name: Salesforce Net Zero Cloud Vocabulary
description: >-
  Domain vocabulary and taxonomy for Salesforce Net Zero Cloud, covering
  carbon accounting concepts, GHG Protocol scopes, sustainability metrics,
  and ESG reporting terminology.
version: "1.0"
created: "2026-05-02"
modified: "2026-05-02"
source: https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.netzero_api.meta/netzero_api/

terms:
  - term: Carbon Emission
    definition: >-
      A release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere from a specific
      source or activity. Measured in metric tons of CO2 equivalent (MtCO2e)
      and classified into Scope 1, 2, or 3 based on the GHG Protocol.
    aliases:
      - GHG Emission
      - Greenhouse Gas Emission
    related:
      - Scope
      - Emission Factor
      - CO2 Equivalent

  - term: CO2 Equivalent (CO2e)
    definition: >-
      A standardized unit for measuring and comparing the warming potential
      of different greenhouse gases. All gases are converted to the equivalent
      amount of CO2 that would produce the same warming effect over 100 years.
    aliases:
      - CO2e
      - MtCO2e
    related:
      - Carbon Emission
      - Global Warming Potential

  - term: Scope 1
    definition: >-
      Direct greenhouse gas emissions that occur from sources owned or controlled
      by the reporting organization. Examples include combustion of fuel in
      company-owned vehicles or on-site boilers.
    related:
      - GHG Protocol
      - Carbon Emission

  - term: Scope 2
    definition: >-
      Indirect greenhouse gas emissions associated with the purchase of electricity,
      heat, steam, or cooling from external suppliers. The emissions physically
      occur at facilities that generate the energy.
    related:
      - GHG Protocol
      - Renewable Energy

  - term: Scope 3
    definition: >-
      All other indirect emissions that occur in a company's value chain,
      both upstream (supply chain, purchased goods) and downstream (product
      use, end-of-life treatment). The most comprehensive emissions category.
    related:
      - GHG Protocol
      - Supply Chain
      - Value Chain

  - term: GHG Protocol
    definition: >-
      The Greenhouse Gas Protocol — the world's most widely used greenhouse
      gas accounting standard. Provides standards, guidance, tools and
      training for businesses and governments to measure and manage climate-
      warming emissions. Defines the Scope 1/2/3 framework.
    aliases:
      - Greenhouse Gas Protocol
      - WRI GHG Protocol

  - term: Emission Factor
    definition: >-
      A coefficient that converts activity data (energy used, distance traveled,
      money spent) into an equivalent quantity of greenhouse gas emissions.
      Emission factors are sourced from EPA, DEFRA, IEA, and other authorities.
    related:
      - Carbon Emission
      - Calculation Method

  - term: Net Zero
    definition: >-
      A state in which the greenhouse gases going into the atmosphere are
      balanced by removal out of the atmosphere. Achieved by reducing emissions
      as close to zero as possible and removing remaining emissions through
      carbon sequestration or carbon offsets.
    related:
      - Carbon Neutral
      - Carbon Offset
      - Sustainability Goal

  - term: Carbon Neutral
    definition: >-
      Having no net release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, achieved
      by balancing carbon emissions with carbon removal or elimination of
      carbon emissions altogether through offsetting.
    related:
      - Net Zero
      - Carbon Offset

  - term: Science Based Target
    definition: >-
      An emission reduction target aligned with what climate science says
      is necessary to limit global warming to 1.5°C or 2°C above pre-industrial
      levels. Validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).
    aliases:
      - SBT
    related:
      - Net Zero
      - GHG Protocol

  - term: Sustainability Goal
    definition: >-
      A defined commitment to reduce environmental impact by a specific
      amount within a target timeframe. Goals may target emissions, energy,
      water, waste, or other sustainability dimensions.
    types:
      - NetZero
      - CarbonNeutral
      - ScienceBasedTarget
      - RenewableEnergy
      - WasteReduction
      - WaterReduction

  - term: ESG
    definition: >-
      Environmental, Social, and Governance — a framework for evaluating
      corporate sustainability and ethical practices. The Environmental
      component includes climate, energy, water, and waste metrics reported
      through Net Zero Cloud.
    aliases:
      - Environmental Social Governance

  - term: Reporting Year
    definition: >-
      The calendar or fiscal year covered by a sustainability data record.
      Organizations typically report emissions annually aligned with their
      fiscal year.
    related:
      - Reporting Period

  - term: Activity Data
    definition: >-
      Quantitative data about operations that produce emissions, such as
      kilowatt-hours of electricity consumed, liters of fuel burned, or
      kilometers driven. Combined with emission factors to calculate CO2e.
    related:
      - Emission Factor
      - Calculation Method

  - term: Calculation Method
    definition: >-
      The approach used to convert activity data into emission quantities.
      Net Zero Cloud supports spend-based, activity-based, supplier-specific,
      and average-data calculation methods.
    values:
      - SpendBased
      - ActivityBased
      - SupplierSpecific
      - AverageBased

categories:
  - name: GHG Accounting
    description: Core greenhouse gas accounting concepts
    terms:
      - Carbon Emission
      - CO2 Equivalent (CO2e)
      - Scope 1
      - Scope 2
      - Scope 3
      - GHG Protocol

  - name: Sustainability Commitments
    description: Goal-setting and commitment frameworks
    terms:
      - Net Zero
      - Carbon Neutral
      - Science Based Target
      - Sustainability Goal

  - name: Measurement
    description: Data collection and calculation concepts
    terms:
      - Emission Factor
      - Activity Data
      - Calculation Method
      - Reporting Year

  - name: Reporting
    description: Disclosure and reporting frameworks
    terms:
      - ESG
      - Reporting Year