At Salesforce, we believe strongly that businesses should be driven by values, not just the bottom line. Those values should shape everything from strategy to company culture. We see it every day in our employees and colleagues. One fantastic example of Salesforce’s company values in action is EMEA Proposal Engagement Manager and Salesforce Belgium Sustainability Ambassador, Bofuki Clarys Ilito.
A sense of purpose
Bofuki applied to be a local Sustainability Ambassador in part because of her passion and drive for purpose. While sustainability on its own is a topic close to her heart, she also sees the broader vision — with education, poverty, and technology partnerships all woven in. Her own experiences as a child with parents from Africa means she knows the importance of education and she doesn’t take things for granted.
“I’m the kind of person who wants to be mindful in mind, body, and soul. I think that everyone has to be accountable for their actions.”
Organisational accountability
The larger the company, the more impact it could have on the environment and society. While many leadership teams understand the positive effect sustainability policies have on their firm’s value, there is still a lot to be achieved. That’s why the EU regulation DIRECTIVE 2014/95/EU — known as the non-financial reporting directive (NFRD) — requires large companies to publish regular reports on the social and environmental impacts of their activities, is so important.
Equally, the European RFP regulation will be more and more immersed with requisites on Sustainability for companies. There’s going to be a very large EU budget available for actions related to this directive and for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). So while it may seem like a huge step for many companies the resources are there to support the changes that are needed.
Where does Salesforce come in?
Salesforce is very much a values-led company, and the Salesforce 2020 Stakeholder Impact Report shares the ways that the company is driving change. From using resources to support people directly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic (like donating over $10 million to frontline organisations and charities) to fighting to promote and protect equality and diversity, the report covers subjects like Operating with Integrity and Workforce Development.
When Bofuki researched Salesforce’s commitment to sustainability, she was impressed with just how much is done to amplify the positive impact the company has. “The sustainability story is very interesting,” she said, “Salesforce is doing so much behind the scenes – we’re managing our water, our waste, we’re creating Virtual Power Purchase Agreements, we’re on the way to planting one trillion trees.”
In fact, the Stakeholder Impact Report covers a great deal in the ‘Protecting Our Planet’ section. Things like a commitment to clean and renewable energy, advocating for climate policy, and creating carbon-neutral tools are all part of an overall commitment to the environment and society as a whole.
Support fulfilling the EU regulations
Net Zero Cloud was launched in 2019, and as a local Sustainability Ambassador, Bofuki is also a Net Zero Cloud Blackbelt. The platform lets companies measure their environmental impact, so is a great benefit to any business striving to meet the requirements of the EU non-financial reporting regulations. To be able to comprehensively track the data you need, you’ll be pulling it in from different places and in different formats — something that will involve a lot of time and effort.
Net Zero Cloud takes all the required data streams and puts it all into one tool for ultimate visibility, letting you track and measure what you need to.
“Where Net Zero Cloud really stands out is that it’s good in platform, which means it’s great not just at getting all the right information, but actually doing something with that data as well.”
As one master application that brings all your data together in an up-to-date, detailed, and quick way, it can drive strategies and operating models as well as keeping you compliant with the NFRD. Giving companies a well-defined and user-friendly insight into their carbon footprint is the first step towards making the big changes needed to improve overall sustainability, as well as ensuring a better future for our children and grandchildren.
Find out more about Net Zero Cloud!
