Becoming a sustainability-focused company just got a whole lot easier, as Salesforce has announced a new platform named Sustainability Cloud, aimed at helping businesses take action on tackling climate change.
Salesforce is one of the biggest names in global tech, and the brand behind one of the most popular CRM platforms in the world. With over 150,000 paying customers worldwide and 20% of the CRM market share, the San Francisco-based company is the gold standard for helping businesses to understand their customers and scale up their sales platforms.
On top of this, it seems you can now add climate accountability to its software suite. Salesforce has plans to launch a sustainability platform before the end of this year, designed to make it easier for companies to prioritize the environment when running their business.
What is Salesforce Sustainability Cloud?
Salesforce Sustainability Cloud is “a carbon accounting product for businesses to drive climate action that will accelerate the world’s efforts towards carbon neutrality”.
Simply put, it will allow businesses to fully understand their impact on the environment while providing data to help address any serious concerns, and it’s not a moment too soon.
“At Salesforce, we’ve always believed business is the greatest platform for change. Addressing climate change with speed and at scale is critical to see a turning point by 2020,” said Suzanne DiBianca, chief impact officer and EVP of corporate relations at Salesforce. “Businesses must work together to be the greatest force for climate transformation the world has ever seen.”
Salesforce argues that the business world has a substantial responsibility in tackling climate change, and the trends back up this thinking. A recent survey of global CEOs found that they listed “climate change” as the top risk to their companies’ growth, while sustainability investments reached $30 trillion in 2018.
In the context of growing concern about climate change action, Salesforce, the most popular CRM, is providing platform to help businesses take sustainability seriously on a day-to-day basis. The Sustainability Cloud platform is set to launch in December 2019.
Big Business and Climate Change
From Alphabet’s almost aggressive commitment to renewable energy, to Impossible Whoppers at Burger King, big business is addressing climate responsibility – even if it’s occasionally a cash grab. However, it’s pretty easy for companies with plentiful resources to commit to taking climate action. But what are small companies supposed to do that when they don’t have the capital to completely shift their strategy?
This is where a platform like Sustainability Cloud can come in handy. In fact, other companies have already established similar platforms.
PwC, for one, has an entire program designed specifically to help businesses become “future proof” as far as climate change is concerned.
The reality is that while the business world is beginning to shift towards a more sustainable future, the pace at which it’s doing so is not making enough of an impact. As climate activist Greta Thunberg has said on multiple occasions, “you’re not trying hard enough.”
With companies such as Salesforce and PwC providing high quality platforms for businesses to tackle climate action, there’s huge potential for climate-positive practices to be spread throughout the business world.
Salesforce and Social Good
In addition to launching the Sustainability Cloud platform, Salesforce is also committed to climate action in a number of other ways. For one, the company joins a coalition of other businesses hoping to “set 1.5°C science-based emissions reduction targets aligned with a net-zero future.” Additionally, Salesforce will be a part of the first-ever UN Youth Climate Summit, has donated a $250,000 grant to EcoRise, and will host the east coast launch event for The Prince’s Accounting for Sustainability Project.
Salesforce is no stranger to improving the world through social good, even outside of the climate change discussion. CEO Marc Benioff has been a huge advocate for addressing the homelessness problem in the US, most notably spearheading a $30 million research project at the University of California San Francisco to investigate the reasons for and solutions to homelessness. The company also routinely honors the LGBTQ community via its employee-led Outforce initiative.
Salesforce also provides not-for-profits with a CRM specifically designed for them. By focusing on donor-retention and constituent engagement, the platform can make a big difference for companies looking to make the world a better place through improved business practices in the not-for-profit sector. It’s a surprisingly competitive corner of the CRM landscape, in fact, with dedicated companies such as Beacon offering a bespoke CRM platform for charities to use.
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