Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

These are the questions we hear a lot, and you’ll find the answers below. But if you have others, please don’t hesitate to contact us — we’re here to help.

Getting Started

A net zero world is a world in balance. Achieving net zero on a global level means emitting no more greenhouse gases than we are able to remove, either by natural means or through technological solutions. Right now, we are way out of that balance.

At Salesforce, we believe that *net zero is a continuous journey*, requiring us all to:

  • Commit publicly to the shared, global goal of achieving a just and equitable transition to net zero emissions, in line with a 1.5°C future
  • Prioritise reducing emissions as quickly as possible and aligning full value chains (Scope 1, 2, and 3) to the global trajectory of ~50% emissions reduction by 2030 and 90% emissions reduction by 2040
  • Compensate for any remaining emissions by purchasing renewable energy and carbon credits of high credibility, impact, and co-benefits, in the long term using removal credits only and in the near term using a combination of avoidance and removal credits
Net Zero Cloud is a sustainability management platform designed to help organisations manage their environmental footprint and track their progress to net zero. It tracks Scope 1, Scope 2, and the majority of Scope 3 emissions. Companies that use Net Zero Cloud get a single source of truth for their carbon emissions. They can analyse individual assets and understand impact across location and time. Net Zero Cloud also provides useful reports and executive-ready visualisations in a few clicks, allowing you to easily track and manage emissions.
LEARN MORE ABOUT NET ZERO CLOUD

Salesforce has been on a sustainability transformation journey for over a decade and has been publicly committed since the Paris Agreement to achieving net zero emissions by 2050. In September 2021, Salesforce reached the milestone of net zero residual emissions across our full value chain (Scopes 1, 2, and 3) and achieved 100% renewable energy for our global operations. This was an important milestone. But Salesforce recognises that maintaining net zero residual emissions and achieving our long-term sustainability goals is a continuous journey, requiring us to continue reducing emissions as quickly as possible and aligning our full value chain (Scopes 1, 2, and 3) to the global trajectory of ~50% emissions reductions by 2030, and to near-zero absolute emissions by 2040. We will continue to compensate for any remaining emissions by purchasing 100% renewable energy and purchasing high-quality carbon credits to compensate for any emissions that remain.

*Note:* 100% renewable energy means procuring electricity and/or the claims to electricity produced from renewable energy resources equivalent to the electricity we use globally on an annual basis.

It is not. SBTi’s definition of net zero states that for a company to claim it has achieved net zero, it must reduce 90% of its gross emissions before offsetting any remaining emissions with carbon removal credits only (no carbon reduction or carbon avoidance credits).

Salesforce believes that, as a planet, we must reduce our emissions by 90% and do so as quickly as possible. For every company, reducing emissions by 90% may take decades, especially with goals that rightfully include all of Scope 1, 2, and 3. We believe that companies should be able to claim they have net zero residual emissions* *if they’re fully committed to decarbonization and have demonstrated they’re on the path to achieving the deep emissions reductions that will put the planet on a 1.5°C trajectory if they’re also compensating for their remaining emissions with high-quality carbon credits to achieve net zero residual emissions across their full value chain, transitioning to using removal credits only over time.

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) lists six main atmospheric gases causing global warming and climate change. They are carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N20), as well as the less prevalent but very powerful hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6). To simplify how much each gas impacts climate change, their amounts are usually expressed in a common unit, the CO2e, or CO2 equivalent.
Carbon credits represent the avoidance, reduction, or removal of emissions of greenhouse gases in order to compensate for emissions made elsewhere. They are measured in metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e). One carbon credit is equal to one tCO2e reduced or removed from the atmosphere.
Join the Net Zero Cloud and/or Net Zero Marketplace groups in the Trailblazer Community to ask questions, get answers, learn best practices, and share experiences as you start or continue on your net zero journey.

Net Zero Cloud

Net Zero Cloud is a sustainability management platform designed to help organisations manage their environmental footprint and track their progress to net zero. It tracks Scope 1, Scope 2, and the majority of Scope 3 emissions. Companies that use Net Zero Cloud get a single source of truth for their carbon emissions. They can analyse individual assets and understand impact across location and time. Net Zero Cloud also provides useful reports and executive-ready visualisations in a few clicks, allowing you to easily track and manage emissions.
LEARN MORE ABOUT NET ZERO CLOUD
Net Zero Cloud is for all enterprises that have a mission and a responsibility to go net zero in the near future. Organisations in all stages of their sustainability journey can use Net Zero Cloud for everything from calculating an organisation’s carbon footprint for the very first time to developing emission reduction strategies and reporting data to investors, customers, and key stakeholders. Industries such as manufacturing, energy and utilities, retail and consumer goods, and travel, transportation, and hospitality account for some of the largest carbon emissions and would find Net Zero Cloud valuable for their businesses.
Net Zero Cloud allows you to manage Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions across the entire ecosystem of your organisation, including your suppliers. You can also set goals in line with the Science Based Targets initiative and measure your progress. You can measure building energy intensity (BEI) using Net Zero Cloud, which allows you to report the energy use of buildings. What truly sets Net Zero Cloud apart from other carbon accounting tools is how it works seamlessly with other world-class Salesforce solutions, such as Tableau CRM, Slack, and Sales Cloud.
Yes. Net Zero Cloud allows you to measure Scope 3 emissions with a dedicated app for granular management of environmentally extended input-output (EEIO) data and all of your procurement data for effective accounting of emissions from upstream and downstream processes. Monitor all Scope 3 emissions, including those generated by travel, your supplier ecosystem, and your procurement value chain. Get insights into supplier processes that have a significant impact on total carbon emissions.
Yes. Sustainability Cloud was changed to Net Zero Cloud on December 9, 2021.
The Greenhouse Gas Protocol, established in 2001, divides emissions into three reporting categories.

Scope 1 emissions are direct greenhouse emissions from sources controlled or owned by an organisation, such as emissions associated with fuel combustion in boilers, furnaces, and vehicles.

Scope 2 covers indirect emissions associated with the purchase of electricity, steam, heat, or cooling.

Scope 3, also known as value chain emissions, has been the last frontier for most companies looking to shrink their carbon footprint. Scope 3 comprises the areas an enterprise has the least control over — emissions from activities and assets not owned or controlled by the reporting organisation, but that the organisation indirectly impacts in its value chain. Scope 3 emissions often represent the majority of an organisation’s total GHG emissions.
Legally, most companies do not have to report Scope 3 emissions today, but reporting today could prevent a company from having to scramble to calculate emissions in the future as regulations and public opinion change. In addition, customers, investors, employees, and other stakeholders are paying closer attention and applying pressure on organisations to provide greater transparency on their emissions. A company’s reputation is now completely inseparable from that of its environmental impact and that of its full value chain.
Carbon accounting is the process of calculating a company’s overall greenhouse gas emissions. Companies should calculate an initial emission benchmark and track reduction efforts across time (for example, annually).

For most organisations, calculating carbon emissions is just the first step. Since most corporate GHG emissions are closely linked with energy use, calculating GHG emissions can help identify ways to reduce energy use, which also reduces costs.

There is a multistep process used to calculate GHG emissions. First, set organisational and operational boundaries. After which, collect data on electricity, fuels, and other business activities that lead to emissions. Review this data for accuracy, completeness, and assumptions used. Next, apply relevant emission factors, which represent GHG emissions per unit of activity. Finally, share your emissions footprint with stakeholders, develop an action plan, and add third-party verification to ensure accuracy.

Identifying the assets that contribute the most carbon can help a company focus its reduction efforts, reach its goals faster, and communicate results to key stakeholders.

Net Zero Marketplace

Net Zero Marketplace, powered by Commerce Cloud, is a climate action hub for everyone and a site where organisations can find and purchase carbon credits offered by ecopreneurs. With detailed information, clear pricing, and third-party ratings for most carbon projects, Net Zero Marketplace gives organisations information and tools to help identify the carbon projects and carbon credits that best align with their priorities and standards. It energizes the ecopreneur revolution by providing values-aligned buyers with a platform to find ecopreneurs and carbon projects they can invest in. Salesforce is not a party to any purchase agreements among the parties and does not endorse any ecopreneur or carbon project.

The voluntary carbon market is a decentralised marketplace where organisations and individuals can learn about carbon credits for purchase on a voluntary basis with no intended use for compliance purposes.

Net Zero Marketplace is a platform where organisations can evaluate carbon projects and carbon credits for consistency with their carbon-neutral and net zero commitments or corporate sustainability initiatives. On the Net Zero Marketplace platform, organisations may also enter into carbon credit purchases on a voluntary basis. Salesforce is not a party to those voluntary agreements. Net Zero Marketplace is not a compliance carbon marketplace, where regulated entities like energy producers are required to buy or sell credits.

Salesforce defines an ecopreneur as an environmentally focused entrepreneur who leads and drives climate action worldwide. Carbon projects are implemented by ecopreneurs, and the purchase of carbon credits can help to finance a project run by an ecopreneur.
The climate crisis impacts everyone, and each of us must play a role in our collective journey to limit global warming to 1.5°C. To avoid surpassing 1.5°C of warming, we must collectively cut emissions in half by 2030 and achieve net zero emissions by mid-century (source). Reaching this milestone will require both deeply decreasing our emissions and, at the same time, removing CO2 that has already been added to the atmosphere.

The top priority in any organisation’s net zero journey must be to reduce emissions. However, reaching the level of decarbonization that science tells us is needed to limit warming to 1.5°C is dependent on systemic societal changes that will take time. This means that while emissions reduction goals should be prioritised, to reach them, companies must also seek to effect change outside their own operations.

Carbon credits — and carbon markets more generally — are critical tools that, made and used well, can play an important role in our collective journey to net zero while simultaneously helping us build a nature-positive world. While carbon markets today are far from perfect, they are one of the best tools we have for helping to finance critical climate solutions. The promise of the voluntary carbon market (VCM) lies in its potential to scale, from hundreds of millions of U.S. dollars today to $10 billion to $40 billion by 2030, spurring innovation and fueling the emergence of a large economic sector for nature-based solutions and technological carbon dioxide removal the world desperately needs.

Read more about Salesforce’s approach to carbon credits.
Organisations based in the U.S. (with an EIN) can use the information provided by Net Zero Marketplace to identify carbon credits for purchase, with the goal to soon expand to additional regions. Please contact us for updates about your region.
The sales price includes a 4% fee that includes the transactional costs and an estimated 1% Salesforce commission. Fees are subject to change.
Are you a carbon credit provider interested in joining Net Zero Marketplace or an ecopreneur interested in listing your project on the marketplace? In Net Zero Marketplace, click *Join the Marketplace* in the footer or click *Contact Us* and choose the best way for Net Zero Marketplace Support to help you.
 

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