- Sustainability Strategy and Goals
- Progress vs. Target Tracker
- Key Sustainability Innovations and Technologies
- Measurable Impacts
- Challenges and Areas for Improvement
- Future Plans and Long-Term Goals
- Comparisons to Industry Competitors
- Enterprise Software ESG Metrics (Latest Available Data)
- What to Watch: 12 to 18 Month Indicators
Salesforce, the $38 billion enterprise CRM and cloud software company, published its FY25 Stakeholder Impact Report in April 2025, covering its fiscal year ending January 31, 2025. For the third consecutive year, Salesforce maintained 100% renewable energy and net zero residual emissions across its full value chain, supported by SBTi-validated near-term and long-term targets refreshed in FY25 and approved by SBTi in FY26. In FY25, Salesforce also updated its sustainability ambition by shifting its Scope 3 reduction approach from absolute to intensity-based targets, a decision that drew scrutiny from independent analysts for potentially setting a goal the company had already nearly achieved.
Source
https://www.salesforce.com/en-us/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/documents/white-papers/salesforce-fy25-stakeholder-impact-report.pdf
https://investor.salesforce.com/esg/default.aspx
https://www.salesforce.com/company/sustainability/
Sustainability Strategy and Goals
Salesforce’s sustainability strategy rests on three pillars: reducing its own operational footprint, enabling customers to reduce theirs through Net Zero Cloud, and investing in nature and climate solutions at a planetary scale through partnerships and funding programs. The updated FY25 targets, validated by SBTi, include a 67% Scope 1 and 2 market-based reduction by FY31 and a 90% cut by FY41, both from a FY19 baseline, alongside a new Scope 3 intensity target of 68% reduction per USD value added by FY31 and 97% by FY41. The shift from absolute to intensity-based Scope 3 targets is the most consequential change in the FY25 strategy refresh, as it allows total Scope 3 emissions to grow alongside revenue while still meeting the stated goal.
Net Zero and Carbon Emissions
Salesforce reported total greenhouse gas emissions of 1.271 million tCO2e across Scope 1, 2, and 3 in FY25, a 5.43% decrease from FY24. Scope 3 emissions reached 972,000 tCO2e, representing approximately 91% of the total footprint, with upstream activities including purchased goods and capital goods accounting for 91.05% of Scope 3. Against the FY19 absolute baseline, overall value chain emissions in FY24 were only 1% below the baseline, and Scope 3 had grown 10% between FY19 and FY25.
- Total GHG emissions FY25: 1.271 million tCO2e, down 5.43% from FY24
- Scope 1 FY25: 6,000 tCO2e; Scope 2 (market-based) FY25: 78,000 tCO2e; Scope 3 FY25: 972,000 tCO2e
- Scope 3 emissions grew 10% between FY19 and FY25, driven by AI-related infrastructure and cloud growth
- Scope 1 and 2 absolute reduction: 58% achieved vs FY19 baseline, surpassing the 50% FY31 near-term target eight years early
- Net zero residual emissions maintained for third consecutive year in FY25 and FY24, based on Salesforce’s own methodology, which does not yet align with SBTi’s formal net zero definition
Water Stewardship
Salesforce’s water strategy within its own operations focuses on data center water use efficiency and supplier engagement. The company tracks water consumption intensity at leased colocation data center facilities and sets reduction expectations through its Supplier Sustainability Exhibit, a contractual sustainability requirement embedded in procurement agreements. Salesforce’s most direct water impact is delivered through its nature-based programs, specifically watershed restoration projects in Latin America that protect freshwater ecosystems for millions of people.
- Watershed restoration investments in Latin America announced ahead of COP30 in November 2025, protecting clean water for millions of people across multiple countries
- Water consumption tracked across leased data center facilities through the Supplier Sustainability Exhibit
- Net Zero Cloud platform enables customer organisations to track water consumption and waste data alongside carbon metrics
Regenerative Agriculture
Salesforce does not operate an agricultural supply chain and therefore does not maintain a regenerative agriculture programme of its own. Its contributions to agricultural sustainability are channeled through funding, specifically through the 1t.org tree commitment and through support for agroforestry organisations such as CIFOR-ICRAF, which integrates trees into agricultural systems to sequester carbon, support livelihoods, and improve soil health. This indirect model reflects Salesforce’s role as a technology company without direct commodity sourcing.
Deforestation and Biodiversity
Salesforce committed in 2020 to fund the conservation, restoration, and growth of 100 million trees by 2030 through 1t.org. By June 2024, it had funded 52 million trees across 29 major projects in 13 countries, placing the programme more than halfway to its goal with six years remaining. An independent mid-term audit by Environmental Resources Management (ERM) confirmed an estimated 10% tree loss across funded projects, largely due to insufficient site planning and extreme weather events, prompting Salesforce to revise its project selection and monitoring standards.
- 52 million trees funded as of mid-2024, toward 100 million tree goal by 2030
- 10% tree loss confirmed by ERM independent audit; attributed to insufficient site planning and extreme weather
- Projects span 13 countries across Latin America, Africa, Asia-Pacific, and North America
- Salesforce co-founded the Symbiosis Coalition to deliver up to 20 million tonnes of high-integrity nature-based carbon removal credits by 2030, with a formal RFP planned for 2026
- Reforestation in the Andes through Global Forest Generation’s Acción Andina programme: 1 million hectares targeted across six Andean countries
Packaging and Circular Economy
As a software and cloud services company, Salesforce does not manufacture physical consumer products or operate material packaging supply chains. Its circular economy contributions manifest through its Net Zero Cloud platform, which enables enterprise customers to track packaging, waste, and materials data at the supply chain level. Salesforce’s own operational footprint is primarily driven by cloud computing infrastructure, employee commuting, and business travel rather than materials or packaging.
Human Rights and Responsible Sourcing
Salesforce’s Human Rights Policy and Supplier Code of Conduct require vendors to uphold labour rights, safe working conditions, anti-corruption practices, and environmental standards. The Supplier Sustainability Exhibit, embedded as a contractual requirement in procurement, mandates that key suppliers set their own SBTi-aligned emissions reduction targets. Progress toward the supplier SBT coverage goal of 60% of Scope 3 emissions from suppliers with set SBTs by FY25 fell significantly short, reaching only 25% by the FY25 deadline, a miss of 35 percentage points.
- Supplier SBT coverage: 25% of Scope 3 emissions from suppliers with set SBTs in FY25 vs 60% target
- Supplier Sustainability Exhibit: contractual sustainability requirements embedded in key procurement agreements across cloud infrastructure and capital goods suppliers
- Human Rights Policy applies to all suppliers and third-party vendors globally
Nutrition and Health
As a cloud software company, Salesforce does not operate in the food or health products sector. Its health-adjacent contributions sit within its social impact programs, specifically the Salesforce Accelerator for AI Impact, which provides non-profit health organisations with access to generative AI tools to expand service delivery and reach.
Community and Social Impact
Salesforce’s equality programme is one of its most visible social commitments. The company conducts annual pay equity audits across gender globally and by race and ethnicity in the U.S., adjusting salaries immediately where disparities are identified. It set new FY31 representation goals in FY25 to reach 45% women and non-binary employees globally. Its 1% model, which commits 1% of equity, 1% of product, and 1% of employee time to community causes, has delivered over $740 million in grants, more than 9 million hours of employee volunteer time, and discounted or donated technology to 56,000+ non-profit and education organisations.
- 45% women and non-binary employee representation goal set for FY31 in FY25
- Over $740 million in grants delivered through the 1% model cumulatively
- More than 9 million volunteer hours contributed by Salesforce employees
- Salesforce Accelerator: AI for Impact launched in FY25, providing non-profit organisations with generative AI access
Governance and Transparency
Salesforce’s FY25 shift to intensity-based Scope 3 targets raised formal governance questions. Trellis analysis showed that if Salesforce’s gross profit grows more than 50% over the next five years, the company could meet its FY31 Scope 3 intensity goal while simultaneously reporting an absolute increase in Scope 3 emissions. Salesforce acknowledged this dynamic, describing the intensity approach as “more actionable and pragmatic” for a high-growth company. The FY25 refreshed SBTi targets were submitted in FY25 and formally approved in FY26, confirming regulatory validation of the new intensity methodology.
Technology and Innovation
Salesforce’s Net Zero Cloud is commercially its most significant sustainability innovation, functioning as a full ESG data management platform used by enterprise customers globally to track, manage, forecast, and report Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions, along with waste and water metrics. The platform, now powered by Agentforce AI, automates ESG reporting to comply with CSRD, GRI, and other regulatory frameworks, and includes a Scope 3 Emissions Hub that enables subsidiary and supplier-level real-time data collection. The Frontier carbon removal programme, to which Salesforce committed $25 million in 2024, focuses exclusively on geological and biological carbon removal technologies storing carbon for more than 1,000 years.
- Net Zero Cloud: enterprise ESG data management platform covering Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions, waste, and water, with Agentforce AI for automated reporting
- $25 million committed to Frontier carbon removal in 2024, targeting early-stage solutions with 1,000+ year carbon storage and no competition for arable land
- 27 MW Italian solar portfolio via a 15-year VPPA with Qualitas Energy, Salesforce’s first European virtual power purchase agreement
- Symbiosis Coalition co-founded to deliver up to 20 million tonnes of nature-based carbon removal credits by 2030
Global Partnerships and Advocacy
Salesforce co-founded 1t.org alongside the World Economic Forum to mobilize the conservation and restoration of 1 trillion trees globally by 2030. It is a member of the Climate Pledge co-founded by Amazon and Global Optimism, and a signatory of the Business Ambition for 1.5°C campaign. Its COP30 nature announcement in November 2025 detailed new Latin American restoration partnerships spanning watershed protection, reforestation, and blue carbon investment.
Source
https://www.salesforce.com/en-us/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/documents/white-papers/salesforce-fy25-stakeholder-impact-report.pdf
https://trellis.net/article/salesforce-shifted-2030-climate-goals-while-going-all-in-ai/
https://tracenable.com/company/salesforce/ghg-emissions
https://esgnews.com/salesforce-accelerates-energy-transition-with-new-25-million-climate-investment/
https://www.salesforce.com/news/stories/nature-based-actions-cop30/
https://www.salesforce.com/in/news/stories/tree-audit-findings-2024/
Progress vs. Target Tracker
Source
https://www.salesforce.com/en-us/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/documents/white-papers/salesforce-fy25-stakeholder-impact-report.pdf
https://net0tracker.com/corporates.html/Salesforce/
https://trellis.net/article/salesforce-shifted-2030-climate-goals-while-going-all-in-ai/
Key Sustainability Innovations and Technologies
Net Zero Cloud is Salesforce’s most commercially significant sustainability innovation and its most distinctive contribution to enterprise decarbonization at scale. Powered by Agentforce AI, the platform enables organisations to track Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions in real time, consolidate ESG data from subsidiaries, suppliers, and franchisees, simulate emissions forecasting scenarios, and generate regulatory-compliant reports aligned to CSRD, GRI, CDP, and other frameworks. No comparable enterprise CRM platform has deployed an equivalent AI-native ESG data management capability at scale within its core product suite.
The $25 million Frontier carbon removal commitment is differentiated by its strict technology criteria. Salesforce mandates that all funded carbon removal solutions store carbon for more than 1,000 years, have a credible pathway to affordability at scale, and avoid competing for arable land, effectively ruling out most nature-based and low-durability offset approaches. This positions Frontier as a demand signal for engineered removal technologies such as direct air capture and enhanced weathering rather than for offset market instruments.
The Symbiosis Coalition co-founded by Salesforce targets 20 million tonnes of high-integrity nature-based carbon removal credits by 2030, representing one of the largest pre-competitive demand aggregation commitments in the voluntary carbon market. Its 2026 RFP will test whether institutional buyers can collectively move the high-integrity nature credit market past the credibility problems that plagued offset markets between 2020 and 2024.
- Net Zero Cloud: AI-native ESG data management platform covering Scope 1, 2, 3, water, and waste with full regulatory reporting capability
- Frontier carbon removal: $25 million committed, with 1,000+ year storage and scale-to-affordability requirements
- 27 MW Italian solar VPPA with Qualitas Energy: first European power purchase agreement for Salesforce, saving 21,500 tCO2e annually
- Symbiosis Coalition: up to 20 million tonnes of high-integrity nature-based carbon removal by 2030, with RFP planned for 2026
- ERM-independent tree audit: mid-term evaluation of 29 projects in 13 countries, leading to revised site selection and monitoring standards
Source
https://www.salesforce.com/net-zero/cloud/
https://esgnews.com/salesforce-accelerates-energy-transition-with-new-25-million-climate-investment/
https://www.salesforce.com/news/stories/nature-based-actions-cop30/
https://www.salesforce.com/in/news/stories/tree-audit-findings-2024/
Measurable Impacts
Salesforce’s operational decarbonization record is the strongest area of its sustainability performance. Total GHG emissions fell 5.43% in FY25 to 1.271 million tCO2e, with Scope 1 and 2 market-based emissions already 58% below the FY19 baseline, having surpassed the original 50% FY31 near-term target eight years early. Scope 3 emissions in FY25 were 972,000 tCO2e, and the emissions intensity per USD value added improved by 62% from FY19, placing the company within 6 percentage points of its FY31 intensity target just one year after setting it.
On nature, 52 million trees have been funded toward the 100 million goal, and independent audits validate 90% tree survival across the 29 largest projects assessed. The Frontier carbon removal programme has deployed $25 million toward early-stage removal technologies in a single commitment round. The social impact metrics show $740 million in cumulative grants and over 9 million volunteer hours, with the Salesforce Accelerator for AI Impact adding non-profit generative AI access as a new delivery mechanism in FY25.
- Total GHG footprint: 1.271 million tCO2e in FY25, down 5.43% from FY24
- Scope 1 and 2 (market-based): 58% below FY19 baseline, surpassing the 50% FY31 target eight years early
- Scope 3 intensity: 62% improvement from FY19, vs 68% FY31 target
- Supplier SBT coverage: 25% of Scope 3 emissions from suppliers with set SBTs
- 52 million trees funded toward 100 million goal as of mid-2024
- 100% renewable energy maintained for third consecutive year in FY25
- $740 million+ in cumulative grants through the 1% model; 9 million+ volunteer hours
Source
https://www.salesforce.com/en-us/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/documents/white-papers/salesforce-fy25-stakeholder-impact-report.pdf
https://tracenable.com/company/salesforce/ghg-emissions
https://www.salesforce.com/en-us/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/documents/white-papers/fy25-schedules-of-environmental-and-employee-metrics.pdf
Challenges and Areas for Improvement
The supplier SBT coverage miss is the most specific and measurable gap in Salesforce’s sustainability record. The FY25 target of 60% of Scope 3 emissions from suppliers with set SBTs was missed at 25%, a shortfall of 35 percentage points at the deadline. Given that Scope 3 contributes 91% of Salesforce’s total GHG footprint and that 91% of Scope 3 originates from purchased goods and capital goods, this gap means that the majority of Salesforce’s material emissions remain outside the scope of supplier-level SBTi accountability.
The shift to intensity-based Scope 3 targets creates a structural transparency problem. Independent analysis found that Salesforce had already achieved 62% Scope 3 intensity improvement from FY19 by FY25, within 6 percentage points of the new FY31 target one year after setting it. Under a plausible growth scenario where gross profit grows more than 50% by FY31, the company could formally achieve the intensity target while reporting absolute Scope 3 emissions higher than today. For a company whose core product proposition includes helping other enterprises track and reduce absolute emissions, this approach carries reputational risk with sophisticated ESG buyers and investors.
The 10% tree loss rate confirmed by the ERM audit, while handled with unusual transparency by the company, also reflects a programme design gap. Insufficient site planning and extreme weather vulnerability in early project cohorts led to a statistically material portion of funded trees not surviving. Reaching the 100 million tree target by 2030 from the current 52 million base requires doubling funded coverage in six years, with higher standards now in place but no publicly disclosed adjustment to the overall tree count methodology that accounts for expected attrition.
- Supplier SBT coverage: 25% vs 60% FY25 target; 35pp shortfall covering the majority of Salesforce’s material Scope 3 emissions
- Scope 3 absolute emissions grew 10% between FY19 and FY25, despite intensity-based target showing 62% improvement
- Intensity-based Scope 3 target allows absolute emissions to increase with revenue growth and may already be nearly achieved
- 10% tree loss rate in funded projects confirmed by ERM independent audit
- Net zero residual emissions methodology does not yet align with SBTi’s formal net zero definition
- No formally disclosed biodiversity or water stewardship targets at the operational level
Source
https://trellis.net/article/salesforce-shifted-2030-climate-goals-while-going-all-in-ai/
https://www.salesforce.com/in/news/stories/tree-audit-findings-2024/
https://www.salesforce.com/en-us/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/documents/white-papers/salesforce-fy25-stakeholder-impact-report.pdf
Future Plans and Long-Term Goals
By FY31, Salesforce targets a 67% Scope 1 and 2 market-based reduction, a 68% Scope 3 emissions intensity reduction per USD value added, 45% women and non-binary employees globally, and 100 million trees funded. By FY41, the long-term SBTi targets call for a 90% Scope 1 and 2 reduction and a 97% Scope 3 intensity reduction, both from the FY19 baseline. The 2030 Symbiosis Coalition RFP and its target of 20 million tonnes of high-integrity nature-based carbon removal will be the most visible near-term commitment delivery test.
Salesforce’s stated long-term aspiration is net zero at a planetary scale, meaning the company defines its own success as contingent on enabling systemic change through its platform, partnerships, and customer base, not only through reducing its own footprint. Net Zero Cloud’s expansion under Agentforce AI is the primary commercial vehicle for this vision, as it positions Salesforce as the infrastructure layer through which enterprises globally manage their transition to net zero.
Source
https://net0tracker.com/corporates.html/Salesforce/
https://www.salesforce.com/news/stories/nature-based-actions-cop30/
https://www.salesforce.com/net-zero/cloud/
Comparisons to Industry Competitors
Microsoft and SAP are the most relevant enterprise software comparators. Microsoft targets carbon negative by 2030 and zero waste by 2030, with a long-term commitment to remove all historical carbon it has emitted since its founding by 2050. Salesforce’s total GHG footprint of 1.271 million tCO2e in FY25 is substantially smaller than Microsoft’s, reflecting the difference in data center scale, but Salesforce’s Scope 3 as a percentage of total (91%) is comparable to Microsoft’s. SAP has committed to net zero across its value chain by 2030 and discloses Scope 3 data across 10 or more GHG Protocol categories, a disclosure level Salesforce matched in FY25.
On nature, Salesforce leads enterprise software peers with 52 million trees funded and the Symbiosis Coalition co-founding, a level of nature-positive investment with no equivalent disclosed by SAP or Oracle. On supplier engagement, Microsoft’s 2030 target for 100% of its Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers to set their own science-based targets is structurally more ambitious than Salesforce’s 60% FY25 target, which was itself missed at 25%. ServiceNow has set a 2030 net zero across Scope 1 and 2 target but does not yet publish comparable Scope 3 category-level disclosure.
Enterprise Software ESG Metrics (Latest Available Data)
Source
https://trellis.net/article/salesforce-shifted-2030-climate-goals-while-going-all-in-ai/
https://investor.salesforce.com/esg/default.aspx
https://blogs.microsoft.com/on-the-issues/2024/05/15/microsoft-environmental-sustainability-report-2024/
What to Watch: 12 to 18 Month Indicators
Scope 3 Absolute Emissions in FY26 Annual Report
The FY26 Stakeholder Impact Report, expected in April 2026, will be the first report against the new intensity-based Scope 3 SBTi targets formally approved in FY26. The critical question is whether Scope 3 absolute emissions continue to grow alongside AI-driven revenue expansion, or whether the combination of supplier engagement improvements and data center efficiency gains begins to bend the absolute curve. If Scope 3 absolute emissions exceed 1 million tCO2e in FY26, it will confirm that the intensity framework is delivering a mathematical goal while the actual emissions trajectory moves in the wrong direction.
Supplier SBT Coverage Recovery Trajectory
Salesforce’s FY25 supplier SBT coverage of 25% against a 60% target represents the most specific unresolved gap in its sustainability programme. The FY26 report will establish whether the company has set a revised supplier SBT target with a new deadline or whether it has effectively deprioritized the commitment following the FY25 miss. Any formal revision downward from 60% without a credible alternative coverage pathway would confirm that the supply chain accountability mechanism for Salesforce’s largest emissions category is structurally inadequate.
Symbiosis Coalition RFP and Nature-Based Carbon Removal Credit Delivery
Salesforce co-founded the Symbiosis Coalition with a commitment to deliver up to 20 million tonnes of high-integrity nature-based carbon removal credits by 2030, with an RFP planned for 2026. The RFP launch in 2026 will be the first practical test of whether institutional co-buyers can collectively mobilize high-integrity nature credit supply at the scale and price point the voluntary carbon market needs to function. Given the market’s credibility issues since 2022, Salesforce’s willingness to publish the RFP terms, the participating buyer coalition, and the verification standards applied will be a signal watched by every ESG-committed enterprise still seeking to address residual value chain emissions.
Source
https://www.salesforce.com/en-us/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/documents/white-papers/salesforce-fy25-stakeholder-impact-report.pdf
https://trellis.net/article/salesforce-shifted-2030-climate-goals-while-going-all-in-ai/
https://www.salesforce.com/news/stories/nature-based-actions-cop30/
Salesforce has two genuine sustainability achievements that go beyond the technology sector. Maintaining 100% renewable energy and net zero residual emissions for three consecutive years at a $38 billion company scale is operationally credible, and the 58% absolute Scope 1 and 2 reduction against the FY19 baseline, delivered eight years ahead of the original target, reflects a procurement and infrastructure programme that actually outpaced its own commitments. The $25 million Frontier commitment and the Symbiosis Coalition co-founding also represent category-defining demand signals for next-generation carbon removal and high-integrity nature markets, not just philanthropic investments.
The FY25 strategic shifts, however, introduce legitimate structural questions. Switching Scope 3 targets from absolute to intensity-based, at a point when the intensity goal had already been 91% achieved, while simultaneously missing the supplier SBT coverage goal by 35 percentage points, describes a company that has decoupled its hardest accountability mechanism from the emissions category that represents 91% of its footprint. For a company whose commercial position in the ESG software market depends on demonstrating that precise, absolute, value chain-level accountability is achievable, this structural inconsistency between its own commitments and its product positioning deserves direct attention from leadership.
Three strategic takeaways for practitioners benchmarking or replicating Salesforce’s approach:
- Supplier engagement is the bottleneck for enterprise software companies’ Scope 3 programmes. Salesforce’s 25% coverage against a 60% target reflects a common pattern: supplier sustainability requirements embedded in contracts through exhibits like the Salesforce Supplier Sustainability Exhibit will not convert to SBT adoption without dedicated supplier activation budgets, technical assistance, and verification infrastructure. Practitioners structuring similar programmes should treat the gap between contractual requirement and verified supplier adoption as a standalone investment priority, not as a compliance outcome that follows automatically from policy.
- Independent tree audits should be standard practice for any nature-based commitment. Salesforce’s decision to publish the ERM mid-term audit, including the 10% tree loss finding, is one of the more transparent nature accounting actions in corporate sustainability. The audit improved the programme’s credibility by demonstrating accountability. Practitioners managing reforestation or ecosystem restoration portfolios should commission independent survival and additionality audits at regular intervals and publish the results, because the absence of such audits is increasingly treated by sophisticated ESG audiences as a red flag rather than a neutral omission.
- Intensity targets are only credible when published alongside an absolute emissions forecast. The Trellis analysis showing that Salesforce may already be within one year of its FY31 intensity goal demonstrates that intensity metrics without absolute backstops can allow companies to claim success while actual emissions grow. Practitioners designing Scope 3 target frameworks should pair intensity goals with published absolute emissions ranges, making explicit the scenarios under which the intensity target would be met without absolute reductions, so that stakeholders can assess whether the stated ambition reflects genuine decarbonization or revenue-outpaced emissions growth.
Source
https://www.salesforce.com/en-us/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/documents/white-papers/salesforce-fy25-stakeholder-impact-report.pdf
https://trellis.net/article/salesforce-shifted-2030-climate-goals-while-going-all-in-ai/
https://www.salesforce.com/in/news/stories/tree-audit-findings-2024/
https://investor.salesforce.com/esg/default.aspx
