SAP and Blockchain: Transparency in Action

The integration between SAP and blockchain has become one of the most remarkable technological combinations in today’s business landscape. This partnership is no longer just theoretical—real-world applications already prove its impact across areas like traceability, logistics, and contract automation. The collaboration between a consolidated ERP system and a distributed ledger network brings a new dimension of security, efficiency, and trust to corporate processes.

A Synergy that Strengthens Trust

SAP manages millions of business operations every day—overseeing finance, procurement, production, and human resources. Blockchain, on the other hand, ensures data integrity through an immutable and decentralized record. Integrating both technologies allows business transactions and events to be securely validated, reducing reliance on intermediaries and improving visibility across the entire value chain.

Today, SAP offers active services such as the Blockchain Business Connector, within the SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP), which enables the connection of enterprise processes with external blockchain networks. This architecture promotes collaboration among partners, suppliers, and customers within a framework of digital trust.

Real-World Use Cases

1. Food Traceability

In the agrifood sector, transparency is key. Companies like Carrefour use blockchain to guarantee the authenticity of the products that reach consumers. Each batch is identified from its origin to the point of sale, recording transport data, temperature, and handling dates. These kinds of systems, compatible with SAP environments, strengthen customer trust and simplify incident management.

2. Pharmaceutical Industry

The European Directive 2011/62/EU and its delegated regulation require full traceability of medicines throughout the European Union. In this context, blockchain and SAP are used to record the movement of pharmaceuticals from manufacturing to dispensing. Although the regulation doesn’t mandate the use of blockchain, several companies in the industry are developing pilot projects that integrate the technology to enhance verification and reduce the risk of counterfeiting.

3. Logistics and International Transportation

The logistics sector has been one of the first to explore the benefits of digital traceability. Companies like DHL have published studies and pilot programs using blockchain to increase transparency in freight transport. At the same time, SAP has collaborated in GS1 consortium initiatives to record and share pallet and shipment data through distributed networks, resulting in smoother communication and fewer documentation errors.

Ongoing Challenges

Despite its progress, this integration still faces key challenges: interoperability between platforms, the technical training of teams, and the quality of master data within SAP are critical factors to ensure system reliability. Scalability limitations also persist in some public blockchain networks.

Toward a New Digital Management Model

The combination of SAP and blockchain is redefining how companies manage their operations. Their adoption drives more transparent, sustainable, and collaborative business models. In an increasingly interconnected world, this alliance stands out as a key tool to enhance efficiency and strengthen trust across the global business ecosystem.