How CNW IT-Systeme leveraged Sweep to reduce operational costs by 12%

Background 

CNW-IT Systeme GmbH has adopted a data-driven sustainability strategy in order to accurately analyse its emissions and implement targeted measures to reduce its environmental footprint.
The company aims to reduce its Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 40% by 2031, compared to 2021 levels.
This reduction will be achieved through energy efficiency improvements, fleet electrification, and sustainability initiatives such as LED transitions, reduced travel, and climate contribution projects.

CNW IT-Systeme has been a leading provider of printers, plotters, multifunction devices, scanners, computers, and monitors, as well as many other IT solutions, for more than 24 years. The company collaborates with leading high-tech brands such as Acer, Canon, Dell, Epson, HP, Kyocera, Lenovo, Microsoft, OKI, Ricoh, Xerox, and many more. In addition to offering a comprehensive product range with expert advice, CNW is particularly committed to actively implementing the idea of sustainability in its industry. Through resource-efficient IT procurement, recycling programs, and the use of energy-efficient technologies, CNW creates a more sustainable IT infrastructure for the company itself, and its customers.

Additionally, the company has implemented concrete sustainability initiatives, such as transitioning to LED lighting, training employees on energy saving and waste separation, reducing company vehicles, and gradually transitioning to a hybrid or electric fleet where feasible. A particular highlight is the company’s bee sponsorship with beeswelove, through which CNW actively supports species conservation. 

Challenge

The biggest challenge for CNW has been collecting and evaluating reliable sustainability data. 

Before using Sweep, data collection relied on manual processes, including emails and phone calls between departments. The sustainability team sent out internal surveys and follow-ups to gather relevant information, which was then compiled in spreadsheets.
Many processes were fragmented, with data stored across multiple spreadsheets and documents, making it challenging to maintain consistency and accuracy. 

There was no central database or automated system for managing sustainability measures. Additionally, defining and tracking concrete KPIs regarding the environmental impact of our operations was difficult. The responsible team spent several hours per week manually gathering and validating data, leading to inefficiencies. 

According to CNW’s Caroline Lück, implementing Sweep significantly streamlined the process, reducing time spent on data collection and improving overall data accuracy.

Solution 

Caroline Lück, who leads CNW’s sustainability data management program, tells us that “Sweep provides a centralized, data-driven platform for analysing and optimizing our sustainability strategy. With this solution, we can precisely track our emissions, measure progress, and make well-informed decisions for a more sustainable strategy”.

By using Sweep, CNW has been able to establish a data-driven foundation for its sustainability strategy. Internally, teams have transparency over the CO₂ balance and can take targeted measures to reduce emissions. CNW also highlights that the Sweep platform enhances reporting, which is essential for both internal analysis and external sustainability reports.

Measurable improvements

CNW has several measurable improvements to point to:

• The company has reduced its CO₂ footprint by 15% by implementing targeted energy-saving measures such as transitioning to LED lighting, optimizing energy consumption of office equipment, and encouraging energy-efficient work habits among employees.
  
• Moreover, the transparency and understanding of company-wide sustainability data have significantly improved. Caroline Lück points to a 20% increase in the accuracy of CNW’s emissions reports, thanks to the structured data collection process facilitated by Sweep and the active participation of our sustainability officer.

12% reduction in operational costs

Another success is the optimization of CNW’s sustainability measures:

• Through precise data collection, the teams have identified inefficient processes and realized savings potential.
  
• This has led to a 12% reduction in operational costs by identifying inefficiencies in energy use and by streamlining logistics.
• Furthermore, the collaboration with Sweep has led to the formation of an internal “GreenTeam”, which drives the sustainability strategy throughout the company. This team also organizes sustainability challenges for employees to engage them in reducing waste and conserving energy. This team actively communicates sustainability goals and progress, coordinates surveys for data collection, and plays a leading role in analysing the gathered data.

Improved internal collaboration

One of the unexpected benefits highlighted by Caroline Lück is improved collaboration on sustainability matters, across different departments. By using one centralised Sweep platform, CNW has been able to create a unified data pool that facilitates sustainability decisions and initiatives. 

Moreover, Sweep allows for company-wide data collection through targeted surveys sent to workers in different departments. The data is quickly gathered, reviewed and integrated into the data pool. For Caroline, this survey workflow is a game-changer in enabling her team to involve a large number of employees in data collection within a short period, thereby significantly enhancing the quality and reach of our sustainability strategy.

Preparing for CSRD compliance

Looking to the future, CNW-IT Systeme sees Sweep helping the company to continuously optimize its sustainability strategy. Caroline foresees that she and her colleagues will be able to make more accurate predictions regarding the company’s CO₂ footprint, implement even more targeted reduction measures, and provide customers with transparent sustainability reports – an asset to any company in the age of environmentally-savvy consumers. 

CNW is already thinking ahead to future CSRD compliance and foresees that Sweep will enable it to efficiently meet regulatory requirements and strategically advance our environmental goals. Another crucial benefit is its support in the future creation of our CSRD report.

Caroline says: “by leveraging Sweep, we will be able to integrate precise emissions data and align our sustainability actions with regulatory requirements more effectively. This ensures transparency and credibility in our corporate sustainability efforts. For this, we need a reliable and comprehensive data pool, which we can effectively build and maintain with Sweep. Comprehensive data collection and management significantly simplify reporting and ensure that we meet all relevant requirements”.