Sustainability’s new agenda for business value, unified data, and AI at Dreamforce 2025

If there’s one clear takeaway from Agentforce Net Zero’s presence at Salesforce’s annual Dreamforce conference earlier this month, it’s this: sustainability is here to stay. 

In fact, in the midst of a shifting regulatory landscape and widespread economic uncertainty, the function is more important than ever. 

From October 14-17, Agentforce Net Zero customers, prospects, and partners gathered at San Francisco’s Moscone Center to discuss the current state of sustainability. It came at a critical time for the function. For decades, business leaders primarily viewed sustainability teams as reporters of historical data and drivers of compliance. 

But expectations of sustainability are quickly changing. And innovative leaders are answering the call by breaking down organizational silos and using sustainability data to better understand and optimize their business. 

Here’s what we learned:

1. Sustainability must “flip the script” to secure stakeholder buy-in
2. Disconnected spreadsheets are out, a single source of sustainability truth is in
3. Connecting sustainability data across the business drives ROI

1. Sustainability must “flip the script” to secure stakeholder buy-in

Reducing emissions, water usage, and waste have always been business critical. For many non-sustainability leaders, however, mitigating an organization’s environmental impact is often a secondary concern—if they consider it a concern at all. 

Sustainability teams have an opportunity to “flip the script” when discussing their function with other business leaders by translating terms such as scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions into language that resonates with their respective audience.

This can include:

• Framing initiatives in terms of cost reduction and ROI during conversations with finance. 
• Tying visibility into company emissions, water usage, and waste with operational efficiency and supply chain resilience when speaking with operations.  
• Presenting sustainability data collection and reporting as a form of risk mitigation and regulatory readiness during meetings with legal and risk management teams. 

By shifting the framing of sustainability away from strictly a moral imperative toward a driver of business value, leaders can build cross-functional allies, secure funding for projects, and, ultimately, change the perception that the function is only a cost center for the company. 

2. Disconnected spreadsheets are out, a single source of sustainability truth is in

To this day, many sustainability teams rely on a complex web of spreadsheets to manage their data. It’s unwieldy, it makes reporting difficult, and, perhaps most importantly, it makes deriving insights from the data within the spreadsheets a major challenge. 

Some sustainability leaders have decided “enough is enough” and are choosing to centralize their emissions, operational, and supply chain data. It’s improving data accuracy and accessibility while also making it easier for teams to take action. 

During one Dreamforce session, an Agentforce Net Zero customer described moving their data from spreadsheets to a centralized platform as a “game changer.” They previously spent multiple weeks preparing for audits. Now, their data is defensible and accessible with just a click of a button. 

What’s even more impressive is the customer’s ability to quickly get answers about the progress they’re making toward their sustainability goals. Whenever a leader or customer has a question about their sustainability data, they can respond in minutes. 

A more trustworthy repository of sustainability data not only makes reporting simpler, but also builds the foundation required to make strategic, data-driven decisions. 

3. Connecting sustainability data across the business drives ROI

Once sustainability teams have the data they need available at their fingertips, the next step is operationalizing it. This often proves to be the biggest leap for the function. 

Sustainability teams that have successfully navigated the transition from simply reporting data to taking action are focusing on breaking down data siloes and then layering sustainability on top of financial, procurement, and other company data. 

When sustainability is integrated into the company’s larger data ecosystem, the possibilities are endless. Leaders can, for example, identify overspending on utility bills and balance cost and carbon when designing ROI models for projects. 

AI can take it a step further. Large volumes of quality company data feed AI models, allowing companies to automate manual tasks and seamlessly uncover insights that inform strategic decisions. 

Free-flowing, integrated data represents the bridge for sustainability teams looking to move beyond reporting on the business toward making meaningful change within it. 

From a solid data foundation to an AI-powered future

The journey for sustainability teams hoping to deliver business value isn’t easy to navigate, but it does follow a natural progression:

1. First, shift your mindset to speak the language of business value.
2. Next, build your data foundation to escape the risk of spreadsheets.
3. Then, unlock new ROI by connecting your data across the business.

For teams looking to embed AI into their workflows, this journey is particularly important, as AI is built on trusted and accessible data. When sustainability data is unified, you can leverage AI to automate insights, model scenarios, and free your team to focus on forward-looking strategy.

Agentforce Net Zero can help your sustainability team get started on this journey. Learn more by booking an Agentforce Net Zero demo today.