employees using the platform effectively within 6 months.

SAP is the trusted partner for 98 of the top 100 largest companies on earth, serving over 180 countries with deep regulatory and compliance expertise. SAP offers a proven track record of delivering world-class enterprise solutions tailored to unique business needs – from sustainability to operational agility to innovation at scale.

By tailoring SAP messaging to address GreenPath’s specific needs, we highlight how SAP will deliver impactful solutions to enhance its competitive edge, grow profits, and build a sustainable future. Again you are encouraged to download the more detailed case study PDF here: Solution Pitch Case Study - GreenPath. It includes more specific details about GreenPath's business operations where this online version focuses on highlighting key information. How would you approach different leaders at GreenPath to tell the story of SAP Business Suite?

• SAP Business Suite integrates 50+ years of SAP’s process knowledge and provides end-to-end solutions across business functions.
• AI-driven insights and real-time, accurate data improve efficiency and decision-making throughout the entire business ecosystem.
• Interconnected functions allow seamless collaboration, enabling faster innovation and more adaptable, sustainable business operations.
• The pitch will be crafted with tailored messaging aimed at addressing the specific concerns of key personas or business leaders within the buying centers. By highlighting SAP’s transformative impact on the organization, the message will focus on how the solution can drive meaningful change and value for the business.