Hyper-automation Meets Sustainability: The NetZero Transition Story (NeZT)

Matt Brook | SVP - Sales | July 2025

Introduction: ESG Pressure Is Mounting

From carbon disclosures to ESG ratings, organizations across sectors face growing pressure to demonstrate environmental responsibility. Over 90% of organizations plan to increase their ESG investment in the next 3 years, according to KPMG's 2024 ESG Survey. But tracking emissions, reporting scope 1-3 data, and engaging suppliers isn't just a reporting exercise-it's a data, workflow, and governance challenge.

Traditional methods (manual surveys, spreadsheets, siloed systems) can't scale to meet this complexity. Are your current sustainability efforts truly equipped to meet the escalating demands for transparent ESG reporting and actionable NetZero goals? That's where Yexle's NetZero Transition (NeZT) Accelerator, built on Appian, comes in.

The Sustainability Challenge

Global mandates like the EU CSRD, UK SECR, and TCFD are pushing companies to not just report emissions—but act on them. Yet sustainability teams struggle with:

Disparate data sources and inconsistent metrics
Lack of supplier transparency for Scope 3 emissions
Inadequate audit trails for compliance verification
No unified platform to coordinate sustainability efforts
Difficulty engaging a sprawling supplier network for accurate data collection
The sheer complexity of calculating and verifying Scope 3 emissions

The result? High operational costs, missed targets, and reputational risk. In fact, over half (57%) of companies cite data quality as their top challenge with ESG data, with 88% reporting it as one of their top three challenges, as per Deloitte's 2024 Sustainability Action Report. The result? High operational costs, missed targets, and reputational risk.

Industry Imperative: Sustainability as a Strategic Pillar

The push toward NetZero and comprehensive ESG reporting is fundamentally reshaping industries, elevating sustainability from a niche concern to a core strategic imperative. While the underlying challenge of accurate data and compliance is universal, its specific manifestations and urgency differ significantly across sectors.

Consider Manufacturing and Industrials: This sector faces immense pressure to decarbonize complex supply chains, optimize energy consumption within operations, and manage waste effectively. Are your manufacturing processes truly optimized to meet Scope 3 emission targets and achieve circular economy goals? Similarly, Retail and Consumer Goods brands are under scrutiny for everything from ethical sourcing and sustainable packaging to transparent carbon footprints across their product lifecycles, with consumers increasingly demanding proof of commitment. PwC's 2024 Voice of the Consumer Survey indicates that 80% of consumers are willing to pay more for sustainably produced or sourced goods, and 46% are already buying more sustainable products.

For Financial Services, the focus shifts to assessing and reporting on the climate-related risks within their portfolios, including financed emissions. Can your firm confidently track and report on its environmental impact across all investments, especially when "significant limitations in the availability and quality of company specific information, including GHG emissions data from third parties, resulting in reliance on proxy data" are acknowledged by stakeholders globally, including regulators? [PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP Assurance Report for 2023 - Financed Emissions for HSBC Group, page 3]. Meanwhile, the Energy and Utilities sector, being heavily regulated, is at the forefront of decarbonization, requiring precise management of complex emissions data from power generation and robust tracking of renewable energy projects. Even Logistics and Transportation, a major contributor to global emissions, is driven to track fuel consumption and optimize routes for reduced carbon output.

Finally, in the Public Sector and Government, agencies are setting ambitious NetZero targets, needing robust systems to track emissions from public infrastructure, procurement, and operations to ensure accountability.

Are you equipped to not just report, but to truly transform your operations for a sustainable future? This widespread need underscores why sustainability is now a critical driver of business opportunity and resilience, not just a compliance burden.

Introducing the NeZT Accelerator by Yexle

Given the mounting industry pressure and the complex challenges of traditional approaches, Yexle's NeZT (NetZero Transition) Accelerator helps organizations digitize and automate their sustainability programs. Recognized at the 2022 Appian Europe Partner Solutions Cup with a 2nd prize win for our Supply Chain (Net Zero) Decarbonization Solution, NeZT represents the convergence of hyper-automation and sustainability, turning compliance into measurable, actionable progress.
Powered by Appian's low-code and data fabric capabilities, it enables:

Seamless data collection and integration
AI-assisted emissions estimation
Dynamic supplier engagement
Real-time dashboards and compliance tracking

This isn't just a carbon calculator-it's a control tower for your sustainability goals.

Key Features of NeZT

Emissions Data Hub
Consolidates data from internal systems (ERP, IoT, Energy platforms) and supplier portals.
Supplier Collaboration Portal
Suppliers can self-report emissions and receive onboarding/training on sustainability policies
AI Emissions Estimator
Predicts emissions for non-reporting suppliers or missing values using ML models.
Audit Trail & Compliance
Stores documentation and tracks action plans to meet ISO, GHG Protocol, and regulatory demands
Executive Dashboards
Provide real-time visibility into carbon footprint, reduction progress, and scope-level breakdowns.

What you can expect:

40% improvement in supplier response rates
85% of emissions estimates automated
Centralized reporting aligned with CSRD and TCFD frameworks
Fully auditable history of sustainability actions and decisions

Highlights include:

Rapid deployment in 30-60 days
Adaptability for region-specific frameworks(e.g., SECR, CDP, GRI)
Integration with exsisting systems and reporting tools(e.g, Salesforce, Power BI)
Rapid customization via low-code for unique reporting needs
Seamless data unification with Appian's Data Fabric, overcoming fragmentation

The Strategic Value of NetZero Visibility

With NeZT, sustainability moves from a back-office function to a boardroom priority. Real-time visibility into your emissions footprint empowers:

Data-driven investment and sourcing decisions
Proactive compliance with shifting regulations
Competitive differentiation in ESG-conscious markets

Sustainability isn't just about compliance—it's about opportunity.

Conclusion: Make NetZero Actionable

With stakeholder pressure rising and regulations tightening, organizations must act now-not later—on their sustainability commitments.

Yexle's NeZT Accelerator gives you the tools to unify, automate, and accelerate your journey to net zero. With Appian as the platform and Yexle as your partner, sustainability becomes achievable, measurable, and scalable.

Ready to take control of your NetZero journey and turn compliance into a competitive advantage? Contact us for a demo or access our ESG Compliance Accelerator overview.