Salesforce achieves net-zero carbon emissions

Salesforce has achieved net-zero greenhouse gas emissions, ensuring the service it provides customers is carbon-neutral.

The company said it managed to achieve the milestone by investing in wind power to provide its super-energy efficient data centres and buildings. It also bought credits from clean energy projects including Proyecto Mirador and India Solar Water Heating to offset its fossil fuel use.

“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.”

Although Salesforce is one of the first cloud companies to apparently achieve its mission of becoming carbon-neutral, other big players including AWS and Google are aiming to improve their green energy standings too, with their own strategies to cut emissions. For example, Microsoft penned a deal with a wind farm in Illinois to provide some of its data centres with wind power back in 2014, while AWS and Google have well-documented plans for green energy to power their facilities too.

However, none of the other providers have revealed they have reached their goals just yet, despite Google saying it's on course to run its data centres on 100% renewable energy by the end of this year.

“Reaching net-zero quickly is critical to addressing the effects of climate change,” said Suzanne DiBianca, Salesforce executive vice president of 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."