Management and technology consultancy Accenture has expanded its alliance with customer relationship management (CRM) software leader Salesforce with a new partnership in sustainability services.

Accenture and Salesforce will help clients across industries progress toward their environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals. The partnership will combine the resources of Accenture’s Sustainability Services consulting practice with Salesforce Sustainability Cloud.

Accenture’s sustainability practice advises companies on transitioning to low-carbon energy, reducing the carbon footprint of their IT, cloud, and software operations, and designing and delivering net-zero supply chains.  Salesforce Sustainability Cloud is built on Customer 360, the world’s leading CRM platform. The offering allows companies to track, analyze, and report environmental data – and then formulate climate action plans from a single source of truth.

Accenture will help its clients integrate Sustainability Cloud into their strategy, operating models, technology, and core processes with industry-specific expertise, and then develop insights that can be scaled across the organization.

“Our clients’ commitment to sustainability has never been greater,” said Julie Sweet, CEO of Accenture. “As industries reimagine and rebuild from the pandemic, they have the opportunity to embed sustainability by design to drive their customer agenda. We are delighted to expand our partnership with Salesforce to help organizations both create value and deliver on their values.”

With Accenture’s implementation services and the Salesforce platform, companies will be better able to act on sustainability initiatives, report on carbon usage, meet regulatory requirements, and create positive consumer experiences, according to a release from the Dublin-based consulting firm.

“By integrating sustainability deep into the fabric of our companies, our businesses will become more successful, our communities more equal, our societies more just and our planet healthier,” said Marc Benioff, chair and CEO of Salesforce. “We’re incredibly proud to be working with Accenture to help customers more readily drive sustainability programs that benefit all stakeholders and create business value.”

Accenture and Salesforce said they will eventually expand the platform and services to track and analyze broader ESG goals, including water and waste management and diversity and inclusion.  Consulting firms have been expanding their sustainability offerings as a growing chorus of investors and community stakeholders demand more company action and transparency on initiatives in climate change, working conditions, diversity, and executive pay, among other areas.  Mercer recently launched a climate change solution for institutional investors, while FTI launched sustainability tool ESG Compass.

Source:  Consulting.us