The Importance of Standards – Data for Sustainability / Thomas Fell and Stephan Fetsch

At SoS.25, Thomas Fell (GS1 Germany) and Stephan Fetsch (KPMG) delivered a clear message: without standards, there is no efficiency—and without efficiency, there’s no scalable sustainability.

To meet the growing data demands across the value chain, companies need consistent frameworks. From FMCG to complex product cycles, the challenge is not only data volume—but data quality, comparability, and accessibility.

Key takeaways:
✔ Standards enable automated data exchange across company boundaries
✔ Redundant data generation increases cost and complexity
✔ Uniform definitions and measurements are key to risk management and comparability
✔ Transparency around sustainability performance is now a competitive advantage

Standards are the common language of sustainable growth—especially in increasingly circular and interconnected value networks.

👉 How do you ensure data consistency and efficiency across your supply chain?