Ortecha helped a global luxury fashion house automate its ESG reporting by mapping and restructuring complex data across 450 sites and supply chains. Using data lineage and targeted automation, the organisation moved away from spreadsheet-driven reporting, increased reporting frequency, improved efficiency and reduced the risk of missing regulatory targets.
Scope:
Impact:
Since 2020, the organisation had been required to produce detailed climate and carbon reporting to meet regulatory obligations. This meant pulling together data on emissions, water, waste and energy use from hundreds of locations and supply chain partners.
In practice, this process relied heavily on large Excel spreadsheets. Data was collected manually, stitched together across regions and used to calculate hundreds of reporting data points.
The result was slow, difficult to validate and almost impossible to scale. Reporting cycles were heavy. Insight came late. And there was limited ability to track progress during the year or adjust course if targets were at risk.
At leadership level, this created a clear concern. The business was meeting its obligations, but the process behind it was fragile, inefficient and exposed to risk.
Data came from different systems, regions and teams. Some inputs were automated. Many were not. In some cases, information was still being tracked outside of core systems.
There was no clear view of:
Without that visibility, automation was difficult to prioritise. And without automation, the process remained slow and resource-intensive.
The organisation needed a way to move beyond spreadsheets and build a reporting process that could scale with the business.
Ortecha approached the problem by mapping the data end to end.
Using Solidatus, we built a structured model of the organisation’s ESG reporting data. This connected each KPI to its underlying data sources, systems and processes across six distinct layers.
This created something the organisation had never had before. A clear, visual blueprint of how its ESG reporting actually worked.
From there, we were able to:
Instead of trying to automate everything at once, the business could focus on what mattered first.
Once key data points were defined, Ortecha helped structure how data flowed into the reporting process.
Data was fed into a central calculation layer, either automatically from source systems or manually where required. From there, outputs were generated and pushed into the final climate report.
Where manual inputs existed, we identified opportunities to replace them with system-driven data capture and integration.
We also highlighted where multiple regions were using different sources for the same data. By establishing authoritative sources, the organisation could simplify its application landscape and reduce inconsistency.
The result was a shift from a fragmented reporting process to a structured, repeatable system that could be extended over time.
With the data model in place, the organisation moved away from static reporting cycles.
Instead of building reports from scratch each time, the business could track ESG performance throughout the year. Data flows were clearer. Updates were faster. And the impact of changes could be understood earlier.
This fundamentally changed how reporting was used.
It was no longer just about compliance. It became a tool for managing performance and reducing risk in real time.
Our client now has a reporting process that is faster, more reliable and built to scale.
Key data points have been automated, reducing the reliance on manual collection and improving overall efficiency. Reporting can be produced more frequently, with greater confidence in the underlying data.
Most importantly, the business has reduced the risk of missing ESG targets and the associated reputational impact. Issues can be identified earlier, and action can be taken before reporting deadlines are reached.
With 68% of data points already automated, the organisation also has a clear roadmap for completing the remaining work and extending the same approach to other reporting areas.
ESG reporting is only getting more complex, with more data, increased scrutiny and pressure to act, not just report.
This case shows what happens when organisations move beyond manual processes and build reporting that is structured, connected and automated.
You get faster insight. Lower risk. And a process that can scale with the business instead of holding it back.
Sometimes the most important decision in a transformation programme is knowing when to reset.
A global luxury fashion house with an integrated cosmetics business, operating a heritage brand across an international retail and manufacturing footprint.
Lead Consultant at Ortecha
By building a dynamic blueprint of the client’s Climate Report key data points, the company can now get snapshots of its environmental impact reporting on demand. To date, Ortecha has brought 68% of these data points into its automation process with the remaining 32% scheduled for analysis and future automation. Such stats demonstrate how this significantly reduces the risks of missing a target and the associated reputational damage.
– Daniel Bedford, Lead Consultant at Ortecha
