ZOLLERN GmbH & Co. KG is an internationally active industrial company with over 300 years of history. With 2,000 employees, multiple plants, and subsidiaries in Europe, North America, and Asia, ZOLLERN develops, manufactures, and supports a broad range of high-quality metal products and drive systems. The company offers both standardized and custom solutions and is active in numerous industries—from power generation to aviation.
Global Changer is an AI-powered software solution that helps companies track, calculate, and optimize their CO₂ emissions. The platform offers automated emissions analysis, dynamic scenario management, and comprehensivereporting—always in compliance with current regulatory requirements (e.g., CSRD, GHG Protocol, SBTi).
To prepare early for upcoming regulatory requirements and increasing customer expectations, ZOLLERN has established a structured climate management system. A key first step was the creation of a carbon footprint assessment. To this end, the company began collaborating with Sustainable AG Management Consulting in the spring of 2023.
Right from the start of the project, it became clear that CO₂ accounting involves various challenges:
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ZOLLERN’s carbon footprint was initially calculated over a two-year period using Excel. At the start of the project, theprimary focus was on defining the system boundaries and identifying key emission sources and hotspots.
Focus on Empowerment and Knowledge Building: A key objective was to empower internal stakeholders at ZOLLERN. Consequently, the focus shifted increasingly toward knowledge building and the establishment of clear responsibilities asthe project progressed. Targeted training sessions for data managers were conducted to build internal expertise.
Standardization through KAIZEN: As part of a KAIZEN project, data collection for the Corporate Carbon Footprint (CCF) was further optimized. Processes were documented and standardized to ensure efficient and accurate data collection.
Facility-specific emissions: To thoroughly prepare the climate strategy, a facility-specific survey of Scope 1 & 2 emissionswas conducted.
Digitalization: In the third year of CO₂ accounting and with an eye toward the upcoming CSRD reporting requirements, ZOLLERN transitioned the calculation process to a digital platform. In collaboration with its partner Global Changer, emissions were recorded using software.
Improved logistics emissions: Significant progress has also been made in the area of logistics emissions. While Excel reached its limits here, the Ecotransit software enables significantly more precise calculations.
A key milestone was achieved in the project: The process of preparing the CO₂ inventory, which previously took 4–6 months, was reduced to just 2 months. This time savings was made possible by more efficient data collection and digitized calculations:
The implementation of the software solution yielded several benefits:
Next steps: We can now consider integrating the software into the existing IT landscape. The goal would be to enableautomated data collection, thereby further streamlining processes and continuously increasing efficiency.
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