Salesforce Achieves Net Zero Energy & Updates Sustainability Cloud

Salesforce Achieves Net Zero Energy Usage Across its Value Chain

Salesforce has consistently advocated for responsible business practices, and at its annual Dreamforce event, the company revealed a significant milestone in combating global climate change. The organization confirmed it has reached effective Net Zero energy consumption throughout its entire value chain, utilizing 100% renewable energy sources and employing carbon offsets when necessary.

Sustainability Cloud Updates Announced

Concurrently, Salesforce unveiled enhancements to its Sustainability Cloud, a product offered to other businesses for managing their environmental initiatives. This demonstrates the company’s ability to prioritize responsibility while maintaining a profitable business model.

Suzanne DiBianca, chief impact officer & EVP for corporate relations at Salesforce, expressed the company’s pride in serving as a model for large-scale climate action during yesterday’s Dreamforce press conference.

“We are incredibly pleased with our dedication to climate action and achieving Net Zero status today. This isn’t a goal for 2030, 2040, or a distant future date. Recognizing the urgency, we’ve attained Net Zero now, encompassing our complete value chain – Scope 1, 2, and 3. Few organizations have accomplished this,” she stated.

Understanding Scope 1, 2, and 3 Emissions

To clarify the terminology, Ari Alexander, GM of Sustainability Cloud, provided a breakdown of the sustainability community’s approach to measuring a company’s carbon footprint.

“The sustainability sector categorizes a company’s carbon emissions into three primary scopes: Scope 1, Scope 2, and Scope 3. Scopes 1 and 2 represent the emissions from sources a company owns or directly controls, as well as the energy procured to power its operations,” Alexander explained.

The Significance of Scope 3 Emissions

Scope 3 encompasses all other emissions associated with a company’s operations, extending “up and down the value chain.” This includes emissions from suppliers providing goods and services, and, in other industries, the lifecycle of a product.

“The majority of a company’s carbon footprint typically lies outside of its direct operational control, stemming from upstream suppliers or the downstream use and disposal of its products,” he clarified. An example of downstream impact is the fate of a mobile phone after it is traded in.

Achieving Net Zero Across the Value Chain

Salesforce’s commitment to Net Zero across its entire value chain means accounting for everything it controls and every interaction with its business partners.

When complete compliance with company standards from partners and vendors isn’t immediately achievable, Alexander stated that the company invests in “high-quality carbon offsets.”

“Where immediate compliance isn’t possible, we are purchasing high-quality carbon offsets to compensate for the difference, enabling us to achieve full Net Zero status now, while continuing our crucial journey toward absolute zero emissions throughout the supply chain,” he added.

Sustainability Cloud: A Commercial Offering

Furthermore, Salesforce announced updates to the Sustainability Cloud, a commercial product leveraging the same tools and technologies used internally by the company.

Sustainability as a Core Business Driver

“Sustainability is evolving from a supplementary consideration to a central element of business transformation. It’s a defining trend of our time, experiencing exponential growth annually, and companies are allocating significant resources to address the climate crisis and integrate sustainability into their core operations,” Alexander noted.

Salesforce Climate Action Plan

The company also released a blueprint detailing its sustainability plans, the Salesforce Climate Action Plan (link to pdf), available for free online.

Accelerated Tree Planting Initiatives

Salesforce also announced an acceleration of its tree planting efforts, aiming to plant 30 million trees this year. This is part of a broader initiative to plant, grow, and restore 100 million trees over a decade, a goal the company is striving to achieve ahead of schedule.

Business as a Force for Change

Bret Taylor, president and COO of Salesforce, emphasized the widespread impact of the climate crisis and Salesforce’s potential to inspire change during the Dreamforce press event.

“At Dreamforce, we aim to highlight the belief that business is the most powerful platform for change and to present a vision of inspiring every organization to become a trusted enterprise and tackle critical issues like climate change,” Taylor concluded.