
Continuous delivery of embedded regulatory content in product compliance, such as for listed substances or regulatory phrases ensures that the product compliance information is always up to date, reflecting the latest regulatory changes and requirements. By continuously delivering embedded regulatory content, the organization can potentially reduce the costs associated with retroactive compliance updates and corrective actions.
With SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition 2402 release, we continue to bring our content delivery to the next level, and now we have the Continuous provisioning of regulatory graphics via the regulatory content service.
In this blog post, I will walk you through the selected key highlights for Product Compliance:
To name just a few highlights:
In case you do not need all the information below and just briefly want to get an overview of the release highlights, please watch this video with the top three key innovations:
Release video: SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition 2402 for Product Compliance: Top 3 key innovations.
Content for product compliance ensures that products adhere to the legal and regulatory requirements of the markets they are intended for, covering aspects such as safety, environmental impact, and labeling standards.
To support your business processes, SAP delivers content for the following objects used in Product Compliance:
With this new 2402 release, SAP delivers new and updated compliance requirements for Product Marketability, Safety Data Sheet Management, and Dangerous Goods Management, which you can use in your product compliance processes.
Picture 1: Stay compliant with your product portfolio using the most recent regulatory updates.
With this release, 6 new compliance requirements are delivered:
In total, there are 150 compliance requirements in the area of product marketability, plus 124 compliance requirements including:
With this release, the following new compliance requirement versions are delivered:
In total, there are 15 compliance requirements available
In total there are 102 compliance requirements for safety data sheet management, here are the updated versions:
In total there are 109 compliance requirements for safety data sheet authoring, here are the new compliance requirement versions:
In total there are 91 compliance requirements for occupational exposure limits, here are the new compliance requirement versions:
Here are the updated versions:
Demo 1: Ensure your product portfolio remains compliant by staying updated with the latest regulatory changes.
For more information, see SAP Content for Product Compliance.
PFAS substances are considered hazardous due to their ability to pose a risk to human health and the environment. PFAS are chemically stable, which means they do not easily break down in the environment or during waste treatment processes. This stability contributes to their persistence and potential for long-term exposure.
With the planned PFAS restriction proposal for the EU, large parts of Discrete- and Process- industries are challenged with new substance restrictions. For more information, see the ECHA PFAS restriction proposal.
Demo 2: Explore the system to discover the comprehensive restrictions on Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS).
For more detailed and up-to-date information on the restrictions on PFAS in the EU, it is recommended to refer to official sources such as the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) and the European Commission (EC).
All embedded regulatory content is delivered by SAP as part of the content, the update is done automatically with the new release.
However, it can, for example, be that the regulation has changed, and to sell your product to your customer, you must apply this new regulation today. So, for this, you cannot wait for the next cycle of SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition release, and for this, we introduce continuous content delivery.
This process is decoupled from the SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition release cycle, and with this new release, we will have the Continuous provisioning of regulatory graphics via the Regulatory Content Service.
Remark: We have the Continuous delivery of embedded regulatory content, since several releases for phrases, and with the last SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition 2308 release, for listed substances.
To continue helping companies comply with changing regulations, the regulatory content service now delivers regulatory graphics in addition to regulatory phrases, listed substances, and compliance requirements. These graphics will be consumable within SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition, for example:
Demo 3: Simplify the process for customers to receive fast and frequent updates of regulatory graphics independent of the solution release.
For more information, see Regulatory Content Service.
With the “Manage Substance Compliance” app, you can process and create requests for new substances with data from R&D in a way that is consistent with the corresponding listed substance in terms of identifiers, the substance condition, and the substance group configuration. You can create new company substances that are added to your company's inventory. For your substance, you can enter names in different languages, and add groups. In addition, you can view the existing polymer compositions and properties and create new ones. If applicable, you can categorize your substance as a polymer according to the OECD definition.
The company substance can be used in the analytical compositions that make up products and raw materials and in the polymer composition.
In the past, accessing regulatory information often required leaving the application, posing challenges for R&D specialists. With the latest release, regulatory information is seamlessly integrated, providing easy navigation for R&D specialists to access the related compliance information without leaving the application.
With this new release, regulatory information is added to the “Manage Substance Compliance” app. This new section will have information on compliance requirement versions and listed substance group assignments belonging to the active compliance requirement version. Additionally, you can filter for listed substances within the Conditions section with both the listed substance name and ID.
The “Manage Substances Compliance” app enables you, as a master data specialist for product compliance, an environmental manager for environment management, or an industrial hygienist for incident management, to easily process requests to create new company substances with compliance data. With this app, you can create new substances with all of their identifiers in a consistent way that connects each company substance to the corresponding listed substance, the substance condition, and the group configuration.
Demo 4: New “Regulatory Information” section in the “Manage Substances Compliance” app.
For more information, see Manage Substances Compliance.
R&D products play a crucial role in driving innovation by exploring new materials, compounds, and technologies. However, these products may contain chemicals or hazardous substances, requiring careful risk management and safety measures to protect researchers, the environment, and end users. Proper handling, labeling, and management of these substances are essential for responsible R&D practices.
By providing clear and concise information about the contents, potential hazards, and safe handling procedures, labels enable researchers and personnel to make informed decisions and take necessary precautions.
With this release, you can assign label configurations to R&D sample products in the “Manage Label Assignments” app. The key features are:
Demo 5: Improve transparency and product tracking through the ability to print labels for unpackaged R&D samples that are not yet linked with products.
For more information, see Manage Label Assignments.
Remark:
To protect human rights and the environment in the supply chain, suppliers often need to comply with various due diligence acts. To meet these regulations, companies must demonstrate that they fulfill their obligations by collecting and consolidating necessary information. To assess the level of due diligence, it is crucial to compare it with a target state. As a master data specialist for product compliance, you can utilize the “Analyze Compliance Disclosures - For Suppliers” app to analyze the compliance disclosures provided by your suppliers. This app allows you to evaluate the completeness and compliance of the current state of the disclosures compared to the required state.
With this new release, we deliver a new “Analyze Compliance Disclosures - For Suppliers” app and you can now analyze compliance data for suppliers based on corporate-wide compliance disclosures. This app supports you in checking the difference between the target status, based on requirements, and the actual status, based on the compliance disclosures you've received from your suppliers. This comparison provides transparency on the actual current status in terms of completeness and compliance.
You can now analyze compliance data from various views such as:
Picture 2: Have transparency based on completeness and compliance of actual status.
For more information, see Analyze Compliance Disclosures - For Suppliers.
The product characterization in the EU REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemicals) Regulation is based on the product rather than the substance for several reasons:
Complexity of Products: Products often consist of multiple substances, mixtures, and components. Characterizing products allows for a comprehensive assessment of all relevant substances and their potential impacts, considering the complex nature of modern products.
Realistic Exposure Scenarios: By focusing on product characterization, REACH aims to capture realistic exposure scenarios where individuals and the environment come into contact with the actual products, rather than isolated substances. This approach provides a more accurate understanding of the potential risks associated with the use and disposal of products.
Downstream User Considerations: Product-based characterization aligns with the needs of downstream users, such as manufacturers, importers, and users of products, who require information on the safe handling, use, and disposal of the entire product rather than individual substances.
Supply Chain Complexity: Considering the wide variety of products and the complexity of global supply chains, a product-based approach facilitates the practical implementation of REACH requirements by providing a more manageable framework for compliance and communication of information throughout the supply chain.
When you create a product, you can specify the product category. Until now, you had the choice between Mixture and Substance. Now, you also have the option of Article. The specified product categorization is maintained and displayed in the “Manage Basic Compliance Data - Unpackaged Products” or “Manage Basic Compliance Data - Raw Materials” app.
Previously, the categorization was done in the “Manage Analytical Composition” app.
Demo 6: Obtain SDS management and shipment support for articles.
The Product Categorization menu has been enhanced with the Article option. You can make this selection either during the creation of an unpackaged product in the “Manage Basic Compliance Data - Unpackaged Products” (F2641) app or raw material in the “Manage Basic Compliance Data - Raw Materials” (F3024) app or when you edit an existing unpackaged product in the “Unpackaged Product - Basic Compliance Data” app (F2647) or raw material in the “Raw Material - Basic Compliance Data (F3025)” app.
If a product is sold, produced, or transported in a specific country/region, it has to be compliant with the regulations in this country/region. In Product Compliance, you can classify the product according to dangerous goods regulations applicable in a specific country/region. If a product that is marked as compliance-relevant in the product master is added to a business document within the value chain, a dangerous goods check is carried out to check if the transport of this product is allowed. If the check detects any issues, a compliance request is created, triggered by the business process in which the issues occurred. The compliance request is sent to Product Compliance and can be processed by opening the “Process Requests from Logistics” app using the Process Requests from Logistics - For Dangerous Goods tile.
With this new release, the “Process Requests from Logistics” (F3342) app has been changed to support you in processing dangerous goods issues within this app using the flexible column layout. Depending on the type of issue addressed in the compliance request, a new column opens with details about the issue. From this new column, you can view the required steps that you have to carry out to solve the issue. For example, if applicable dangerous goods regulations for a country/region are missing, you can navigate to the “Apply Regulations - Dangerous Goods” app to specify these regulations. If not, all required dangerous goods classifications are released for a product, you can navigate to the “Classify Unpackaged Dangerous Goods” or “Classify Packaged Dangerous Goods” apps to finalize and release the missing classifications.
Demo 7: Navigate directly from the “Process Requests from Logistics – Dangerous Goods” app to the dangerous goods’ specific apps.
For more information, see Process Requests from Logistics.
If you transport products that are classified as dangerous goods, data on the transported dangerous goods has to be printed on documents within the value chain, such as sales orders, delivery notes, and the ADR Dangerous Goods Notes.
The dangerous goods data that must be printed is determined by the applicable dangerous goods regulation and the type of the document. For each supported document, an output scenario is delivered that specifies which dangerous goods data is printed in which sequence on the document.
The output scenarios are not only used to specify the printed dangerous goods data but also to preview how the description of the dangerous goods is displayed and printed. Specifically, when you classify a packaged product according to the applicable dangerous goods regulations using the “Classify Packaged Dangerous Good” app, you can select an output scenario to view how the description of the dangerous goods is displayed in this app. You can also preview how the description will be printed on a specific document.
With this feature, you can append data for additional exemptions and special provisions to the data that is delivered with the compliance requirements that represent the dangerous goods regulation using the “Configure Compliance Requirements - Dangerous Goods” app.
The key features are:
Picture 3: Save money by making use of exemptions / special provisions described in the dangerous goods regulations for packaging and transportation.
For more information about further features that support the handling of exemptions and special provisions in Dangerous Goods Management, see:
In January 2024, we hosted a series of 19 compelling live sessions to highlight the exciting innovations shipped with the SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition 2402 release. Missed the live sessions? No problem! Take advantage of the entire series or pick and choose the sessions most relevant to you on demand.
Thanks for reading this blog post. Stay tuned!
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