Climate Lobbying Overview: Salesforce has largely positive engagement with climate change policy at both the federal and state level in the US, supporting recent measures such as the Inflation Reduction Act. The company’s direct engagement is at odds with its indirect influence through industry associations, as it remains a member of multiple groups with highly negative engagement, such as the National Association of Manufacturers where a Salesforce executive sits on the Board.

Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: Salesforce has taken a strong top-line stance in favor of climate change policy in both the EU and US. The company supported global GHG emissions reductions in line with a 1.5°C target in its Global Climate Policy Principles, released in 2021. In the US, Salesforce supported multiple iterations of the federal reconciliation bills, including stating in October 2021 that it was willing to accept the pay-for provisions of the Build Back Better Act in order to successfully pass the climate measures in the bill. In May 2022, CEO Marc Benioff signed an open letter to EU President Ursula von der Leyen supporting an “ambitious an effective” Fit for 55 package. The company also clearly supports the Paris Agreement, as evident in its FY21 Stakeholder report in which it detailed support for the U.S. to rejoin the Paris Agreement and advocated for more ambitious nationally determined contributions leading up to COP26.

Engagement with Climate-Related Policy: Salesforce has positive engagement with specific climate policy in both the US and EU from 2018-2022. In the EU, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff signed a May 2022 open letter to EU President Ursula von der Leyen advocating for more ambitious reforms to the EU ETS, Energy Efficiency Directive, and Renewable Energy Directive. In July 2022, Salesforce EVP and Chief Impact Officer Suzanne DiBianca published an Op-Ed for CNN lamenting the lapse in congressional negotiations on the Build Back Better Act as well as the Supreme Court verdict on West Virginia v. EPA, which limited the power of the EPA to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. Earlier that year, in January 2022, Salesforce joined a group of companies in filing an amicus brief with the Supreme Court supporting the powers of the EPA in the West Virginia case. As an active member of the Ceres BICEP Network, Ceres has also signed multiple joint letters in support of specific policies at the federal and state level, such as a May 2022 letter urging policymakers to strengthen federal standards for GHG emissions from medium and heavy-duty vehicles.

Positioning on Energy Transition: Salesforce offers frequent support for the transition to a low-carbon economy and energy system, particularly via joint letters to policymakers. In July 2022, it endorsed the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act in a statement to Protocol. In advance of COP26 in October 2021, CEO Marc Benioff joined the Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders in advocating for the removal of fossil fuel subsidies, and in August 2021, Benioff tweeted in support of Costa Rica’s effort to permanently ban oil and gas exploration. In a September 2021 blog post, Salesforce stated support for the Clean Electricity Performance Program as proposed in the US Build Back Better Act. Previously, in a December 2020 Ceres BICEP Letter, Salesforce supported California’s Title 24 Building Energy Efficiency Standards, which would require all-electric construction for new residential buildings in the state.

Industry Association Governance: Salesforce discloses a list of trade associations it is a member of but does not provide details on the company’s role within each group, or any attempts to influence their climate positions. It has not published a formal review of its alignment with its industry associations. Salesforce remains a member of the National Association of Manufacturers, where it serves on the Board of Directors, as well as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and California Chamber of Commerce, all of which continues to oppose ambitious climate action.

In September 2021, Salesforce Vice President and Global Head of Sustainability Patrick Flynn stated that the US Chamber’s lobbying against the proposed budget reconciliation bill did not align with the company’s position and that Salesforce was working to improve the Chamber’s position on climate. Salesforce is also a member of the Business Roundtable, which lobbies with mixed positions on climate policy, as well as the Business Council of Australia, both of which demonstrate largely negative engagement with climate policy. This summary was last updated in Q4 2022.