How integrated sustainability data provides the foundation for strategic supply chain impact

Proactively managing sustainability 

This key position makes Azelis an important player, influencing sustainability in the value chain. Azelis takes the role very seriously. Building on its former Action 2025 program, Azelis has evolved its sustainability program into Impact 2030, with the ambition to deliver demonstrable, sustainable impact. "We want to contribute meaningfully to helping both our suppliers and our customers become more sustainable," explains Michael Heite, Group Sustainability Director at Azelis. "From a compliance point of view, of course, but for Azelis it is about more than that."

If a company wants to operate more sustainably, this requires insight into their own operations, but also requires transparency about what is happening in the value chain. Azelis is an industry leader in this: the company is proactively transparent about its own products and supports producers and customers in bringing sustainable solutions to the market. "Chemicals each come with their own carbon footprint," says Michael. "We collect this data from suppliers and map it out. This enables us to offer customers flexibility and alternatives to products that are under pressure from sustainability regulations and market demand. This also ensures supply and provides resilience in the chain. At the same time, more efficient use of raw materials and energy often leads to lower costs. By embedding sustainability in our daily business operations, we create long-term value in a responsible way”.

The problem: isolated data

Delivering on these ambitions requires robust and reliable data. This data, however, was recorded in a separate system, came from different sources, and was processed manually in an ineffective way. Reporting was possible, but using the data effectively for decision-making was limited.

"We have been collecting data since 2019," says Pieter De Wint, Global Sustainability Coordinator at Azelis. "We registered this into an external reporting system. However, we had no control over the design of this system or the calculations performed behind the scenes for our emissions, for example. For this, we were heavily dependent on external consultants."

The biggest bottleneck, however, was the isolated position of the system. "To make sustainability decisions, you need the full spectrum of information," Michael adds. "The price of a product, how you operate, the footprint and emissions that go with it all influence decision-making. Bringing together data from different systems took time and increased the risk of errors." That is why the choice was made to switch to Microsoft Sustainability Manager as an addition to Azelis' existing Microsoft landscape. The system serves as the place for sustainability professionals, and more broadly the entire workforce, to manage sustainability data and use it for strategic purposes. 

More than just technology

The fact that Fellowmind would guide this transition was not due to their technical expertise. Azelis was looking for a partner with proven experience in MSM, combined with strong knowledge of sustainability. "We were not looking for a partner that simply implements the software technically," says Jan Witvrouwen, Digital Solutions Director at Azelis. "We needed a partner that works from best practices and understands how to translate them to Azelis’ specific sustainability strategy. Fellowmind brings that combination to the table."

The company culture fit also played an important role in this decision. The implementation could not be fully mapped out in advance. It was only during testing with users that it became clear where processes needed to be in order to meet Azelis’ specific needs. This required a structured approach with an agile mindset throughout the project, something that Fellowmind offered.

Phased approach for a strong database

The implementation of MSM was deliberately phased by Azelis and Fellowmind. "For most companies, purchased goods or products, in our case tens of thousands of chemicals, are the largest source of emissions that you want to make transparent," says Pieter. "But before you can do this, you have to have your own emissions in order. That's why we chose to first establish our foundation in MSM."

Data quality was paramount. "Our focus was on ensuring high-quality data, cooperation and adoption across all of our locations worldwide," says Pieter. Each Azelis location has its own data points to report on, such as energy consumption, emissions, types of waste, water and power generation. "In our previous system, each location had to report on an elaborate and fixed list of data points, even where certain metrics weren’t relevant. This unnecessarily increased the amount of data to report and review. Together with Fellowmind, we have set this up differently in MSM. Reporting requirements are now tailored per location. This improves data quality and reduces the workload for our teams."

Full control over sustainability data

With the implementation of MSM, Azelis now has a robust foundation for further development. The most important gain of the first phase? Sustainability data can be more easily leveraged in strategic decision-making. Dashboards provide immediate insight into operational impact and CO2 reduction performance. "We are now working with a single source of truth,” says Pieter. “This enables faster and better-informed decisions."

Thanks to the collaboration with Fellowmind, Azelis now has full control over their sustainability data. The system automatically converts figures, such as electricity consumption, into CO2 emissions in line with carbon accounting methodologies and considers country-specific requirements.

"We no longer rely on a black box. We understand how each figure is calculated, which makes the data transparent and verifiable, including for external audit purposes," says Pieter.

Integration within the Microsoft ecosystem also enables sustainability data to be more easily connected with other business data, from procurement to sales.

"Sustainability influences every aspect of our business," Michael explains. "Decisions with sustainability implications are made throughout the organization. MSM allows us to connect sustainability with daily processes across Azelis. This positions us well for the next phase."  

Moving on from own footprint to supplier data

Now that the foundation is in place, Azelis is progressing beyond stable monthly sustainability reporting to steer performance against CO2 targets in line with Azelis’ commitments to SBTi and the Paris Agreement – all in one system.

"We expect to achieve this in the coming months while continuing to strengthen the connections with our existing IT landscape and the business," says Pieter.

The next step in the collaboration is already clear: expanding insight into Scope 3 emissions and enabling sustainability-informed decision-making at product level.

"Our goal is to integrate supplier data into MSM, along with more comprehensive analytics of our products. That includes not only emissions, but also social aspects and more detailed information on our supplier’s ESG performance.  Achieving that level of transparency is our next ambition," says Michael.

By extending visibility from its own operational footprint to product and supplier data, Azelis continues to strengthen its role as a proactive and responsible link in the value chain.