Climate Policy Engagement Analysis
Climate Policy Engagement Overview: SAP is strategically engaged with largely supportive positions on climate policy in the EU and the US and appears to support measures to transition the energy mix. The company is a member of the Federation of German Industries (BDI), which takes predominantly negative positions on climate policy.
Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: SAP is broadly supportive of climate action in its top-line messaging on climate policy. In an October 2024 joint letter ahead of COP29, it supported GHG emissions reductions in line with a 1.5°C target. The company signed a joint letter in September 2023, supporting government policy or intervention to make sure carbon is priced into the economy. In the same joint letter, it broadly supported the achievement of goals at COP27 and higher ambition ahead of COP28. SAP signed a joint industry letter supporting implementation of the EU Fit for 55 Package in March 2024.
Engagement with Climate-Related Policies: SAP’s engagement with specific climate policy streams is positive, with the company have signed multiple joint letters supporting EU climate policies. In a November 2023 blog post on its corporate website, SAP supported the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism and Emissions Trading System. In an October 2024 joint letter ahead of COP29, the company advocated for setting energy intensity targets and providing regulatory guidelines and incentives for energy efficiency. The company supported renewable energy targets in a September 2023 joint letter, advocating for a global target to be set at COP28 to triple renewable energy capacity by 2030. In a March 2024 joint letter, SAP supported an EU 2040 GHG emissions reductions target of 90 to 95%, in line with scientific recommendations. However, in a January 2025 Sustainability Magazine article, SAP did not clearly support implementing the UN Global Plastics Treaty according to the waste hierarchy.
Positioning on Energy Transition: SAP is supportive of energy transition policy in the EU and US. In a March 2024 joint letter, it supported the urgent decarbonization of the power sector, the removal of fossil fuel subsidies, and fully decarbonizing electricity generation in the EU. Additionally, SAP signed a joint letter in September 2023, advocating for ambitious energy transition plans to be reflected in Nationally Determined Contributions, and promoting the need for stringent policy intervention to ensure the ramp up of renewables in the energy mix. In the US, SAP endorsed the climate investments in the Inflation Reduction Act in an October 2023 joint letter. It further called for policies to scale up technologies needed to achieve industrial decarbonization in an October 2024 joint letter.
Industry Association Governance: SAP has not disclosed a list of industry association memberships, nor has it published a review of its industry association memberships and climate policy engagement. The company is a member of several industry associations actively engaged on climate policy with advocacy that is misaligned and partially misaligned with IPCC recommendations for limiting warming to 1.5C. The CEO of SAP is on the Presidential Board of the Federation of German Industries (BDI), which is actively and negatively engaged on EU and German climate policy. In addition, SAP is a member of European Union Chamber of Commerce in China and the Consumer Goods Forum, both of which support climate policy with some exceptions.