Issue

At the group level, Syensqo  is required to collect and consolidate a broad set of environmental indicators from its industrial sites. This is necessary not only to meet external reporting requirements—such as those defined under the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (E-PRTR)—but also to monitor progress against internal sustainability targets and ambitions set by the corporate leadership.

This collection is currently conducted through an annual campaign using the PURE platform, in which sites are asked to complete the Site Environmental Reporting Form (SERF). The process involves submitting data on emissions, waste, water consumption, environmental incidents, and other KPIs relevant to corporate reporting.

However, this corporate reporting process is perceived as disconnected from daily site operations. Each site already manages a range of local environmental responsibilities, including:

• Regulatory compliance with site-specific permits and national laws
  
  
• Real-time monitoring of emissions and discharges
  
  
• Reporting to local environmental authorities
  
  
• Internal operational tracking of environmental performance
  
  

These tasks often require the collection and validation of the same or similar data as that required by the SERF campaign, but through different workflows, tools, or systems. Because the corporate process is not integrated with site-level systems, it creates a sense of duplication, manual rework, and administrative burden for site teams.

As a result, the annual data collection exercise is seen by many sites as redundant, resource-intensive, and misaligned with operational realities. It also risks introducing inconsistencies or delays in data accuracy and completeness, especially as environmental reporting requirements become more rigorous and time-sensitive.

Ultimately, this lack of integration between corporate and site-level environmental data processes undermines the efficiency and credibility of environmental reporting across the group and poses a growing risk as regulations and stakeholder expectations continue to evolve.

Recommendation

Background & Context

Syensqo is subject to increasingly stringent environmental reporting requirements, both from external regulations (notably the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive - CSRD and E-PRTR) and from internal sustainability goals set by the corporate group. 

To address this, the company has historically relied on a system called PURE, based on the UL 360 platform, to conduct an annual environmental reporting campaign known as the SERF (Site Environmental Reporting Form).

Syensqo  operates in a regulatory environment where environmental data must be collected, validated, and reported both at the corporate level and at the individual site level. These two dimensions of reporting—Group Reporting and Site Reporting—serve different but interdependent purposes. However, until now, they have evolved largely in isolation from one another, creating operational inefficiencies and data fragmentation.

1. Group Reporting

On an annual basis, each site within the defined reporting scope is required to submit a comprehensive set of environmental indicators to the corporate HSE team. These indicators include, but are not limited to:

• Emissions to air and water
  
  
• Water usage
  
  
• Waste generation
  
  
• Environmental fines and incidents
  
  

To standardize this process, the corporate team has developed the Site Environmental Reporting Form (SERF), which is implemented through the PURE application (UL 360 platform). The SERF covers more than 1000 KPIs and is structured to support corporate-level reporting requirements under frameworks such as CSRD and E-PRTR, as well as internal environmental performance monitoring.

Site representatives are prompted annually to fill out the SERF questionnaire within PURE, after which the corporate team validates, consolidates, and extracts the data for use in the group’s sustainability disclosures and internal reporting dashboards.

2. Site Reporting

Independently of the corporate SERF campaign, each site is also responsible for managing its own local environmental compliance. This includes:

• Meeting local legal requirements
  
  
• Respecting site-specific permits
  
  
• Conducting real-time monitoring of emissions and discharges
  
  
• Submitting data to local authorities on a monthly, quarterly, or yearly basis depending on the jurisdiction and regulatory requirements
  
  

These activities often require the same type of data as requested in the SERF, but are handled through different tools, processes, and timelines. Because there is no standardized or automated linkage between the systems used for local reporting and PURE, the same data often has to be collected, validated, and reported twice—once for local compliance and once for group reporting.

To address this inefficiency and explore a more integrated solution, Syensqo launched a Proof of Concept (PoC) in mid-2024 at its largest site (Tavaux). The objective of this initiative was to automate the capture, processing, and validation of environmental data at the source. Using technologies like Microsoft Fabric and Power Apps, the PoC integrated data streams from:

• IoT sensors
  
  
• Analytical lab results
  
  
• Waste disposal records (via PDF parsing and AI tools)
  
  

The system also included embedded algorithms for KPI computation, plausibility checks, and validation workflows, offering real-time insights and a significantly more efficient reporting mechanism. The initial scope of the PoC focused on 24 water-related emission indicators but is expected to expand in 2025 to cover additional domains such as air emissions and waste.

The first POC demonstrated technical feasibility based on 21 indicators related to water emissions and the scope was extended to other indicators according to a 2025 project timeline.

Assumptions

• Input data is available from multiple sources some digital(PDF) , MES sources(Structured)
• SAP EHS Environment has modules that may be extended to match PURE and Microsoft solution functionality
• Not all sites have the same digital maturity or IT tools. Amount of KPIs reported also varies 
  
• Integration between tools/platforms (Microsoft Fabric ↔ SAP ↔ SFM) is feasible
• SAP EHS could be used for tracking, configuring, and reporting water-related data to meet compliance and operational needs supporting water balance and usage reporting 
• Data flow is auditable by auditors and business users
• Users should be able to add the comment if there is any change in Value when Data is validated as well as when Emission flow is reviewed

Constraints

• Regulatory pressure to start using new CSRD reporting from 2025, Interim solutions needs to be maintained
  
• Need to be able to consider both operational and financial reporting parameters
• Need to maintain the complex formulas( If and Else)
• Need to update data collection forms every year to cater for reporting frameworks updates
• Need to have flexible reporting to cater for ad-hoc requests
• Sites vary in size, reporting obligations, and data readiness
• Some environmental KPIs are only meaningful at group level, others only locally
• Plausibility check requirement is present in cloud public version and not in SAP Private cloud version

Impacts

• Potential for improved data quality, reduced manual work, and better regulatory alignment
  
• Risk of data inconsistency if systems are not well integrated
• Increased IT workload during the transition phase
• Need for training and change management at site and corporate level
• Potential impacts on portfolio as some sites may already have digital solution not identified by IT 

Business Rules

• Yearly SERF campaign must collect a fixed set of KPIs from each relevant site
  
• Sites must comply with local regulations and monitor environmental performance and permits allowance wherever its applicable
  
• KPIs must be traceable to source data and auditable
  
• Any system must support future expansion of KPI scope (e.g. air, water, waste)

Options considered

Option A: To continue AS-IS

In this scenario, the company maintains its current environmental reporting setup:

• The annual Site Environmental Reporting Form (SERF) campaign is conducted using the PURE platform

• Sites operate independently using a variety of local tools, spreadsheets, or semi-automated systems to collect and manage environmental data.

• Some sites may have developed custom integrations or partial automation (e.g., via Microsoft Fabric or IoT), but this is not harmonized across the group.

This approach continues to fulfill basic reporting obligations but offers limited scalability, efficiency, and readiness for growing regulatory and internal sustainability demands.

 Pros 

•  All users (site and corporate) are familiar with the PURE process and interfaces.
• No major system changes or investment required.

Cons:

This option does not align with SAP’s sustainability roadmap or evolving EU regulations. The lack of integration, standardization, and real-time capability poses growing risk:

• CSRD & E-PRTR require timelier, more auditable, and comparable data.

• Fragmented tools make it harder to adopt emerging SAP sustainability products (e.g., SCT or SFM).

• Risk of site fatigue from manual rework and disconnected processes.

Option B: Move full scope (PURE + Microsoft Fabric PoC) to SAP EHS Environment

Under this option, the company consolidates all environmental data management into SAP EHS. PURE is rebuilt natively in SAP, and site-level tools (like Microsoft Fabric) are replaced or phased out over time. This establishes a unified platform, fully integrated with the SAP landscape and aligned with long-term goals for SFM and SCT.

Daily Emissions Management at Site Level

SAP EHS offers structured modules for emissions management, including:

• Integration with direct measurement sources like IoT or MES is feasible but will require middleware.

• Emission calculations can be handled through SAP’s formula management but are generally less flexible than Fabric for rapidly evolving or site-specific logic.

• Emissions can be monitored with SAP reporting and alerting, though real-time visualizations are not as advanced or intuitive as Power BI dashboards.

While compliance and auditability are strong with real-time flexibility 

SERF Campaign Management at Corporate Level

This use case is well-supported in for Corporate level reporting in SCT or SAC and SAP EHS for Site level data collection and calculation 

• Sites and legal entities can be easily added or modified within SAP’s organizational structure.

• KPI updates and form modifications can be managed via configuration (though they may require technical support).

• Campaign monitoring, user assignment, data validation workflows, approvals, and historical data restatement are all standard are core feature of SAP EHS EM

• Complex KPI logic and simulations can be supported through SCT or by layering custom functionality into SAP EHS. Also EHS has native integration with SAC as well which can be leveraged for complex reporting and visualization

• Plausibility check requirement is present in cloud public version and not in SAP Private cloud version

Annual Site Submission

SAP EHS already supports waste and emissions management. With appropriate configuration:

• Sites can submit waste data through the Waste Management module.

• Emissions to air and water are managed through the Emissions module.

• SAP EHS Management  provides tools for tracking, configuring, and reporting water-related data to meet compliance and operational needs supporting water balance and usage reporting

• Users should be able to add the comment if there is any change in Value when Data is validated as well as when Emission flow is reviewed is not supported in SAP EHS which is critical for Business Users

GHG Scope 1 Consolidation

SAP EHS and SFM together provide a strong basis for consolidated Scope 1 reporting:

• Emission points can be defined, limits set, and both carbon and non-carbon GHG emissions recorded.

• The data flows cleanly into SFM for Scope 1 calculation, ensuring alignment with upcoming CSRD requirements.

Pros:

• Single system of record
• Consistency across sites
• Better integration with SAP core

Cons:

• SAP EHS will not be able to support the final calculation and condition( If and Else) at the group level
• Risk of losing site-level flexibility and innovation

Option C : SAP EHS at Site + PURE at Corporate

In this architecture, all industrial sites use SAP Environment, Health & Safety (SAP EHS Environment) as the standardized platform for site-level environmental data capture and compliance reporting. This includes modules for:

• Emissions management

• Waste tracking

• Water usage reporting

The corporate environmental reporting platform PURE (based on UL 360) remains in place for annual group-level consolidation and reporting, including CSRD and E-PRTR compliance. Data from SAP EHS is exported and integrated into PURE for the Site Environmental Reporting Form (SERF) campaign.

• Sites operate in SAP EHS, entering  data on:

  • Emissions 

  • Waste categories and volumes

  • Water usage

• Data is validated locally using SAP EHS validation rules and audit trails.

• On a yearly basis, the data required for SERF is extracted from SAP EHS, transformed as needed, and uploaded or integrated into PURE, where corporate teams run:

  • Campaign monitoring

  • Plausibility checks

  • Final calculations and KPI aggregations

  • External reporting formats

• Optional enrichment can be done in PURE (e.g., for KPIs not captured in SAP or for comments/annotations).

Pros:

• All sites use SAP EHS, ensuring consistency in data structure and validation logic.
• Minimal impact on sites; they stay within SAP. Corporate users continue with PURE.
• SAP EHS serves as a foundation that can later integrate with SAP SCT or SFM.

Cons:

• Corporate and site platforms must stay synchronized; this creates overhead in IT and governance.
• Without tight integration, the same data might be validated twice — once in SAP, again in PURE.

Evaluation

See also

https://community.sap.com/t5/product-lifecycle-management-blogs-by-sap/water-balance-and-usage-report-step-by-step-configuration-guide/ba-p/14058864#

Change log

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