In 2024, Salesforce continues its mission to promote corporate sustainability with a suite of new carbon tracking tools within its Sustainability Cloud. These tools empower businesses to better track, manage, and reduce their carbon footprints, aligning with growing global efforts to combat climate change. As companies face increasing pressure from regulatory bodies, consumers, and investors to improve their sustainability practices, Salesforce’s updated platform helps them make data-driven decisions in pursuit of net-zero carbon emissions.
This blog dives into the new carbon tracking tools released in 2024, covering their core features, benefits, and use cases, and how businesses can leverage them for robust climate action.
1. Introduction to Salesforce Sustainability Cloud
Salesforce Sustainability Cloud is a comprehensive platform that allows organizations to monitor their carbon emissions and manage environmental impact data. Launched initially to help businesses track their carbon footprint, it has evolved to support the entire sustainability journey—from reporting emissions to reducing them, all while staying aligned with environmental regulations.
In 2024, new features have been added to strengthen the platform’s carbon tracking and analysis capabilities, positioning Salesforce as a leader in the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) software space.
2. The Growing Importance of Carbon Tracking
Carbon tracking is increasingly critical in today’s global business landscape. Climate change, new regulations like the Paris Agreement and EU’s Green Deal, and heightened stakeholder expectations mean companies need reliable tools to measure and reduce their carbon emissions.
Companies that fail to address their environmental impact risk reputational damage, legal challenges, and financial penalties. This is where Salesforce Sustainability Cloud’s advanced carbon tracking tools come into play, offering a comprehensive solution for monitoring and managing emissions data.
3. New Carbon Tracking Tools in Salesforce Sustainability Cloud 2024
A. Granular Carbon Footprint Measurement
One of the standout features of the 2024 release is the ability to capture a more granular view of carbon emissions. The new tools allow businesses to track emissions across different levels—scopes 1, 2, and 3—with more detail than before.
- Scope 1 refers to direct emissions from owned or controlled sources, such as fuel combustion.
- Scope 2 covers indirect emissions from purchased electricity or heating.
- Scope 3 includes all other indirect emissions occurring in a company’s value chain, such as raw materials sourcing, transportation, and product usage.
Salesforce Sustainability Cloud 2024 provides advanced tracking for Scope 3 emissions, which are notoriously difficult to measure due to their indirect nature. Companies can now trace carbon emissions across their entire value chain, ensuring no aspect of their environmental footprint is left unchecked.
B. Automated Data Collection and Integration
Another improvement is the enhanced ability to automate carbon data collection. Instead of relying on manual input, the platform now integrates with various data sources like energy meters, IoT devices, and supplier data systems to gather real-time emissions data.
The Sustainability Cloud can pull in information from:
- Manufacturing plants and facilities
- Transportation fleets
- Supply chain management systems
- Energy usage logs
This automation saves time and reduces errors, providing businesses with real-time insights into their carbon impact without manual data reconciliation.
C. Real-Time Dashboards and Analytics
Salesforce has introduced new visualization tools that offer real-time dashboards and analytics, allowing companies to visualize their carbon footprint dynamically. These dashboards are customizable, so users can focus on specific aspects of their carbon impact, whether that’s electricity usage, transportation emissions, or supply chain performance.
With real-time data and clear visual representations, businesses can more easily identify areas for improvement and track progress against sustainability goals. This makes it easier to adjust operations and practices for maximum environmental benefit.
D. AI-Powered Forecasting and Carbon Reduction Strategies
The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) has brought predictive capabilities to Salesforce Sustainability Cloud in 2024. These features allow companies to forecast future emissions based on current practices and identify the most impactful areas for carbon reduction.
By leveraging AI-powered insights, businesses can develop carbon reduction strategies that prioritize high-impact actions, such as:
- Shifting to renewable energy sources
- Optimizing supply chain logistics
- Reducing waste and inefficiency in manufacturing
This forecasting helps businesses align their long-term strategies with sustainability targets like the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) or other international frameworks.
4. How the New Carbon Tracking Tools Support Business Sustainability
A. Meeting Regulatory Requirements
With global governments introducing stricter carbon reporting regulations, businesses need robust tools to ensure compliance. Salesforce Sustainability Cloud 2024 helps companies meet regulatory demands by automating carbon reporting and ensuring accuracy in emissions data.
The platform supports reporting aligned with frameworks like:
- The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)
- Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD)
- CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project)
By providing reliable, auditable carbon data, businesses can ensure they meet evolving standards and avoid the financial penalties that come with non-compliance.
B. Achieving Net-Zero Goals
The new tools in Salesforce Sustainability Cloud are essential for companies pursuing net-zero carbon goals. By tracking emissions at a granular level and using AI-powered insights, businesses can better identify where and how to reduce carbon. Whether through shifting to renewable energy, offsetting emissions, or improving operational efficiency, Salesforce Sustainability Cloud enables businesses to create actionable pathways toward net-zero.
C. Enhancing Corporate Reputation and Investor Relations
Investors, customers, and employees increasingly value environmental responsibility. With the advanced carbon tracking tools, businesses can showcase their commitment to sustainability, enhancing their reputation and appeal. Transparent reporting and a clear strategy for carbon reduction are vital for gaining investor trust and improving overall ESG performance.
Salesforce’s platform allows companies to share their progress with stakeholders, building credibility and fostering stronger relationships.
5. Use Cases: Carbon Tracking in Action
A. Retail Sector
Retail companies are responsible for a significant portion of Scope 3 emissions through their supply chains. With Salesforce Sustainability Cloud, they can track carbon emissions from raw material sourcing, manufacturing, shipping, and product disposal. This enables retailers to work with suppliers to reduce emissions and optimize their supply chains.
B. Manufacturing Sector
Manufacturers face substantial emissions from production processes and energy use. With real-time data collection tools integrated with IoT devices, companies can measure energy consumption and carbon output at every stage of production. AI forecasting helps manufacturers prioritize carbon reduction strategies, such as improving energy efficiency or transitioning to cleaner energy sources.
C. Technology Sector
Technology companies often have vast supply chains and high energy use from data centers. Salesforce’s new tools help tech companies track emissions from their cloud operations, physical infrastructure, and product life cycles. Real-time dashboards allow them to visualize energy usage and implement strategies for reducing data center emissions.
6. Future Trends and Salesforce’s Role in Sustainability
Salesforce’s Sustainability Cloud 2024 release signals an industry-wide shift towards deeper integration of sustainability in business operations. As global pressure mounts on businesses to reduce their carbon footprints, these tools will play a critical role in driving real, measurable change.
Looking forward, Salesforce will likely continue innovating with additional features to support companies on their path to sustainability, such as:
- Greater focus on circular economy models: Companies may need tools to track product life cycles and implement circular practices.
- More in-depth supplier collaboration tools: Ensuring that all parts of the supply chain are aligned with sustainability goals will become crucial.
- Improved reporting for biodiversity and water usage: Carbon tracking may expand to include other environmental factors, helping businesses understand their broader ecological impact.
7. Conclusion
Salesforce Sustainability Cloud 2024 introduces groundbreaking tools to help companies track, analyze, and reduce their carbon emissions more effectively than ever. The platform’s granular data capabilities, real-time dashboards, AI-powered forecasting, and automated data collection provide businesses with a comprehensive solution to manage their carbon footprints.
As companies move towards net-zero and strive to meet global sustainability standards, Salesforce Sustainability Cloud will be an essential part of their toolkit, enabling smarter, faster, and more impactful climate action.
These new tools reflect the increasing importance of sustainability in the corporate world and ensure that businesses are equipped to handle the environmental challenges of the future. Whether a company is focused on regulatory compliance, achieving net-zero, or improving its ESG rating, Salesforce Sustainability Cloud 2024 can provide the data and insights needed for success.
