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Explore Key Sustainable Procurement Processes

Learning Objectives

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

  • Explain how sustainability is built into the procurement process.
  • Explain how Salesforce evaluates supplier sustainability progress.
  • Describe how Salesforce is enabling suppliers on their net zero journey.

To create impactful programs that can scale, we aim to fully integrate sustainability into our procurement strategies, processes, and decision-making from supplier selection to contracting to performance evaluation and risk monitoring. We empower our sourcing team and key partners to help design and implement innovative mechanisms that mobilize supplier action and demonstrate that climate action is a business priority.

Three circles connected by a line showing three key steps in the procurement process: selecting suppliers, contracting, and working together.

Selecting Suppliers

When Salesforce issues a standard request for proposal (RFP) for a product or service, sustainability expectations are clearly stated. This ensures alignment of values and prevents miscommunication on either side. A standard Salesforce RFP includes a set of general sustainability-related requests with additional industry-specific questions included as needed. Here are examples of what you might expect from a Salesforce RFP. 

Examples of General Sustainability-Related Questions and Requests

Sustainability Initiatives and Commitments    
Climate Targets    
  • Provide a link to or a copy of your most recent annual corporate sustainability/CSR/environmental report.
  • Is your company able to agree to the Salesforce Sustainability Exhibit?

  • Has your company set a science-based target for reducing GHG emissions?
  • If not, can your company commit to setting such a target by 2024?
  • Will your company annually report allocated GHG emissions to Salesforce?

Examples of Potential Industry-Specific RFP Questions and Requests

Travel, Hotels
Workplace Services
Data Centers
  • Does your carbon emissions measurement align with the Hotel Carbon Measurement Initiative (HCMI)?
  • By what percentage do you expect to improve fuel efficiency by 2050?

  • How is your company minimizing the waste your product/service generates?
  • How is your company minimizing the environmental footprint your service generates?

  • What is the facility PUE?
  • Describe the renewable energy being procured or that will be procured to match our energy use at this site.

Contracting

If the supplier is selected to provide products/services to Salesforce, sustainability will be included in the contract through a Sustainability Exhibit. Depending on the industry, scale of business with Salesforce, and several other factors, additional sustainability requirements may be included in the contract. 

The next unit explores the contents of the Sustainability Exhibit. 

Working Together

Evaluate Performance

Once we begin working with our suppliers, we use a consistent framework to regularly evaluate progress. We use third-party tools, such as EcoVadis and CDP Supply Chain, as well as custom surveys to collect data and track progress. 

Suppliers that participate in strategic business reviews with Salesforce can expect to discuss sustainability and review their progress against our sustainability expectations during these meetings. 

Accelerate Progress by Enabling Our Suppliers

Our approach to supplier sustainability is built on our understanding that sustainability is a journey and that we can only be successful if we work together. We strive to provide our suppliers with support and resources that can accelerate their progress to net zero. This includes both direct, high-touch engagements and providing scalable solutions to common challenges. For example, our Net Zero Toolkit introduces key concepts like building a business case for climate action, measuring GHG emissions, setting climate targets, and making progress towards them. 

We’re particularly focused on taking an inclusive approach to supplier sustainability that supports small and diverse businesses to build their climate resilience and meet the expectations of customers and other stakeholders. As part of our enablement program, we provide special programs and resources that are tailored for smaller businesses. 

Titles of the five modules in Salesforce’s Net Zero Toolkit for Suppliers: Starting Your Climate Action Journey, Introduction to GHG Accounting, Introduction to Net Zero Targets, Working Toward Net Zero, Supplier Sustainability Resource Library.

In the next unit, you learn more about the Sustainability Exhibit, a key document used to integrate sustainability requirements into the supply chain. 

Resources

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