Zendesk recently set its most ambitious goals yet to help combat climate change. These targets were approved by the Science-Based Target Initiative (SBTi), an organization that promotes best practices in reducing emissions. The latest climate science shows that to prevent the most devastating effects of climate change, we must ensure the global temperature doesn’t get warmer than 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. By setting SBTi-approved targets, we’re contributing to a 1.5°C-aligned future.
- Zendesk commits to reduce absolute Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions 84.2% by 2030 from a 2019 base year. Zendesk also commits to continue active annual sourcing of 100% renewable electricity through 2030.
- Zendesk further commits that 68.4% of its suppliers by emissions, covering purchased goods and services, and capital goods, will have science-based targets by 2027.
This means we will reduce our greenhouse gas emissions from our global offices by 84.2% by 2030, compared to the levels they were at in 2019, and we will continue purchasing renewable energy and certificates equivalent to the amount of electricity we use in our operations. In addition, we will engage our key suppliers to set their own science-based targets.
“We firmly believe businesses have a critical role to play in creating a sustainable world that thrives,” said Tom Eggemeier, Zendesk CEO. Aligning business goals with climate action can spark innovation, optimize resources, and drive long term success. Our ambitious science-driven climate targets stretch beyond just accelerating our own sustainability initiatives. We want to work together with our communities in a way that helps us all move towards a low-carbon future.”
Reducing emissions across the entire value chain has always been a top priority of the Zendesk sustainability strategy. We have made meaningful progress through key initiatives like switching to a digital-first strategy, purchasing 100% renewable energy and certificates for our global offices, and engaging cloud vendors to consolidate computing resources and migrate to more energy efficient cloud instances.
We are proud about our achievements, and we know there’s more work to be done. By establishing new science-based targets, we aim to continue reducing emissions in a speed and scale that is deemed most needed by the planet, and we’re developing a multi-year decarbonization roadmap to make our targets a reality. The comprehensive plan encompasses various elements including but not limited to:
Continue improving our renewable energy strategy, and maximize the positive environmental impact of our purchasing.
Align our global offices with world-leading green building standards.
- Apply sustainable AI strategies to measure and minimize the carbon footprint of our AI products and features.
Implement a supply chain sustainability strategy, to factor sustainability into supplier relationships, and engage suppliers to set their own science-based targets.
In this climate action journey, we commit to remaining transparent on our progress and challenges, and will share more details of our climate action plan and our learnings with customers, stakeholders, and communities.