More than a decade ago, Dassault Systèmes’ leaders announced our new corporate purpose: to enable sustainable innovation that harmonizes product, nature and life. The idea was simple but powerful – to help our customers develop creative new products, continuing the first 30 years of our heritage, but to do so in ways that preserve nature and human life.
That mission has never been more relevant or important than now, in the “Decade of Action” to deliver the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. This is the decade that will decide if we can hold global warming to less than 2 degrees Celsius, allowing life as we know it to continue.
Every nation, government, individual and business has a vital role to play. Here at Dassault Systèmes, however, we have a double role: one that ensures our own operations are sustainable; and a second, much larger role in helping the hundreds of thousands of business customers that use our software to operate sustainably as well.
For our own part, we have committed to a Sustainability Compass that includes four measurable goals: a science-based carbon emissions target (currently under review) and a 5 ton CO2/FTE goal (Scopes 1, 2 and 3, excluding purchased goods and use of goods sold); 40% of executive and 30% of people manager roles held by women; 95% of employees having completed ethics training; and an 85% employee pride and satisfaction score. Separately, we are a founding member of the European Green Digital Coalition, focused on transforming the way we live, consume and manufacture for the better; and a member of the Digital With Purpose initiative, the first global voluntary standard that aims to accelerate the enabling power of digital technology for the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
These commitments are significant. Through our software, however, in cooperation with our customers, Dassault Systèmes can make an even bigger difference.
For decades, our software portfolio has helped hundreds of thousands of businesses operate more efficiently, with less waste and better outcomes. To date, however, those savings have focused primarily on achieving business goals: make the automobile or the airplane lighter to reduce fuel costs; lower costs by using fewer materials; reduce rework and eliminate mistakes to improve margins.
While these are worthy goals that contribute to environmental and economic sustainability, the focus on doing more with less must now become even sharper. And so we are taking a bold step that will enable the users of our software to see all of the environmental impacts of their options as they work, so they can make informed, sustainable choices.
To achieve this, we are integrating our software platform with life cycle assessment databases on the environmental impacts of almost every action a company can take. Soon, users of the 3DEXPERIENCE platform will be able to see the sustainability impacts of one choice versus the other. Armed with this knowledge, platform users can quickly identify the lowest-impact choice in context of cost, time and other business factors.
The plan is incredibly ambitious, but it is the next logical step in delivering on our corporate purpose to harmonize product, nature and life. In the months that come, we look forward to briefing you on our progress. Together, armed with the knowledge to make sustainability an integral part of everyday work decisions, we can truly make this our “decade of action.”
