Salesforce today announced a carbon credit marketplace for enterprises to buy their way closer to net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
The Net Zero Marketplace will launch in October with more than 60 sustainability-focused projects and businesses offering carbon credits for sale. The idea is that enterprise funds used to purchase carbon credits from what Salesforce dubs "ecopreneurs" will land in the hands of organizations with missions centered around climate change mitigation, adaptation, or nature-based solutions.
Enterprises can then claim those positive environmental impacts they helped fund as part of their sustainability initiatives by subtracting the carbon mitigation or removal funded by the credits from their own emissions footprint.
In a reality where decades-long climate coverups came from the corporations that contribute the most to climate change, this can be a dangerous game. Nothing about buying a carbon credit inherently changes the nature of the purchasing company's environmental impact or GHG emissions – but after some math, they can say it does.
Despite opening a door to greenwashing, carbon credits can have merit if they're used supplementally with a company's efforts to lower its emissions.
"Extreme weather events, happening right now all around the world, clearly show that no one is spared from the worst effects of climate change. Our planet urgently needs smart solutions to help mitigate this crisis," Salesforce EVP and Chief Impact Officer Suzanne DiBianca said. "A business aiming to achieve long-term emission reductions can supplement their efforts with high-quality carbon credits."
To that point, Salesforce says it views carbon credits "as a way to finance nature-based solutions and new technologies needed today, while also setting an internal price on carbon to further support its emissions reduction efforts."
Cultivating the Carbon Credit Market
Beyond helping companies zero in on net-zero emissions, DiBianca said the marketplace will improve the overall trust in the global voluntary carbon market "so organizations can transparently source carbon credits and accelerate climate action."
The marketplace will initially see carbon credit providers like Pachama, Lune, and Climate Impact Partners, among others. Salesforce says the "quality" or integrity of the credits sold on its platform is independently verified by third-parties Sylvera and Calyx Global against global standards like the Verified Carbon Standard.
This marks a move of "unprecedented transparency," according to the software company. Carbon credit project ratings are available in Salesforce's marketplace without being behind a paywall or account barrier.
The platform, which is built on Salesforce's Commerce Cloud, also includes a climate action hub for businesses and individuals to "learn and engage in the climate issues they care about."