Q&A with Steffen Müller, Global Director, Sustainability Advisory, Salesforce
| Can you provide insights into Salesforce’s Nature Positive Strategy, especially its key objectives and how it aligns with global commitments, such as Global Biodiversity Framework goals?
Salesforce is committed to a net zero, nature-positive future. We have long recognized nature’s important role in supporting livelihoods, combatting and adapting to climate change, and safeguarding vital ecosystem services. That’s why Salesforce is investing in nature-based solutions, advocating for policies that will deliver a nature positive future, and leveraging catalytic capital to invest in both the ecopreneur revolution and innovative solutions that tackle the climate and nature crises.
Salesforce launched its Nature Positive Strategy in April 2023 to articulate our company’s relationship with nature and how we plan to play our part in realizing our commitment to a net zero, nature-positive future rooted in people and climate justice. The strategy focuses on reducing our nature impacts, leading on restoration at scale, and accelerating customer success and the nature positive movement. We are committed to ensuring we have a comprehensive nature positive program that brings the full power of Salesforce to address the nature crisis. This is why, in recent years, we:
〉Invested in nature-based solutions;
〉Advocated for policies that will deliver a net zero, nature-positive future;
〉Supported mandatory nature-related disclosures;
〉Committed to purchasing 1 million tons of high-quality blue carbon credits;
| How does Salesforce measure, manage, and reduce its impacts and dependencies on nature across its value chain, as outlined in the Nature Positive Strategy?
Even though our direct impacts on nature are not as substantial compared to sectors with value chains directly dependent on natural resources, we recognize that it’s critical to understand the scope of our impacts and dependencies. We are committed to understanding, managing, and developing a plan to reduce our impacts and dependencies on nature across our business, including data centers, offices, value chains, people, and products. To do this we participated in the Task Force on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD)’s pilot phase ahead of its launch in September 2023.
In doing the assessment, which looked at our direct operations, focusing on high-priority categories in our upstream value chain (suppliers), and sectors downstream (customers), we gained a much stronger understanding of our impacts, dependencies, risks, and opportunities. We have used this information to inform both the development and implementation of our Nature Positive Strategy.
| Could you elaborate on Salesforce’s participation in the Task Force on Nature-related Financial Disclosures and its significance?
To reduce our impacts on nature, we must first measure and understand them. In FY24, we conducted an initial nature impact assessment, in line with TNFD’s beta framework, to identify risks, opportunities, impacts, and dependencies. The assessment included a high-level value chain analysis, nature-specific materiality assessment, and a deep dive into priority sites within our direct operations. We have used this information to inform both the development and implementation of our Nature Positive Strategy. We also provided feedback to the TNFD secretariat as part of the piloting group, which was used to form the final TNFD recommendations, published in September 2023.
| How does Salesforce plan to use solutions like Net Zero Cloud to support customer sustainability journeys?
We’re using our core competencies and bringing the full power of Salesforce to help organizations increase impact, reduce cost, and drive sustainable transformation through our Net Zero solutions and a robust partner ecosystem for customers.
With Net Zero Cloud, companies can quickly view, analyze, and report on their environmental footprint with reliable, investor-grade data. This data is essential for third-party audits, financial filings, corporate reputation, and building trust with all stakeholders.
Reliable, high-quality data and transparent reporting are the most critical foundation in any emissions reduction program. Footprinting generates the externally verified single source of truth for past emissions, utilizing the most accurate generally accepted methodologies assured by our financial auditors. Forecasting integrates footprinting data with key business drivers and the latest science and policy predictions to generate estimates for future emissions across multiple scenarios. These insights enable us to implement proactive changes while ensuring efficient resource deployment.
Automate ESG Reporting combines the best of Net Zero Cloud, Tableau, Customer 360, AppExchange, and Salesforce partners to help Net Zero Cloud customers gather environmental, social, and governance data into a single framework. Automating the reporting process makes reporting more intelligent and increases productivity and efficiency across the organization. Today, Net Zero Cloud is equipped with AI and supports ESG disclosure frameworks like CSRD, GRI, CDP, and SASB. More reporting frameworks are to be added throughout the three annual product innovation releases.
Salesforce Net Zero Cloud Advisory Services experts work with an organization’s team and partners to help ensure faster time to value and long-term success. These experts share their deep Salesforce expertise and knowledge of our latest ESG features and technology to help organizations achieve their objectives.
| What advocacy efforts does the company have in place to empower local communities and Indigenous peoples?
In line with Salesforce’s global climate policy priorities, we must work with all stakeholders, including underrepresented and impacted communities, to ensure a just and equitable transition to a more resilient net-zero society. This includes supporting and recognizing local communities and Indigenous peoples as leaders for conservation and restoration.
As part of our Nature Policy Priorities, we will advocate for policies that support and recognize local communities and Indigenous peoples as leaders for conservation and restoration. Our advocacy efforts will aim to:
1. Provide engagement platforms for local communities and Indigenous peoples in global discussions on nature-based solutions: There is broad evidence that territories managed by Indigenous communities are among the most effectively conserved and most sustainably managed. Salesforce will advocate for inclusion of local communities and Indigenous peoples in the UNFCCC and CBD and related global and national policy forums.
2. Enable the leadership of vulnerable communities: Salesforce will support policies aimed at including vulnerable communities at every level of decision-making, from needs assessment, planning, implementation, enforcement and evaluation. Advocate for increased fair and equitable investments into nature-based solutions
3. Support the rights of local communities and Indigenous peoples to Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC): Salesforce will advocate for application of FPIC through standards and practices for nature-based solutions, including for the Voluntary Carbon Market.
Indigenous leaders are critical partners when it comes to restoration. In support of our 1t.org pledge, Salesforce has supported Global Forest Generation and Accion Andina who are leading restoration efforts across the Andes.
By partnering with ecopreneurs like Acción Andina, Salesforce aims to make a substantial contribution to 1t.org’s critical reforestation mission. The work of Acción Andina has been recognized globally and won the prestigious Earthshot Prize 2023 for its emphasis on water security, creating income opportunities, and promoting sustainable resource management.
Working with local partners like Acción Andina is vital to Salesforce’s sustainability efforts. Empowering those with localized knowledge ensures that solutions implemented will yield the highest probability of success, and have the largest impacts possible for the Earth’s most important ecosystems.
| What specific policies does Salesforce advocate for in its Climate Justice Policy Priorities, especially those related to clean energy investments, infrastructure resilience, and dedicated bodies for climate justice programs?
Climate change impacts every individual, company, city, and nation, but the costs weigh heaviest on the world’s most vulnerable communities, amplifying global inequality. Salesforce recognizes that vulnerable communities have been and continue to be disproportionately impacted by climate change due to structural inequalities related to age, race, gender, color, national origin, income, location, and additional factors. Those who are already vulnerable due to a range of historic and ongoing social, economic, and political factors have a lower capacity to prepare for, cope with, and recover from climate change impacts. We also seek to lift up youth voices, whose future will be most impacted by policies decided today.
Salesforce’s Climate Justice Policy Priorities ensure that we advocate for policies that:
1. Ensure the Net Zero Transition Prioritizes Equality,
2. Promote Inclusive Decision-making and
3. Build Community Resilience You can learn more about each policy priority here.
| brief bio
Steffen Müller leads Salesforce’s Sustainability Advisory practice. He bridges corporate sustainability expertise and technological know-how in sustainability management solutions. He works closely with Salesforce’s corporate customers in EMEA and consults on digital and sustainable transformation. Steffen has been working in enterprise transformation for the past 15 years. As a board member for “Digitalization and Sustainability” of Germany’s digital business association Bitkom, Steffen is a thought leader on the corporate twin transformation towards a digital and sustainable economy, thriving within planetary boundaries. In this context, he strongly advocates for Salesforce’s Climate Action Plan and Nature Positive Strategy to promote private sector support for nature conservation and restoration.
| about
Salesforce, headquartered in San Francisco, USA, is the world’s leading provider of cloud-based customer relationship management (CRM) software for companies of all sizes and industries. Sustainability has long been on the agenda at Salesforce and has been established as one of the core corporate values, along with trust, customer success, innovation, and equality. Salesforce is convinced that business is the biggest platform for change and can and must significantly contribute to society and the environment. Salesforce developed the “1-1-1 model” when the company was founded: Every year, we donate 1% of our equity, 1% of our employees’ time, and 1% of our products to giving back.
| All opinions expressed are those of the author and/or quoted sources. investESG.eu is an independent and neutral platform dedicated to generating debate around ESG investing topics.
