Salesforce Achieves Net-Zero Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Salesforce, the world’s fastest growing top five enterprise software company and the #1 CRM provider globally, has achieved net-zero greenhouse gas emissions and is now providing a carbon neutral cloud for all customers—two critical milestones in the company’s ongoing sustainability journey.

Salesforce is committed to harnessing the company’s culture of innovation to improve the state of the world and drive toward equality for all. Every individual, company, city and nation experiences the effects of climate change, which disproportionately impact many of the world’s poorest regions and amplify global inequality.

Since its founding, Salesforce set out to deliver value to customers in a new way—through the cloud. Salesforce’s multi-tenant architecture is 50 times more energy- and carbon-efficient than traditional on-premise software, enabling Salesforce and its customers to avoid significant emissions over time—two million metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2016.

Salesforce has achieved net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by building on longstanding efforts to drive efficiency in the company’s operations, executing two 12-year renewable energy agreements announced last year and supporting sustainable development projects through the purchase of high-quality carbon credits.

Comments on the News

• “Achieving net-zero emissions is a tremendous and important achievement that is also good for business,” said Mark Hawkins, Salesforce executive vice president and chief financial officer. “By embracing sustainability across every aspect of our business, Salesforce is cutting costs and reaching new levels of efficiency.”
• “Reaching net-zero quickly is critical to addressing the effects of climate change,” said Suzanne DiBianca, Salesforce executive vice president, corporate relations and chief philanthropy officer. “Climate change affects everyone and every organization, but especially the young, old, sick and less fortunate. The carbon offset projects we have chosen create both economic opportunity and positive environmental impact to make a difference in the future of our planet and communities around the world.”
• “At Salesforce, we strive to deliver the most secure, reliable, trusted and resilient infrastructure possible to empower our customers with the Intelligent Customer Success Platform,” said Randy Kern, Salesforce executive vice president, infrastructure engineering and chief infrastructure officer. “We continue to expand our global infrastructure footprint in an environmentally sustainable way.”
• "The B Team congratulates Salesforce on achieving net-zero so far ahead of the Net Zero 2050 commitment," said Leah Seligmann, Director of The B Team's Net Zero by 2050 initiative. "Salesforce’s leadership will enable their customers to expand their networks emissions free and inspire other companies around the world."

Carbon Reduction Projects Help Enable Net-Zero Emissions

The high-quality carbon credit projects Salesforce has selected meet rigorous environmental standards and provide economic and social benefits to local communities. Two of the projects supported by Salesforce include:

• Proyecto Mirador: Replaces open, wood-burning cookstoves in Honduras with a more efficient alternative, decreasing emissions and deforestation while improving human health through better indoor air quality. Each cookstove reduces CO2 emissions by nearly 15 metric tons over its 5-year life.
• India Solar Water Heating: Provides households, small- and medium-sized businesses and institutions with a cleaner and more reliable hot water supply fueled by renewable energy rather than carbon intensive sources.