The sustainability engine driving WITTE Automotive
Commitment to sustainability is as much a part of WITTE Automotive GmbH’s lineage as its family-based business practices. With the SAP Sustainability Footprint Management solution and the SAP Sustainability Data Exchange application, WITTE can now calculate its product carbon footprint and securely communicate its value to customers and suppliers.
| Industry | Region | Company Size | Partner |
| Automotive | Velbert, Germany | 4,200 employees | Catena-X |
more efficient calculation compared to manual Microsoft Excel–based method.
savings per PCF calculation compared to hiring external calculation experts.
scope 2 emissions reduction since its green electricity switch.
CEO, WITTE Automotive GmbH
| Industry | Region | Company Size | Partner |
| Automotive | Velbert, Germany | 4,200 employees | Catena-X |
more efficient calculation compared to manual Microsoft Excel–based method.
savings per PCF calculation compared to hiring external calculation experts.
scope 2 emissions reduction since its green electricity switch.
CEO, WITTE Automotive GmbH
Fueling the future with sustainability at the wheel
Sustainable development is one of the greatest challenges, particularly for a family-owned company like WITTE Automotive GmbH, a leader in the field of mechatronic locking systems for car doors, tailgates, interiors, and seats.
The topic of sustainability has always been a business priority, but now it’s become a stakeholder requirement as well as a customer and social issue of great importance and impact. Circular economy considerations include lifecycle assessment of the entire supply chain, responsible product development and material use, and carbon-neutral initiatives. There’s also the ever-evolving legislative requirements and compliance with industry regulations to address.
Capturing accurate carbon data is key for companies pursuing net-zero goals. The problem is compounded by the fact that scope 3 emissions (more than 70% of the value chain total) are the most difficult to track and measure due to lack of owner control. Actual, reliable data is necessary to achieve full decarbonization.
With ambitious sustainability goals in mind, WITTE needed a standardized, industry-accepted way to calculate its product carbon footprint (PCF). Customer and supplier communication was also a factor in its decision-making and strategy. Rather than continue the one-to-one method, the company assessed how best to consolidate and disseminate PCF values to its base.
CEO, WITTE Automotive GmbH
Steering toward sustainability and business partner collaboration
Proactively aligning with stakeholder expectations and company values, WITTE launched its sustainability program. Climate protection, circular economy, emissions reduction, responsible supply chain management, and other energy-related topics comprise the basic tenets and objectives.
Through concerted, strategic efforts, the company was able to further integrate sustainability into its core processes. The graph below details WITTE’s scope 1 and 2 emissions decline from 2019 to 2023.
Recently, the company developed new quantitative sustainability performance indicators for its purchasing, product development, and sales areas. Embedded in the fabric of its sustainability tapestry was an organic alignment with like-minded companies that could help achieve the ambitious goals. Enter SAP and Catena-X, a business network for the automotive industry built jointly by SAP and select partners, innovators, and industry leaders in close cooperation with the German Ministry of Economics Automotive Network.
WITTE needed a system that could calculate a product’s carbon footprint in a standardized, industry-accepted way, so it decided to implement the SAP Sustainability Footprint Management solution. The collection, communication, and management of scope 3 emissions were also pressing issues for the company. Its strategy included the option of connecting to multiple networks, such as Catena-X, WBCSD PACT standard, Together for Sustainability, and SAP Business Network. With the SAP Sustainability Data Exchange application, WITTE could more securely and efficiently communicate PCF value on a mass scale to its extensive network of customers and suppliers.
Powering progress with sustainability initiatives and key partnerships
The key to a truly decarbonized supply chain requires a network of upstream and downstream partners. For that reason, WITTE engaged Catena-X to provide an open, secure supply chain data exchange and collaboration among automotive partners. Leveraging the “Catena-X Product Carbon Footprint Rulebook” helps ensure PCF values are standardized and shared within the participant network, benefiting all involved. The PCF data also allows companies to recognize and make crucial sustainability adjustments and improvements, both individually and collectively.
With the addition of SAP Sustainability Footprint Management, the company is able to calculate its carbon footprint at scale and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. By planning and establishing an automated data flow directly from SAP S/4HANA, WITTE will be able to leverage supplier-specific emissions data and produce more-accurate calculations, pinpoint emission hot spots, and target reduction efforts. Detailed carbon footprint results—including scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions as defined by the Greenhouse Gas Protocol—will produce a more accurate emissions picture.
The interoperability of the SAP Sustainability portfolio opens the door to a natural integration with SAP Sustainability Data Exchange, providing a standardized, scalable, and comprehensive approach to carbon footprint data exchange. Together with Catena-X, the solutions have greatly enhanced communication and data exchange.
Beyond the day-to-day advantages, it will also be possible for WITTE to deliver easy-to-consume, granular breakdowns of carbon footprint results to key members of the company, which translates to greater transparency and informed decisions. As a result, business processes across the supply chain, sourcing, finance, and procurement will experience marked improvements.
Sharing PCF data with business partners, established through Catena-X and enabled by SAP Sustainability Data Exchange, supports collaboration among automotive partners along WITTE’s value chain. As a pioneering player, the company is helping establish a decarbonization paradigm for small and medium-sized businesses, encouraging network participation and promoting success for all.
Head of Sustainability and Environment, WITTE Automotive GmbH
Gearing up for a sustainable future
Just like its actuating systems that convert energy into motion, WITTE Automotive will continue to convert its business into a sustainability model for the industry to follow. The company’s commitment runs deep, down to the location level. WITTE’s environmental and energy policy outlines six guiding principles addressing environmental protection, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, renewable energies, and efficient energy usage, believing every company and every individual has an environmental responsibility.
This belief is captured in the following company statement: “We think and act in a sustainable manner. We develop our products with the aim of minimizing the environmental impact as much as possible during manufacture, during service life and, finally, at the end of the product lifecycle.”
Its employees are encouraged in the responsible use of energy and minimizing impacts on the environment through specialized training and briefings. Managers’ actions are exemplary and intended to motivate employees to develop their own ideas to prevent harmful eco-impacts and limit global warming. WITTE is committed to all sustainability agreements with its customers and expects partner companies, suppliers, and service providers to meet environmental standards as well.
Since January 2021, all WITTE locations have been sourcing 100% of their electricity from renewable suppliers. According to the 2023 Carbon Disclosure Project, the company improved and maintained climate change rating scores, based on five years of submissions. Ecological impact and compliance obligations are paramount to WITTE.
With its sustainability program in place, WITTE intends to integrate it across all company areas and departments. The SAP Sustainability portfolio will continue to help the company reduce PCF assessment efforts with an automated data flow directly from SAP S/4HANA. To optimize its sustainability goals, WITTE is considering the SAP Sustainability Control Tower solution to help analyze environmental, social, and governance performance as it relates to the company’s supply chain and production development.
Want to know more about WITTE Automotive?
WITTE Automotive Leads the Way in Supply Chain Decarbonization (SAP Business Transformation Study)
Featured partner
The implementation of SAP Sustainability Footprint Management and SAP Sustainability Data Exchange was enhanced by Catena-X, an open and collaborative data ecosystem providing greater resiliency and transparency to the automotive value chain. It provides the access to an open data space for standardized supply chain collaboration, from enabling the traceability of products across multiple parties in the supply chain to tracking and calculating the scope 3 emissions. WITTE Automotive is able to calculate its product carbon footprint compliant with the “Catena-X Product Carbon Footprint Rulebook.” After significant data management enhancements, business partners were able to share data through Catena-X network.