Sustainable Asset Lifecycle Management (SALM) - How SAP is managing IT assets by embedding sustainability aspects into entire business processes

Abstract

SAP has set the target of bringing its carbon emissions down to 2000 levels by 2020. In line with SAPs corporate sustainability commitment, in close collaboration with other departments within SAP (global procurement, global facility management, controlling, sustainability, etc.), SAP IT set up a long-term project to optimize the entire lifecycle process of the companys IT assets while making it highly sustainable and lean. The Sustainable Asset Lifecycle Management (SALM)@SAP project comprises a number of separate projects and departments within SAP. The SALM@SAP project began in 2009 and both the overall project and its individual projects have continuously evolved since then. The purpose of SALM@SAP was to establish a process that was as lean and sustainable as possible from asset purchase to disposal. Today, SALM@SAP has transformed from a project stage to a process that will be continuously improved.