Salesforce hits emissions goal ahead of schedule

Cloud computing giant Salesforce said Thursday that it has achieved net zero greenhouse gas emissions — a rare milestone for a company of its size.

The San Francisco firm also announced that it would be providing a carbon-neutral cloud for its customers that eliminates indirect emissions in its data centres.

Salesforce sustainability director Patrick Flynn said the company achieved its goal primarily by offsetting its greenhouse gas emissions with investments in carbon credit projects in Honduras and India.

Salesforce also signed two 12-year renewableenergy contracts with wind farms in Texas and West Virginia.

The company, which paid another firm to review its emissions records, said it is achieving its goal more than three decades ahead of schedule.

“We feel an urgency and a need to act, and we think every company has a part to play in improving the state of the world,” Flynn said.

Other Silicon Valley companies are also vying for environmental milestones. Google has said it is buying enough wind and solar power to ensure that its operations run entirely on renewable energy this year.

As Salesforce prepares to move into its soon-tobe-completed headquarters, the tallest building in San Francisco, Flynn said it will look for more opportunities to invest in carbon credit projects to balance out its emissions as it grows. The Salesforce Tower itself has attained the highest level of certification offered by the U.S. Green Building Council.

“In meeting their goal ahead of schedule, the company is demonstrating the power of intention and how setting a bold, public, net zero emissions goal can unleash innovation,” said Anne Kelly, senior policy director of Ceres, a nonprofit group that works with investors and businesses to encourage sustainability, in an email.

“We hope they share their strategies and methodology widely.”