Explore Additional Features for Carbon Accounting

Learning Objectives

After completing this unit, you’ll be able to:

• List the stages of carbon footprints.
  
• Explain record locking and carbon footprint recalculation.
  
• Explain why you need an annual carbon inventory record.
  

Carbon Footprint Stages

A carbon footprint record is flexible in Net Zero Cloud. Companies can choose the reporting period for carbon footprints and how granular they want footprints to be. For example, Sam has the flexibility to create carbon footprint records that summarize emissions for a single asset for a given year, or for multiple assets across any period. NTO has chosen to create carbon footprints for each stationary and vehicle asset source for a single year.

Sam notices that on all carbon footprint records there’s a field called the Footprint Stage. Carbon footprints for NTO go through a detailed process of approval and audit. All data is validated within Sam’s team and calculations are completed. Then, both internal and external audits are conducted to ensure that all emissions are correctly accounted for.

Net Zero Cloud makes this process easy to manage. The Footprint Stage field comes with logical values that help Sam move the record through each stage with a simple click! Let’s take a closer look at these values and what they mean.

The following picklist values are available by default for the Footprint Stage field on a carbon footprint record in Net Zero Cloud, but your admin can customize the stages as per company requirements.

• Emissions source confirmation: The user confirms whether to include an individual building or vehicle asset in the carbon footprint.
  
  
• Data collection: All energy consumption records are entered and associated with the assets.
  
  
• Validation: The user determines that the initial data looks correct, including the input and the calculated emissions output based on the associated emissions factors.
  
  
• Renewable energy allocation: The renewable energy allocation information is added to the energy consumption records.
  
  
• Internal audit: An internal auditor validates the energy consumption and carbon footprint information.
  
  
• External audit: An external auditor validates the carbon footprint information.
  
  
• Completed: The validated carbon footprint record is marked as complete.
  

The best part is that Sam can easily manage multiple carbon footprint records through their lifecycle using the Kanban view. This view makes the workflow better because Sam can visually track where each record is in the footprinting process. And when one stage is complete, he simply drags the record and drops it to the column of the next stage!

Do More with Carbon Footprints

The flexibility doesn’t end there. Sam explores a few additional features that make carbon accounting even easier with Net Zero Cloud.

Lock the Carbon Footprint Record

To ensure that the carbon footprint record is not updated accidentally or by an automated process, Sam locks the carbon footprint record, which also locks the child, or associated, energy use records. This prevents the carbon footprint record and all the energy use records associated with it from being recalculated. It also prevents accidental updates to the records during audits. Locked carbon footprint records can be unlocked later.

Recalculate the Carbon Footprint

The carbon footprint record can become out of sync with the energy use records that are associated with it, such as when emissions factors change or when the energy consumption numbers are updated in a child energy use record. If the emissions factors have changed for any associated energy use records, Sam can click Recalculate on a carbon footprint to reset and recalculate values from all attached energy use records. When a child energy use record is added or updated, Net Zero Cloud automatically recalculates all the child energy use records and the carbon footprint record. No manual updating and tracking needed!

Sam can modify, lock, unlock, and recalculate carbon footprint records that he created. But if he wants to perform these actions on records that are created by other users, he must have Modify All permission on them. Sam can work with the Salesforce admin to gain the required permissions.

Why Do You Need a Carbon Inventory?

Sam now understands all the essentials of carbon accounting. Since all the work’s done and it’s the end of the year, Sam wants to give himself a pat on the back and a well-deserved break. But before that, he notices that there’s one last item left to be ticked off his to-do list. Sam can create an annual emissions inventory record for any given year to roll up all carbon footprints for all sources and activities. The aim for NTO is to set a science-based target and develop an emissions reduction target in line with Science-Based Targets Initiative’s (SBTi) criteria. The carbon inventory is the first step towards getting started on that path.

On an annual emissions inventory record, Sam can see granular information for each emissions source type, broken up by category and activity and even the percentage of each emissions type towards the total emissions. Emissions from a Carbon Footprint record are aggregated into the annual emissions inventory if they meet the following conditions:

• The Reporting Year on a footprint record matches the Year that is selected during inventory creation.
  
• The Footprint Stage on a footprint record matches the Carbon Footprint Stage that is selected during inventory creation.
  
• The Annual Emissions Inventory on a footprint record is associated with an inventory record.
  

Previously, Sam would have had to do all these calculations manually. That could have taken months! Salesforce Net Zero Cloud enables easy recording and traceability of calculated emissions. Moreover, Sam can also use this data to further forecast NTO’s emissions for upcoming years accurately. Sam can truly have a restful time-off!

Sum It Up

Salesforce Net Zero Cloud solves many of the issues with traditional carbon accounting: incomplete or missing records, manual data tracking in multiple spreadsheets, and unstructured data. The time it took NTO to collect, calculate, and audit data has been reduced from months to weeks.

With all the data flowing directly onto one platform, Sam can efficiently quantify the carbon footprint across scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions and reduce NTO’s carbon footprint, getting them closer to their net zero goal. Following in his footsteps, you too can formulate a climate action plan from a single source of truth, and easily measure and manage your plans with your trusted partner, the Net Zero Cloud.

Resources

• Salesforce Help: Manage Carbon Accounting
  
• Salesforce Help: Record Locking and Recalculation
  
• Salesforce Help: Data Auditing