On this site you find:

COPA-DATAs contribution
Carbon neutrality
Smart Building in Salzburg
More sustainable with zenon?
Achieving UN SDGs with zenon
Further Resources

Software and sustainability

As the only independent vendor of software solutions for the automation of industrial processes and for the energy industry, we have set ourselves the goal of advancing the topic of sustainability and working with our partners to identify new, forward-looking ways to achieve it.

We not only support our customers in using resources in as efficient and environmentally friendly ways as possible, but we also successively reduce our own environmental impact in our own company.

We face up to this responsibility and want to make a contribution to a more livable world of tomorrow with concrete measures and investments.

Our efforts are based on the 17 Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations, which form the basis of the guidelines on corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the European Union. The EU obliges companies to demonstrate their contribution to achieving the climate targets. COPA-DATA is presenting its first comprehensive sustainability report for the year 2022, which can be shared on request.

COPA-DATA operates with carbon neutrality

Calculate, cut, compensate. This is crucial for climate protection in line with the Paris Agreement. The goal: to successively reduce the emissions caused by our business activities in the coming years and to compensate for them in a complementary manner.

The headquarters in Salzburg has already been operating on a carbon-neutral basis since 2022.

By mid-2023, all COPA-DATA subsidiaries worldwide will operate in a CO2-neutral manner. It is not only since its certification as a carbon-neutral company by ClimatePartner that COPA-DATA has attached great importance to sustainability.

For example, since 2003, 100 percent of our electricity purchased has been green electricity from renewable sources. Several large PV systems ensure an inhouse, sustainable power supply.

CO2-neutral in terms of certification means that a company`s carbon footprint is calculated as part of the certification process. The primary aim is to avoid carbon emissions by the company. It is important that improvement measures are continuously developed and implemented. However, where the avoidance of CO2 emissions is not (yet) possible, it can be offset by supporting certified climate protection projects.

Making consumption data visible as part of the certification process is a key step for us in the direction of sustainability – only then can we determine where we can pick up on potential for improvement. That’s important because we are aware: there is always room for improvement!

When planning the new company building, energy efficiency was placed at the forefront and we also continually work on optimizing energy efficiency in the existing building.

Most of our CO2 emissions come from travel and the journeys our team members make to and from work. COPA-DATA continues to work to reduce emissions in this area:

The company fleet is being converted step by step to e-mobility. The changeover is supported by our own PV systems and charging stations in the underground garages.
For employees, sufficient covered bicycle parking spaces and e-bike charging stations are offered to make the switch to cycling to work more attractive. COPA-DATA provides financial support for those interested in purchasing a bike or e-bike for their daily commute.
State-of-the-art equipment for video conferencing and working-from-home enables meetings with international team members or customer appointments to be held virtually.

For emissions that we are currently unable to avoid, we provide compensation and support for two projects in India: the solar power plant in the Indian village of Guttigoli and a reforestation project in Bagepalli. This enabled us to offset 561,000 kg of CO2 in 2022.

COPA-DATA`s carbon footprint data collected as part of the certification can also be used for Scope 3 surveys by our customers to ensure the sustainability of their supply chains.

COPA-DATA building in Salzburg: Sustainability and energy efficiency by design

Within 20 years, a small, family-run software company with a handful of employees has become a globally active company with branches from South Korea to the USA. At the Salzburg site, where the headquarters is located, more than 200 people are currently employed.

In 2022, we opened a new company building not far from the existing headquarters. The new building offers space for up to 120 employees. Ecological sustainability was the focus from the very beginning.

Of course, the burden is not only on the shoulders of the new building. Improvements are also being made to the existing building on an ongoing basis so that energy can be saved and used more efficiently.

Being more sustainable through zenon, is that possible?

Can the United Nations` sustainability goals be achieved while remaining economically competitive?

zenon can support you in your digital transformation and make you fit for a more sustainable future.

We are convinced that in the intersection between sustainability and digitalization, a scalable software solution like zenon will help you become more competitive and, at the same time, more sustainable.

In an ecosystem, everything is interrelated and influences each other. The same is true in the globalized economy, where many processes are intertwined and influence each other.

Transnational supply chains have become indispensable, but they falter or breakdown as soon as one link in this chain gets out of sync. Sustainable business is, therefore, also always about robustness and flexibility.

It is about actively addressing and implementing measures and solutions. Digital technologies and industrial automation are crucial for the expansion of tomorrow`s industry. In this future world, cost pressure, transparency and the tracking of one`s own process data will become new resources.

In the context of climate protection goals, there is also talk of "net zero manufacturing" or “industrial decarbonization”. This mainly involves reducing harmful greenhouse gases, primarily CO2, in the manufacturing environment and the entire supply chain (Scope 3). Companies that have both Scope 1 and Scope 2 transparently under control can also more easily ensure the necessary Scope 3 classification as a supplier for their customers. Due to the open interfaces in zenon as well as the extensive possibility to pass on data across companies and production locations by means of the software platform, our solutions support the sustainability initiatives of our customers.

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