Sustainability Reporting at Pico
Sustainability reporting at Pico is about integrating ESG data, compliance data, and related documentation as a natural part of the company's overall data foundation. Rather than treating sustainability as a parallel track, Pico works to anchor reporting and documentation in the same structures, processes, and systems the company already uses for product data, master data, and other business-critical information.
For Pico, sustainability reporting is largely a question of data and governance. It is about creating coherence between requirements, data, and workflows so that reporting can happen continuously and consistently – not as an annual, manual exercise.
This approach becomes even more central as new EU initiatives such as the Digital Product Passport (DPP) emerge, where documented product and sustainability data must follow the product throughout its entire lifecycle and be accessible to authorities, customers, and partners alike. The DPP places direct requirements on how data is structured, maintained, and traceable back to its source.
Why is sustainability reporting relevant for Pico's customers?
Many of Pico's customers are subject to increasing demands for documentation and transparency – from legislation, customers, partners, and financial stakeholders. ESG requirements, compliance obligations, and standards such as CSRD, as well as initiatives like the Digital Product Passport, mean that companies must be able to document:
what data is used
where the data comes from
how it has been calculated
and how it relates to specific products, materials, and suppliers
The challenge often arises when sustainability data is spread across spreadsheets, specialist tools, and local systems, with no clear connection to product data and business processes. In that context, it becomes difficult – or impossible – to meet the requirements for traceability, consistency, and data reuse that the DPP, among others, presupposes.
How does Pico work with the integration of ESG, compliance, and DPP data?
Pico approaches sustainability reporting by modelling ESG, compliance, and DPP-related data as structured data types that form part of the company's existing data models. This applies to data at:
product level
material type level
supplier level
and company level
The Digital Product Passport is built on the premise that data on, for example, materials, certifications, recyclability, chemicals, resource consumption, and CO₂ footprint is linked directly to the individual product and can be updated throughout its entire lifecycle. That is why Pico's approach does not start with the reporting itself, but with the question: what data already exists – and how can it be structured, extended, and reused where it originates?
ESG and DPP-related attributes and documentation are connected to products, components, and suppliers, so that maintenance becomes part of daily operations rather than a separate reporting task.
At the same time, clear processes for updating, validating, and approving data are established. This ensures that the data used in both sustainability reporting and digital product passports is consistent, traceable, and explainable over time.
Sustainability reporting and the Digital Product Passport as part of governance
At Pico, sustainability reporting and the Digital Product Passport are regarded as integrated parts of the company's overall governance setup. Ownership, responsibility, and workflows for ESG and DPP data are defined in the same way as for other business-critical data.
This means the company can document:
who owns which data points
how changes are handled
what sources the data is based on
and how data is used in reporting, the DPP, and decision support
This approach is essential in relation to both regulatory requirements and external enquiries, where companies are expected to be able to explain and document their data foundation – not simply deliver a number or a document.
The connection between sustainability data, DPP, and AI
When ESG, compliance, and DPP data are structured and integrated into the overall data landscape, a solid foundation is created for the responsible use of AI. Pico works with AI solutions built on documented and traceable data as well as clear business rules.
In practice, AI can be used to:
identify gaps or inconsistencies in DPP and ESG data
analyse connections across products, materials, and suppliers
support continuous quality control of reporting
Everything takes place within the framework of AI governance, so that results can be explained, verified, and used responsibly in both reporting and business decisions.
What value does integrated sustainability reporting and the Digital Product Passport create?
An integrated approach to sustainability reporting and the Digital Product Passport makes it easier to handle both current and future requirements. Reporting becomes less manual, more consistent, and better documented.
At the same time, the company gains a unified and operational overview of how sustainability connects with products, suppliers, and business decisions. For many companies, this means that sustainability and DPP data can be used actively in dialogue with customers, partners, and authorities – and not only as a regulatory requirement.
Typical connections to other areas at Pico
Sustainability reporting and the Digital Product Passport are closely linked to Pico's work with PIM, data modelling, integrations, governance, and AI. Product data is often the focal point for both ESG and DPP information, and clear data models and workflows are essential for quality, traceability, and reuse.
Together, these disciplines create a coherent data foundation that can support operations, reporting, and long-term development in a reality of increasing demands for transparency and documentation.