Initial Situation
An international industrial multinational with binding ESG targets, including a Net-Zero commitment by 2030, runs external procurement across more than 12 different ordering channels. The landscape includes vendor portals, the central catalogue, vending machines, Amazon Business, and various cafeteria ordering systems. None of these channels is currently integrated with sustainability data, which means that ESG metrics live entirely outside the operational procurement flow.
Roughly 150,000 orders are placed annually through external systems, representing a total volume of around €50 million. The core problem is data quality at the source. Sustainability metadata, such as CO2 footprint, packaging type, and recycling share, is simply not captured at the order level. ESG reporting obligations under CSRD and CSDDD, however, explicitly require auditable Scope 3 emissions data from vendors. Today, this data is collected manually, based on rough estimates, and supply chains remain largely untransparent. Certifications such as the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) and CDP demand verifiable proof, which is currently impossible to deliver. As a result, business units have no reliable view on whether their procurement decisions are actually sustainable.
Your Solution with simple system
simple system makes ESG criteria an integral part of every order flow through the External Order Systems, Marketplace, and Controlling modules. Sustainability becomes measurable directly at the source rather than reconstructed retroactively from invoices.
- All 12 external order channels are integrated via the External System Connection module on one neutral procurement platform.
- Only vendors with valid sustainability certifications are made available in simple system for users and connected systems, ensuring ESG-compliant sourcing by default.
- All systems and users order through designated channels, which reduces reporting effort and guarantees that only approved items in line with the ESG targets are ordered.
Result
- Full CO2 transparency across all 150,000 orders per year
- Vendor certification enables sustainability optimisation, including switches to greener alternatives
- ESG targets become measurable and traceable across every plant and category
- Certifications such as CDP and SBTi become significantly easier to achieve
- Business units identify the largest CO2 levers and can optimise their procurement specifically
- Green marketing and PR: „We reduce Scope 3 emissions by 15% annually"
- Vendor communication improves sustainable procurement practices along the supply chain
Your Benefit
- Time savings: 50% fewer internal queries on sustainability data, equivalent to around €30,000 per year in freed capacity.
- Measurable EBIT impact of +€2 to €5 million per year through better green finance terms, combined with full CSRD and CSDDD compliance secured by design.
