Westfalen optimizes energy and climate data management with ID-Report

Efficient data collection and audit security

At a glance

Westfalen AG

Industrial gases, cooling & heating, mobility, and home respiratory therapy

Head office Münster

approx. 2,300 employees (in 2024)

approx. 2.1 billion euros (in 2024)

The company

With more than 100 years of expertise, the Westfalen Group operates in the fields of industrial gases, cooling and heating, filling stations and mobility, and respiratory home therapy. Founded in Münster in 1923, the family-owned company helps its customers align with the future through its products and solutions. Today, Westfalen is represented by numerous subsidiaries and associated companies at over 20 production sites in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Switzerland, and Austria.

We are very satisfied with ID-Report and can recommend the solution without reservation.

Christin Wessels,
Head of Sustainability at Westfalen AG

The challenge

The Westfalen Group was faced with the task of recording and evaluating its energy and climate data in such a way that it could meet increasing requirements. Data collection was previously characterized by manual effort. Many steps were carried out using existing software solutions such as MS Excel, which were only suitable for comparing several locations, companies and energy sources in a meaningful way to a limited extent. However, the company wanted to achieve greater transparency in order to better manage climate targets and make informed decisions.

It was also important to focus on the upcoming CSRD reporting reports. For this, Westfalen needed a system that was understandable for all responsible employees and at the same time could meet the requirements of the auditors. The combination of growing data volumes, new legal requirements and the desire for comprehensible climate reporting led to the decision to call in external support. abat was able to provide a solution that meets these requirements – while reducing the effort and improving the quality of the evaluations.

The solution

abat provided Westfalen with ID-Report, a tool that clearly records and evaluates energy and climate data. This tool enables flexible analyses by location, company, and energy source, eliminating the need for complex formulas. Subdivisions into Scopes 1, 2, and 3, along with their subcategories, which are common in emissions balancing, can be displayed at the touch of a button and at different organizational levels. Calculations and analyses using market-based and location-based methods can be performed in parallel. Compared to the previous procedure, the overall process has become noticeably simpler for Westfalen Group employees. At the same time, the system meets the auditors' requirements, as all entries are clearly traceable.

The project

The project began with targeted training within the company. Then, the team began implementing the approach they had learned by entering their own initial data sets and using them to create analyses. This feedback flowed directly into the further design of the data collection. In individual cases, internal data suppliers were supported in introducing the software through needs-oriented training. For most data suppliers, switching to data entry in ID-Report went smoothly without any support.

The collaboration between Westfalen and Abat was characterized by short communication channels and quick responses. Any questions that arose during the introduction were promptly clarified. The auditors were involved at the same time. They were given insight into the system's structure and learned how the data was created. This facilitated the subsequent audit and provided security on both sides.

During the project, the first evaluations were prepared and summarized. This increased the team's motivation, as the results were immediately visible. The database could be used to compare the company's climate targets and track the emission reductions already achieved. The rapid availability of the evaluations demonstrated early on the benefits that the system would bring to day-to-day operations.
Even greater cost reductions can be expected in subsequent years because all content and processes implemented during the initial data collection and evaluation using the system will serve as the foundation for all subsequent runs.

Outcome

Faster and more transparent evaluation of energy and climate data

Significantly easier day-to-day work for employees and data providers

Traceability for auditors and greater security in reporting

The results

Once the project was completed, the Westfalen Group could evaluate energy and climate data much more quickly and transparently. Day-to-day work became easier because employees no longer had to work with complex Excel spreadsheets. Analyses can be flexibly adapted, and the presentation of the carbon footprint according to the various scopes and their subcategories is clearly structured. The data paths are traceable for auditors, which simplifies the audit process.

The company also benefits from higher acceptance of the new way of working because the operation is intuitive, and initial successes were visible early on. Collaboration with abat was positively received internally. Their expertise and accessibility were particularly appreciated.