The sustainability metrics in SAP Sustainability Control Tower support many of the core quantitative and qualitative metrics defined in the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS). Also, the Manage Metrics app enables you to add custom metrics, depending on your business needs.
Sustainability metrics are classified into four major areas:
- Environmental
- Social
- Governance
- Economic
Use these metrics to measure your organization's performance in the areas of environmental, social, and corporate governance, and also economic.
The sustainability metrics enable you to identify trends over time, by showing how a specific metric's value increases or decreases. Whether an increase or decrease is desirable depends on the type of metric. For example, a decrease in CO2 emissions has a positive sustainability impact, whereas a decrease in community investments does not.
SAP Sustainability Control Tower provides a wide range of sustainability metrics under the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) framework. Within the environmental category, for instance, the metric "Gross GHG Emissions - Scope 1" is available. This metric calculates an organization's direct emissions in a manner that is customizable to the organization's data reporting cycle. You can define targets that a given metric fulfills at a given time period.
The Manage Metrics App
Use the Manage Metrics app to configure sustainability metrics that enable measuring your organization's ESG and economic performance.
Sustainability metrics can be used for recording your company’s ESG targets. This enables you to understand performance in achieving a set of strategic ambitions for a particular metric. There are various quantitative and qualitative sustainability metrics in SAP Sustainability Control Tower, such as employee wages and benefits, net investments, and water consumption.
For prerequisites and procedures for both types of metrics, let us learn in detail about the following apps:
- Managing Quantitative ESG Data App
- Managing Qualitative ESG Data App
Managing Quantitative ESG Data
Prerequisites
If you plan to use other systems, such as SAP S/4HANA Cloud or SAP S/4HANA to upload data in the Manage Quantitative ESG Data app for sustainability metrics based on financial records, ensure that you configure the source system as a destination in your SAP Business Technology Platform and that you upload the required master data to SAP Sustainability Control Tower.
| Role | View the Catalog | Configure Metrics | Upload Data |
|---|---|---|---|
| SUS_SAP SUSTAINABILITY CONTROL TOWER_Sustainability_Metrics_Catalogue_Reader | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| SUS_SAP SUSTAINABILITY CONTROL TOWER_Sustainability_Metrics_Catalogue_Configuration_Manager | No | Yes | No |
| SUS_SAP SUSTAINABILITY CONTROL TOWER_Sustainability_metrics_Catalogue_Data_Manager | No | No | Yes |
Application Details
With Manage Quantitative ESG Data app, you can configure, create, and maintain sustainability metrics for quantitative reporting.
You can use the app to assign leading reporting hierarchies (such as Business Location, Legal Entity or Reporting Line) to each metric, enable KPI tiles on the launchpad for visibility, and set ambitions (including custom ambition groups).
You can choose SAP-provided metrics, import pre-calculated Basic Custom values, or build Custom metrics from measure-level data using the formula builder—while defining aggregation rules, drilldown dimensions, disclosure references, and assurance metadata to support auditable reporting.
Types of Sustainability Metrics
- SAP-provided
- These are predefined, ready to use metrics.
- Basic
- A user-defined metric without a calculation based on a measure. You can choose between the calculation methods sum or weighted average. Once you have created the metric, you can edit the title, area, calculation method, and unit of measure.
- Custom
- A user-defined metric that is calculated from measures. You can choose between the calculation methods division, sum, or weighted average. Once you create the metric, you can edit the title, area, calculation method, and unit of measure.
Creating Quantitative Custom Metrics Using the Formula Builder
The following video shows how to create a quantitative custom metric.
Managing Qualitative ESG Data
You can use the Manage Qualitative ESG Data App to create and configure qualitative metrics by sustainability area. You can assign the relevant sustainability matter and define disclosure references, including disclosure requirements and data points based on the applicable reporting standard version.
For each data point, assign a reference type to set the reporting format: Narrative, Semi-Narrative, or Boolean. After you have configured your metric in this app, you can upload data for it in the Manage Qualitative ESG Data app.
Create a Custom Qualitative Metric
The following video shows how to create a custom qualitative metric.
- To add a custom sustainability metric, select Create Metric + Qualitative.
- In the popup that opens, enter the following details:
- Metric Name: Give your metric a meaningful title.
- Metric ID: Enter a unique ID with up to 36 characters. The ID must start with Z_.
- Sustainability Area: Select the area to which the metric belongs: Environmental, Social, Governance, and Economic.
- Sustainability Matter: Select the applicable sustainability matter. The selection is filtered according to the sustainability area you chose and is reset when you change the sustainability area.
- Description: Enter a meaningful description for your sustainability metric. This is optional.
Read Using the Manage Metrics Application | SAP Help Portal to learn about Custom Metric.