ZENDESK
“ We believe that forging robust partnerships is imperative in tackling the climate crisis , because no one company can do it alone , and we must take collective actions ”
SHENGYUAN SU SUSTAINABILITY DIRECTOR , ZENDESK
Sustainability : A key part of business The transformation for Zendesk is centred around environmental , social and governance ( ESG ) as it builds a strategy for the future and a team to execute . This journey began in 2019 when the company published its inaugural sustainability report . “ Sustainability is a key component of our value , ‘ care for others ’,” says Su . “ That includes caring for our planet and our communities . And we firmly believe that businesses can be a major force to make the world a better place ”.
One strategic area of focus for Zendesk is decarbonisation across its value chain , which hinges on the team ’ s ability to integrate sustainability into core parts of the business , as Su explains .“ This includes our workplace , product development , cloud operations and supply chain ,” Following this , she highlights some key figures , indicating the success of the organisation through its achievements :
• Adoption of 100 % renewable energy across its global offices
• Delivery of carbon-neutral products to its customers
• Achieve carbon neutrality on employees ’ business travel and commuting activities
To continue reducing emissions at a speed and scale that is most needed by the planet , further commitments have also been made by Su and the Zendesk team , pertaining to the emissions of the business and those embedded in third-party operations . These commitments are validated and approved by the Science-Based Target initiative ( SBTi ):
• 84.2 % reduction in Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions from its offices by 2030 – based on 2019 figures
• Continue sourcing 100 % renewable electricity through 2030
• 68.4 % of suppliers by emissions to set Science-Based Targets ( SBTs ) by 2027
Cultivating strong partnerships to accelerate sustainability “ We believe that forging robust partnerships is imperative in tackling the climate crisis , because no one company can do it alone , and we must take collective actions ”, said Su .
Beyond partnering with internal crossfunctional groups to reduce emissions , Zendesk is an early pioneer in purchasing engineering-focused carbon removal technologies , which are essential for achieving societal-level net zero , but in a very early commercialisation stage . Most recently , Zendesk joined Frontier .
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