Strengthening ESG Data Integrity for a Global Life Sciences Leader

The Challenge: A Compliance Crisis Looms

For a multinational pharmaceutical company operating across 200+ markets, environmental, social, and governance (ESG) reporting was spiraling into a nightmare. Clinical trials in Asia generated patchy emissions data from contract research organizations (CROs), with some sites logging in metric tons and others skipping entries entirely. Cold chain logistics—vital for vaccine shipments at -70°C—crisscrossed continents, but partners often omitted fuel consumption logs, leaving Scope 3 emissions incomplete. Suppliers in low-cost regions provided inconsistent labor practice data, raising ethical flags that remained siloed from sustainability metrics. Internally, a trial site’s typo inflated waste from 15 to 1,500 tons, and research and development (R&D) energy usage didn’t align with procurement’s supplier impact reports.

The stakes were enormous. The European Union Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) threatened fines for underreported Scope 3 emissions—estimated at 57% of their carbon footprint (industry benchmark)—while the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) required precision in disclosures. Filings under the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) lagged as teams manually reconciled ESG data with SAP, delaying quarter-end reports and shaking investor trust. Trial diversity data—essential for ethical credibility—was too opaque to defend against public scrutiny. The ESG Compliance Officer faced sleepless nights over looming audits, the Chief Data Officer (CDO) wrestled with pipeline chaos, and the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) braced for investor backlash. Without a solution, compliance, reputation, and funding were all on the line.

The Solution: Acceldata Takes Control

Enter Acceldata. The company deployed its data observability platform to tackle the root causes head-on, turning a data deluge into a strategic asset in just 30 days. Here’s how:

• Standardizing Scope 3 Chaos: Acceldata unified disparate data sources—trial emissions in metric tons, cold chain fuel in gallons—into a CSRD-compliant format. It caught a logistics partner’s missing shipment log, ensuring no gaps skewed reported totals.
  
  
• Proactive Error Detection: A trial site’s typo (1,500 vs. 15 tons) could have derailed reporting, but Acceldata’s anomaly detection flagged it instantly, slashing manual corrections by 80%. It wasn’t just reactive—it preempted disaster.
  
  
• Breaking Data Silos: R&D’s trial energy data, procurement’s supplier emissions, and sustainability reports previously lived in separate systems—until Acceldata merged them into one unified view. This exposed a high-emitting supplier with labor risks early, averting a dual environmental and ethical crisis.
  
  
• Financial Integration: With TCFD deadlines approaching and ESG metrics misaligned with SAP, Acceldata synced the systems seamlessly—speeding filings by 30% and providing audit trails that answered investor questions before they were asked.
  

Implementation was swift—rolled out across global pipelines and integrated with enterprise resource planning (ERP) and CRO systems. Intuitive dashboards replaced frantic scrambles, empowering teams to act with precision instead of panic. Unlike static ESG tools offering limited snapshots, Acceldata delivered a comprehensive, real-time lens—transforming chaos into clarity.

The Results: From Chaos to Confidence

The transformation was nothing short of remarkable:

• 80% Reduction in Manual Fixes: Teams ditched late-night rework for strategic planning, reclaiming hours lost to typos and data gaps.
  
  
• 60% Faster Error Resolution: Issues like missing fuel logs and trial inconsistencies were caught pre-submission, avoiding audit flags.
  
  
• 30% Quicker Filings: Quarter-end reports were submitted on time, turning bottlenecks into showcases of efficiency.
  
  
• Full Compliance Achieved: Standards from CSRD, European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS), Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB), Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), and TCFD were all met with ease.
  
  
• Trust Restored: Trial diversity data demonstrated ethical rigor, supplier risks were resolved proactively, and investors praised the company’s transparent, credible ESG metrics.
  

The ESG Compliance Officer now had audit-ready reports at her fingertips, confidently fielding CSRD queries. The CDO gained full visibility into previously opaque pipelines, enabling net-zero decision-making based on real-time insights. The CFO showcased ESG-financial alignment to shareholders, turning skepticism into support. What began as a compliance crisis became a story of resilience, transformation, and leadership.

The Takeaway: ESG as a Strategic Edge

In life sciences, ESG is more than data—it is about accountability, transparency, and ambition. This pharmaceutical company’s journey proves that even the most chaotic ESG environments can be turned into a strategic advantage with the right tools. Acceldata didn’t just solve a compliance problem—it helped the company become an ESG pacesetter, avoiding fines, strengthening trust, and setting a new benchmark for the industry.

Their story isn’t unique—it’s repeatable. With Scope 3 chaos under control, ethical gaps addressed, and filings accelerated, they turned liability into leadership. Your organization can too.
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“Acceldata unified our ESG-financial data across 200+ markets, cutting errors by 80% and filings by 30%—it’s our edge in compliance and trust.” — Systems Analyst, Core Data Management

Ready to rewrite your ESG story? Meet with us or book a demo to see Acceldata in action. To learn more about how we support the life sciences industry, visit https://www.acceldata.io/lifesciences.