The new solution provides companies with better visibility into material flows in their processes and helps them track and comply with rapidly changing regulations, especially on product packaging and plastics. As companies increasingly develop sustainable products, managing materials and regulatory data becomes one of the most complex challenges.

"The circular economy is based on three principles that are influenced by design: Prevent waste and pollution, reuse products and materials over and over again, and regenerate natural systems. Digital solutions play an important role on the path to the circular economy," said Andrew Morlet, CEO of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. "It allows companies to incorporate circular economy practices into all of their operations - from product design that takes waste prevention into account from the start to tracking the lifecycle of materials used."

With SAP's new solution, companies can integrate circular economy principles into their core processes to prevent waste and add value

SAP Responsible Design and Production is a native cloud solution developed in partnership with Accenture on the SAP Business Technology Platform. It provides tailored information to help companies stay up-to-date on EPR regulations and levies on plastic packaging, integrate circular economy principles into core processes, and optimize design for sustainable business. For more information, visit the Helping Business Thrive in a Circular Economy blog here.