An increasing number of companies in industry and commerce are collaborating on the basis of harmonised communication and process standards to be able to meet consumer demands better and more efficiently. Deficits still exist regarding the electronic exchange of business information, also referred to as e-business. According to a survey by the standardisation organisation GS1 Germany there is still room for improvement particularly regarding the supply chain, e.g. the standards for electronic and hence paperless transmission of dispatch notifications. "The area-wide deployment of e-business standards is the prerequisite for a systematic optimisation of the supply chain", said Zygmunt Mierdorf, Member of the Management Board of METRO Group and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of GS1 Germany. "E-business saves costs, improves data quality and reduces the burden on the environment".

METRO Group is by now processing 90 percent of all invoices and around 80 percent of all purchase orders electronically.