The new research hub, located in Kaohsiung’s Yawan area, represents a collaborative effort between SAP and the Kaohsiung City Government to develop solutions that drive sustainability, including Taiwan’s first SGS-certified greenhouse gas inventory system. This innovative tool aims to simplify the inventory process for Taiwanese businesses, helping them meet environmental compliance requirements. The opening event was attended by Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai, Vice Mayor Luo Dasheng, Kaohsiung City Economic Development Director Liao Taixiang, and various stakeholders, underscoring SAP’s commitment to making Kaohsiung a leading example of a smart port city on the global stage.

The Strategic Role of SAP Taiwan in the Local Market

With more than 100,000 small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises in Taiwan, many companies face growing pressure to adhere to global sustainability standards. As international and domestic supply chains increasingly demand greenhouse gas inventories, the need for robust solutions has intensified. SAP Global Vice President and Taiwan General Manager, Chen Zhiwei, emphasized Taiwan’s critical role in the global supply chain. He highlighted the establishment of the SAP Kaohsiung ESG and AI Research and Innovation Center as part of SAP’s broader strategy to introduce advanced technologies to the Taiwanese market.

The center aims to deliver practical applications for businesses, focusing on supply chain sustainability, data collection, and reporting requirements. One of its key offerings is a greenhouse gas inventory solution designed specifically for Taiwanese companies. This tool enables businesses to manage local environmental compliance and tackle net-zero challenges with ease. By collaborating with ecosystem partners, the center will work closely with Kaohsiung’s industrial sector, starting with the city’s ports and expanding globally, to transform enterprises into sustainable, smart businesses.

Collaboration with Local Entities for a Sustainable Future

Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai noted that achieving net-zero carbon emissions is not just a local concern but a global challenge. He highlighted the city’s initiatives, such as the establishment of net-zero regulations, the creation of a carbon rights exchange, and the founding of the Net Zero Academy, as key measures supporting local businesses in their transformation efforts. The Yawan Smart Technology Innovation Park, which has already attracted 175 domestic and international companies, is a prime example of how Kaohsiung is positioning itself as a hub for innovation and green technology.

SAP Taiwan will leverage the new research center to offer more convenient services to local businesses while fostering cooperation with smart technology companies across the Asia-Pacific region. This collaboration is expected to drive the net-zero transformation of industries and enhance Kaohsiung’s competitiveness in the global green economy. The SAP Kaohsiung ESG and AI Research and Innovation Center will be a base for this transformation, linking local and international efforts to promote sustainable practices.

Addressing Market Needs with Advanced Solutions

To meet the demands of the Taiwan market, SAP has developed the “Taiwan Enterprise Greenhouse Gas Inventory” solution, verified by SGS Taiwan, which complies with the Ministry of Environment’s guidelines. This tool simplifies the collection of greenhouse gas emission data and automates the calculation and reporting processes. It also integrates seamlessly with SAP’s broader sustainability solutions, such as the SAP sustainable development control tower, allowing businesses to manage electricity usage, carbon emissions, and other key sustainability metrics on a single platform.

SAP’s solutions are not limited to inventory management; the company is also introducing AI-powered tools for generating ESG reports that meet European standards. These tools enable businesses to gain real-time insights into their carbon reduction efforts through scenario simulations, automating the generation of both internal and external reports. By utilizing generative AI, SAP helps companies estimate carbon emissions even when actual data is lacking, offering businesses a significant reduction in manual effort and associated costs.

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The German enterprise software giant’s leading position in the industry emphasizes its quest to build solutions that assist organizations in running better and in a more sustainable way. In November of 2021, Terra Carta — a charter that establishes the framework of a recovery plan to 2030 putting Nature, People, and Planet at the center of value creation — highlighted the sustainability initiatives that SAP has implemented both within the organization and its ecosystem. This reinforces SAP’s unrelenting commitment to being an exemplary leader in promoting technological innovation while simultaneously integrating sustainability throughout all of its business operations.

In China, SAP has formed a “Sustainable Development and Practice Strategic Alliance” to create a platform to join forces with many players in the sector, focus on their respective expertise, shine a spotlight on collaborative innovation, and enable Chinese enterprises in accelerating the realization of the country’s “dual carbon” goal. The alliance can be broken down into four categories: co-creation with customers, consultancy and methodologies, policy and people, and solutions and practices. (InsideSAP Asia often references articles from websites in other languages to bring you as much information as possible.)

SAP Global Executive Vice President and President at SAP Greater China Dr. Chenhong Huang believes that emerging Chinese businesses are innovative, collaborative, and environmentally conscious, and that the idea of sustainable development is on par with the promotion of business transformation. He went on to say that companies must integrate sustainable development into the processes of their major strategies and ventures.

“Using digital processes means to realize the visualization, transparency and quantification of carbon emission data, realize carbon reduction, meet dynamic regulatory needs and international trade rules, and discover new business opportunities. We will adhere to the principle of “in China, for China’s philosophy”, to be a fellow traveler for the sustainable development of a new Chinese enterprise,” Huang further explained.

New SAP Sustainability Measures in China

The School of Economics and Management at Tsinghua University, the joint innovation model unit State Grid Digital Science and Technology, and several local and global SAP partners are among the first 10 founding members of the “Sustainable Development and Practice Strategic Alliance.”  SAP’s latest set of initiatives intend to enable businesses to achieve their goals of lowering their carbon footprint and fostering economic growth through a variety of productive channels, including data transparency, industrial collaboration, and innovative business practices.

Commenting on the new partnership, Professor Bai Chong’en, Dean at Tsinghua School of Economics and Management, stated in the SAP Sustainability Forum:

“We are very happy to join the “Sustainable Development and Practice Strategic Alliance” to jointly promote the healthy development of the industry and contribute to the realization of high-quality economic development in China.”

Moreover, the “Panjin Index” framework has also been officially unveiled in the SAP Sustainability Forum.  This is a holistic index of urban sustainable development that assesses pertinent variables such as safety, economy, and green development in a comprehensive manner. It is anticipated that the “Panjin Index” will become a useful instrument that will aid cities in the process of implementing sustainable development goals.

The project was initially discussed in an in-depth discussion last year between SAP and the Panjin City Government. Under the agreement, SAP assisted Panjin in the development of a system for the monitoring and simulation of urban carbon emissions by supplying a suite of software and solutions that were built on the SAP Business Technology Platform (SAP BTP).

Thrilled to being working closely with the German tech giant in a sustainability program, Xing Peng, Deputy Secretary of Panjin Municipal Party Committee and Mayor, said:

“We are very happy it (Panjin City) can cooperate with SAP to establish a green development and dual-carbon innovation center project, jointly create a comprehensive urban carbon management plan, and strive to explore new paths for sustainable development practices in the province and the country, as well as for local governments to take into account low-carbon management and economic development.”

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For years now, SAP has been leveraging the latest digital technologies and innovations to identify and measure the key drivers of the company’s carbon footprint. SAP’s data centers globally, such as the one that opened in Korea last April, practice energy efficiency and electricity procurement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, this year also the launch of the company’s Chasing Zero movement, which is centered on harnessing technology to build a world with “zero emissions, zero waste, and zero inequality.”

In support of these initiatives and to adapt to emerging sustainability requirements in the industry, SAP.iO — the German enterprise software giant’s strategic business unit — collaborates with startups around the world to realise its goal of assisting customers in better understanding their carbon footprints and material flows, as well as in promoting diversity and inclusion efforts. Reflecting on this objective, Alexa Gorman, Senior Vice President and Global Head of SAP.iO Foundries and SAP.iO Intrapreneurship at SAP, explained in a blog:

“In working with SAP customers and SAP.iO startups, we’ve seen that the desire to impact this matter coupled with the innovative technology needed to turn the tide, but it must be looked at as a journey instead of a destination. Industries and companies are at different stages of maturity, with requirements in other areas across teams. The challenge is how to make sustainability profitable.”

Moreover, six international tech companies have been selected to take part in SAP.iO’s latest sustainability startup program this month where they could utilise next-generation solutions to help organisations in APJ achieve their goals in different areas. These objectives include maintaining socially responsible supply chains, tackling climate action, and moving towards a circular economy.

Commenting on the new virtual program for startups in the region, SAP APJ President Paul Marriott shared:

“Achieving our sustainability goals will require all of us to work together at pace, as our planet’s time is running out. Initiatives such as this SAP.iO Foundry program are critical in identifying, enabling, and promoting innovative solutions that can change how our customers’ business is run, and ultimately the impact we have on the world.”

Advancing Startup Innovation with the Latest SAP Sustainability Program

The following startups will be able to benefit from exposure to SAP technology and application programming interfaces (APIs), as well as curated mentorship from SAP executives. In addition, they can also take advantage of opportunities to work closely with SAP customers in APJ over the next 13 weeks.

• Ambee. The Bengaluru-based environment intelligence firm uses artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) capabilities to monitor air quality, soil, micro weather, pollen, and other factors to help people breathe clean air. Furthermore, its goal is to collect real-time data on hyperlocal air quality and make it available to developers, consumers, health researchers, and media organisations.
• CarbonClick. Established in Auckland, CarbonClick is a carbon offsetting organisation that has worked with over 760 businesses to date. It is an online marketplace for carbon credits that enables customers to buy accredited carbon offsets, as well as track and minimise their carbon impact.
• givvable. A data-driven technology platform that assists organisations in understanding, sourcing, and measuring the impact of sustainable and social expenditure. The Sydney-based startup maps suppliers’ sustainability credentials, attributes, and initiatives to widely-used international reporting frameworks, such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
• Resync. The Singapore-headquartered company delivers intelligent energy management solutions leveraging artificial intelligence for smart buildings and systems that use a variety of renewable energy sources.
• UnaBiz. Founded in 2016, it specialises in sensor product design, manufacturing, and cloud platform services, including the Internet of Things (IoT). The company, which has offices in Singapore, Taiwan, and Japan, uses low-bandwidth wireless network technologies to solve energy consumption and building management issues utilising smart IoT devices.
• WePower. Headquartered in Vilnius, Lithuania, with offices in Melbourne, Sydney, and Tallinn, WePower is a green energy financing and trading platform based on blockchain. It links corporate energy buyers and retailers with green energy generators to help them buy green energy that is produced locally at competitive prices and with full transparency.

“This program not only helps start-ups accelerate their growth, but it is also one of the quickest ways to bring the latest innovation to thousands of our customers globally,” Marriott further emphasised.

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