Salesforce Net Zero Cloud Best Practices
Salesforce Net Zero Cloud Best Practices save time, reduce risk and improve outcomes. They show which actions deliver results and which don't. Here are some of those lessons.
01. Start with Clear Goals
Without clear climate goals, technology is aimless.
For most companies, the primary goal is to reduce carbon emissions. But that goal needs to be substantiated to be measurable. It helps to delineate this goal by office, asset, activity and scope-wise category.
Some companies will select a combination of climate and commercial goals. This may include things like lowering energy consumption and operating expenses, achieving differentiation and competitive advantage, or identifying new value creation opportunities.
The most forward-looking companies will adopt science-based targets. These goals aim to achieve net zero emissions: hence the product name.
The application provides a five-step process for custom goals or science-based targets.
What is Net Zero?
Achieving net-zero means emitting no more greenhouse gases than you are able to remove.
This goal is supported by The Paris Agreement of 2015 to limit the global temperature increase to below 1.5 degrees Celsius (1.5˚C).
The guidance for this goal is to achieve about 50% emissions reductions by 2030, and near-zero emissions by 2040.
Companies can then choose to remedy their residual emissions by purchasing carbon credits that represent the avoidance, reduction or removal of carbon dioxide (or its equivalent) from the atmosphere.
Many times, goals will be designed to satisfy constituents such as investors, shareholders, employees, and customers. Other times, governments will prescribe mandatory compliance.
Even when compulsory, the goal is not without its financial upside. An increasing volume of customers will pay a premium for environmentally sourced products. More and more employees choose to work for environmentally friendly employers.
Smart executives know that profit and purpose go hand in hand. That's why they align sustainability goals with company priorities to accelerate both.
See Corporate Sustainability ROI and Payback to view the climate-related profit levers.
02. Solidify your Project Scope
Regulatory requirements, such as the California Climate Disclosure Laws, may determine the project scope needed to deliver compulsory reporting.
But regardless of whether the effort is voluntary or compulsory, parameterize your project into the scope-wise categories of Scope 1, 2 and 3.
Recognize that Scope 3 includes 15 categories. Each of these categories can increase time and effort exponentially.
Scope-wise segmentation can align your resources among work streams. It will also align your data with climate reporting.
It's smart for first time adopters to start small with scope 1 and 2, develop base reporting, and then step up to scope 3 in the following year.
03. Include a Sustainability Leader
Your Chief Sustainability Officer should be the executive sponsor. If the company doesn't have this role, consider a part-time or fractional Chief Sustainability Officer for the duration of the project. Otherwise, you will need to allocate the responsibilities to others.
Refer to the below position description diagram to understand the collective role-based responsibilities that are essential for executive sponsorship.
Getting the right project sponsor will avoid extended planning periods, experimentation pursuits and project detours.
04. Assemble the Right Team
In addition to the executive sponsor, the team will need application consultants with deep technical expertise. But what separates this application from others is the need for carbon accountants and climate regulatory experts.
The carbon accountant will ensure proper greenhouse gas accounting treatment, emissions calculations and compliance with regulatory requirements. This person should be a subject matter expert with the GHG Protocol (GHGP).
The GHGP Corporate Standard provides guidance and requirements for companies to prepare their GHG emissions inventory. It's also prescribed or recommended by most regulatory agencies.
It's part of a complex maze. Subject matter experts are needed to assemble the mix of requirements by regulatory authorities (i.e., State of California, SEC, CSRD, SECR) with reporting standards (i.e., SASB, ESRS) and GHG frameworks (i.e., GRI, Greenhouse Gas Protocol).
05. Implementation Methodology
My father used to remind me, "Well begun is half done." I think that adage is quite relevant to enterprise software deployment.
An implementation methodology is an essential tool to define the pathway that achieves targeted results in the shortest time and least cost. It designs and communicates the business goals, identifies the actions to achieve those goals, mobilizes resources to execute the actions and measures progress in real-time.
Below is an illustration of the Johnny Grow Net Zero implementation methodology.
Applying specific objectives, prescriptive methods, resource allocation and real-time analytics will collectively create more favorable outcomes than would occur otherwise.
06. Don't Forget Change Management
Becoming a sustainable enterprise is a transformative process for most companies. And even when you know what to do, business transformation can be a difficult journey.
That's why a change management program is needed.
It systemically shifts the organization from a current state to a defined future state. And it does this while mitigating productivity loss during the transition, creating an environment for sustained change and realizing the benefits of change more quickly.
Below is an illustration of the Johnny Grow change management program.
Some of the change events and artifacts include a change readiness assessment, Comms Plan, climate and commercial impact analysis, climate and culture alignment, post go-live decarbonization activities and value realization measurements. These steps ensure resistance to change will not delay or deteriorate project objectives.
07. Plan for Decarbonization
Getting the application to a production environment will deliver visibility to your company's GHG emissions by office, asset, scope and other factors.
But to make a difference you need to move from reporting to action. You need to advance from measuring your carbon footprint to reducing it.
Make sure your application is designed and configured to easily support high impact decarbonization strategies such as energy optimization, electrification and the circular economy.
08. Consider Sustainability Reporting as a Service
Sometimes companies are looking for a fast path to compliance reporting.
Sustainability Reporting as a Service can be a short-term, budget friendly option to satisfy regulatory authorities or company stakeholders.
For example, an outsourced agent can produce climate or ESG reports to satisfy California Climate Disclosure Laws (SB 253 and SB 261) or the SEC Climate Disclosures. Or reports may be designed for company stakeholders, such as investors, shareholders, employees or customers.
A Salesforce Net Zero Cloud Best Practices Partner
Consider Johnny Grow if you are looking for a partner to bring these and other Salesforce Net Zero Cloud Best Practices to your company.
We are a certified and experienced Salesforce Net Zero consulting partner. We're also a catalyst and thought leader for environmental sustainability. We not only help clients become carbon neutral, we achieve that goal ourselves.