Since August 2025, SAP Sustainability Footprint Management has been able to calculate transport emissions from ERP material movements. In October, SAP described the next step: the tool now takes routes, legs and transport modes straight from SAP Transportation Management (TM), so the calculation uses the shipments you actually ran (SAP Community, 16 October 2026).
For companies that report on Scope 3 under CSRD, transport is one of the harder parts to get right. Most teams still work from averages, spend data or spreadsheets. This change means the shipment data you already have in SAP can do more of that work.
What SAP added
- Shipment data from SAP TM. A feature called Custom Routes and Legs brings detailed transport data from SAP TM, or from another transport system, into the footprint tool through an API or an Excel upload.
- Emissions per product, even on mixed loads. Freight units and products come across with the shipment, so emissions are split over the right products along their own routes. In spreadsheets, that is close to impossible for mixed pallets.
- One set of facts for two teams. Logistics and sustainability work from the same transport data, so cost, service and emissions can be compared side by side.
- A trail back to the source. Each footprint links back to the material movements, freight unit stops and legs behind it, which makes audits easier.
Companies already use the tool this way. SAP names Hirschmann Automotive, which calculates product and company footprints with less manual work and a stronger basis for CSRD reporting, and SURVENTIS (formerly BASF Coatings), which built an auditable CO2e baseline for more than 120,000 sales products.
What the data can show
SAP illustrates the feature with a fictional consumer goods company. In that example, moving air freight to sea cut modelled transport emissions by 36.5%. Only 3.8% of the transported quantity was behind that reduction.
The exact numbers are SAP’s illustration, but the pattern is familiar. A small number of lanes often cause a large share of transport emissions, and you only find them when you look at the shipment level.
The example also shows the trade-off. Sea freight takes longer, so the switch only works for planned flows, with earlier purchasing and enough stock. Urgent orders still need air. That makes it a planning decision as much as a sustainability one.
Where to start
- Pick one flow. An air-freight lane, a mixed-load outbound route or a planned network change is enough for a first test.
- Check which data you have. Some flows have SAP TM data, some only ERP movements, some only spend. The tool accepts all three, so use the best source for each flow and don’t wait for perfect data everywhere.
- Put logistics and sustainability at one table. If the two teams work from different numbers, the emissions work stays a reporting exercise instead of changing how goods move.
- Keep an eye on the Footprint Optimization Agent. SAP released it to pilot customers in October 2026 and plans to make it available to all users. It will help find emission hotspots and simulate reduction measures against your baseline.
We wrote more about the wider picture in How SAP is operationalizing sustainability and ESG in 2026.
How we can help
Bolders works across supply chain planning, supply chain execution and sustainability, so we see transport data from both the logistics and the reporting side. Our sustainability team helps companies trace value chain (Scope 3) emissions and find where to reduce them. You can also take our free sustainability assessment to see where you stand. See our sustainability services →