Living sustainably is a top-of-mind concern for individuals, businesses, and overall governments as everyone strives to reduce their environmental footprint and understand their role in protecting our planet. Sustainability isn’t a trend or a buzzword – it’s a necessity for the longevity and health of our planet as we know it.
Why is it important to measure the impact of our sustainability efforts?
Measuring sustainability impact is like using a compass. It guides companies toward greener practices. Without measurement, it’s hard to know if efforts are making a difference. Companies need to be accountable for their action and measuring impact shows stakeholders that a company is serious about sustainability.
You can’t improve what you don’t measure.
Tracking sustainability metrics helps to identify areas for improvement and measurable data builds trust with customers, investors, and employees. It shows that a company is committed to real change. Many governments require companies to report their environmental impact and measuring sustainability ensures compliance with these regulations.
How API adoption and reuse impact sustainability
API adoption across the enterprise and reusing them allows companies to avoid duplicating efforts. Instead of building new APIs from scratch, they can leverage existing ones.
This reduces the computational infrastructure resources needed to run the integrations and save human effort required for development and testing.
Here is an equation that can be used to quantify carbon emission avoidance through API adoption and reuse:
Total carbon emission avoided = Emission avoided by not using additional cloud infrastructure + Emission avoided through developers hours saved
How to estimate the amount of cloud infrastructure emissions you’ve avoided
API reuse is a powerful strategy for reducing CO₂ emissions. By reusing APIs, you can streamline operations, reduce resource consumption, and minimize environmental footprint. For example, by reusing 30% of APIs, you can avoid numerous point-to-point integrations. This reduces the need for additional infrastructure to execute duplicate integrations.
To assist with estimating carbon emission output, there are tools like Climatiq.io that can input cloud provider name, virtual machine instance type and geographical location of data center and obtain carbon emission data.
You can use this tool to estimate emissions and compute carbon emission avoidance. For example, if each virtual machine instance in a data center consumes 100 kWh of energy and the emission factor is 0.5 kg CO₂ per kWh, the total emissions for 10 virtual machine instances would be 500 kg CO₂.
By reusing 30% of APIs, you can eliminate the need for certain virtual machine instances. Calculate the emissions avoided by subtracting the emissions of the reduced virtual machine instances from the total emissions. If reusing APIs eliminates three virtual machine instances, the avoided emissions would be as follows:
3 virtual machine instances * 100 kWh * 0.5 kg CO₂/kWh = 150 kg CO₂
How to estimate developer emissions by using the carbon intensity of electricity generation
API adoption and reuse help in saving developer effort to build unnecessary duplicate point to point integrations. Less developer effort means fewer trips to the office. This reduces the emissions from commuting, regardless of mode of transportation. Fewer commutes lead to lower fuel consumption and fewer greenhouse gas emissions. With fewer developers working on duplicate integrations, there is a reduction in office energy use. This includes savings on lighting, electricity, heating, and cooling. Lower energy consumption in the office directly impacts carbon emissions, as less electricity is needed to power the workspace.
To estimate developer emissions, gather data on the energy consumption of developers’ activities, including office energy use and commuting. Determine the carbon intensity of electricity generation in your region.
This is usually measured in kilograms of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour (kg CO₂/kWh). Use the carbon intensity data to calculate the emissions from developers’ activities. For example, if the carbon intensity is 0.5 kg CO₂/kWh and a developer uses 100 kWh of electricity, the emissions would be 50 kg CO₂.
By reusing APIs and reducing developer effort, calculate the emissions avoided. For instance, reusing APIs eliminates the need for three developers to commute and work on duplicate integrations, estimate the total energy savings and apply the carbon intensity factor.
For example, if each developer saves 100 kWh of electricity and the carbon intensity is 0.5 kg CO₂/kWh, the total emissions avoided would be:
3 developers * 100 kWh * 0.5 kg CO₂/kWh = 150 kg CO₂
Challenges in measuring sustainability impact
Measuring the sustainability impact from cloud emissions and developer emissions is crucial for businesses aiming to reduce their carbon footprint. However, this task comes with several challenges. Collecting accurate and consistent data on energy consumption and emissions can be challenging. Incomplete or inaccurate data can lead to incorrect conclusions.
Emissions data often come from various sources, including cloud service providers, office energy use, and commuting patterns. Integrating these data sources into a cohesive system is complex. Estimating emissions from office energy use and commuting involves tracking indirect emissions, which can be more challenging than direct emissions from specific activities.
As technology evolves, so do the tools and methods for measuring emissions. Keeping up with these changes requires continuous effort and adaptation. Fortunately, there are existing software tools for sustainability management, environmental, social, and governance (ESG) reporting, and carbon accounting to help with your efforts as technologies continue to progress.
Define your sustainability KPI measurement and reporting plan
When defining sustainability KPIs, focus on specific, measurable, achievable and time-bound targets for reducing carbon emissions. For example, if you aim to reduce CO₂ emissions by 20% over the next year, establish a target for API reuse and time to develop an API, both measures which directly impact carbon emission savings.
For example, aim to reuse 30% of APIs to minimize redundant efforts and infrastructure. Regular reporting keeps stakeholders informed and accountable. Be transparent about your methods and results. Share the data sources, calculation methods, and assumptions used in your measurements. Provide clear and concise reports that stakeholders can easily understand. Use charts, graphs, and other visual tools to present your data. Visualizations make it easier to grasp complex information at a glance.
- Highlight key achievements and areas for improvement
- Report your sustainability KPIs quarterly and annually
- Update stakeholders to keep them engaged and informed about your progress
- Review and update your KPIs to ensure they remain relevant and aligned with sustainability goals
Sustainability – it’s everyone’s responsibility
Sustainability is something that everyone – companies and individuals alike – is responsible for. While individual efforts aren’t without merit, it’s paramount that businesses take action to ensure they are making larger-scale efforts to reduce their CO₂ emissions and lessen their overall negative impact on the health of our environment.
For more information about our own efforts, learn more about Salesforce’s commitment to a more sustainable future:
“Our vision is to leverage the full power of Salesforce to accelerate our customers’ journey to net zero emissions with Net Zero Cloud, lead the nature positive movement through 1t.org, invest in the ecopreneur revolution, and drive the energy transition to halve global emissions by 2030 while reducing Salesforce’s value chain emissions by 50% by FY31.”
