The urgency of climate change demands that we prioritize clean energy investments that deliver the greatest possible decarbonization benefits to the grid.

​

Because the current GHGP accounting framework relies on market boundaries, companies are disincentivized to support clean energy procurement outside of the markets where they operate. This limits investment in regions where decarbonization may be most needed.Consequently, nearly $3 trillion USD in clean energy investments flow primarily to already developed markets, with 85% of those investments going to the US and Europe. 

​

Carbon matching addresses this issue by directly measuring the real-world emissions impact of load and clean energy generation. This ensures that no matter where companies choose to procure, they are accurately measuring and reporting the impact of their actions. Moreover, by shining a light on the emissions impact, carbon matching enables organizations to evaluate and prioritize procurements that will drive the greatest possible decarbonization benefits to the grid.

​

Over the next 15 years, an emissions first approach could:

​

Avoid 1.7 billion tonnes of CO2 and;

Funnel $85 billion USD of investment into emerging economies 

 

Adopting carbon matching and establishing flexibility in market boundary requirements would drive catalytic investments to economies that have not historically benefited from corporate investment in clean energy, while delivering the greatest possible decarbonization benefits to the grid.

​

​

​

 

​In 2023, Salesforce committed to purchasing 280,000 MWh over the next eight years from small, distributed clean energy projects across Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia. They prioritized sourcing projects in non-traditional markets, aiming to deliver both social and environmental benefits to local communities. These projects are expected to generate a significant emissions impact. Under the current system, there is no accountable emissions benefit for Salesforce’s action.​​​

 

 

 

It’s important to note that carbon matching is an accounting approach, not a procurement strategy. It offers a uniform way to appropriately measure and value a range of procurement actions — whether a company chooses to prioritize investments in clean energy close to home or in the world's dirtiest grids. To drive energy investments where they have the greatest impact globally, our accounting system must appropriately measure and enable a broad suite of meaningful procurement actions.

​