Empowering Sustainability with Business Central

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Louise Woodruff

January 23, 2025

The topic of sustainability has fast become the subject at the forefront of most businesses’ minds. If you aren’t considering sustainability in your business plan… you may want to revisit it.

Sustainability is becoming increasingly regulated across various industries, including food and beverage and heritage organisations, governments are now requiring businesses to adopt sustainable practices to minimise environmental impact, ensure social responsibility, and promote transport governance.

Luckily, Microsoft is taking the subject of sustainability seriously, meaning that Business Central users can trust in their system to help with their ongoing sustainability efforts and long-term business goals.

Why is Sustainability so Important for Businesses?

A focus on sustainability is not only important for the obvious reasons – playing a part in the overall aim of protecting our planet etc., but also to allow businesses to remain compliant with new regulation requirements, that require businesses to adopt sustainable practices, report emissions, and follow social and governance standards.

Regulatory Compliance
Competitive Advantage
Risk Management
Long-Term Viability

What is ESG Reporting?

Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) reporting releases a company’s performance across these areas. As many regulatory frameworks now mandate ESG reporting, with particularly strict requirements in sectors where environmental impact is high and transparency is crucial, such as Food & Beverage, you need to be ready… enter sustainability in action in Business Central…

Sustainability in action in Business Central

The Sustainability module for Business Central can help companies track and manage their environmental impact, ensuring compliance with evolving regulations. It provides real-time insights into energy consumption, waste management, and water usage, which are critical for industries like food manufacturing. With data visualization tools, businesses can identify high-emission areas and prioritize reduction strategies, improving sustainability and maintaining regulatory compliance.

Takeaways to consider…

Legal obligations: It’s important to recognise that sustainability is no longer simply a ‘value-add’, but a legal requirement for many industries. So, we must consider the need to comply with emission regulations, ESG reporting, ad supply chain transparency.

High Risks of Non-Compliance: Non-compliance can lead to significant fines to businesses, not to mention operational restrictions, and legal actions.

Automation Efficiency: The module simplifies compliance reporting, reducing the administrative burden on businesses and enabling them to meet regulatory requirements efficiently.

Change Management: We advise customers to prepare for the cultural and operational shifts that come with sustainable compliance, including investing in employee training and process adaptations to meet regulations.