Microsoft and SAP See Enterprises Scale Climate Platforms Ahead of 2026 Reporting

Executive Summary

• Large enterprises expand climate platforms to meet CSRD and IFRS S2 assurance, prioritizing auditable Scope 1-3 data integrated with ERP and procurement systems (European Commission CSRD) and (IFRS S2).
• Enterprises increasingly deploy multi-cloud sustainability stacks anchored by Microsoft, SAP, Salesforce, AWS, and Google, with data lakehouses consolidating emissions, energy, and supplier data (Microsoft Cloud for Sustainability) and (SAP Sustainability).
• CIOs and CFOs adopt standardized controls and automated assurance, aligning climate data with audit-ready evidence chains and internal controls frameworks (EFRAG ESRS) and (Salesforce Net Zero Cloud).
• Vendors emphasize deployment blueprints: ERP-native workflows, supplier onboarding portals, and API connectors to energy, IoT, and procurement systems to accelerate time-to-value (AWS Sustainability) and (Google Cloud Carbon Footprint).

Enterprises Move From Pilots to Platform Rollouts Global enterprises are shifting from climate-data pilots to platform-scale rollouts to meet disclosure and assurance requirements that expand in 2026 under the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and IFRS S2. The EU framework requires granular, auditable environmental metrics, pushing CIOs to integrate emissions data with finance and procurement systems rather than run standalone tools (European Commission) and (IFRS Foundation). Platform vendors are responding with prescriptive deployment patterns that bundle data ingestion pipelines, supplier data exchange, and audit-ready evidence chains. Microsoft and SAP emphasize ERP-native carbon accounting and procurement integration, while Salesforce positions Net Zero Cloud for CSRD and supply-chain coverage. Cloud providers including Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud add provider-specific carbon data plus APIs to unify reporting across multi-cloud estates. "Customers want sustainability data embedded in day-to-day financial and procurement decisions, with controls that stand up to assurance," said Melanie Nakagawa, Chief Sustainability Officer at Microsoft in a recent company update. "We are focused on interoperability, auditability, and enterprise-scale deployments." (Company site). Deployment Playbooks Standardize on ERP, Assurance, and Supplier Data Exchange SAP is aligning climate data models and product footprints in its core applications so emissions accounting runs alongside orders, logistics, and manufacturing. "Sustainability must be built into core processes, not bolted on," said Thomas Saueressig, Member of the Executive Board, SAP SE, leading Product Engineering, in an update on SAP’s sustainability portfolio (SAP). Salesforce is packaging supplier engagement and data validation workflows to help customers meet CSRD materiality and value-chain disclosures. Patrick Flynn, SVP and Global Head of Sustainability at Salesforce, said customers are prioritizing auditable supply-chain data capture and automated controls ahead of first assurance cycles (Salesforce). Cloud infrastructure players are complementing software stacks with emissions telemetry and analytics: Google Cloud provides project- and service-level carbon metrics, and AWS exposes customer carbon footprint data to support consolidated reporting. Operational technology leaders are helping enterprises connect plant and building data to corporate climate systems. Schneider Electric and Siemens offer connectors and templates to bring real-time energy, HVAC, and process metrics into sustainability data lakes, improving the fidelity of Scope 1 and energy intensity baselines. Key Enterprise Platforms and Deployment Patterns

Vendor	Deployment Focus	Common Enterprise Use Case	Source
Microsoft Cloud for Sustainability	ERP and procurement integration	Audit-ready Scope 1-3 accounting, supplier data onboarding	Microsoft
SAP Sustainability	Embedded in core processes	Product carbon footprint, operational footprint in S/4HANA	SAP
Salesforce Net Zero Cloud	Supplier engagement and assurance	CSRD-aligned disclosures, audit trails, supplier questionnaires	Salesforce
AWS Sustainability	Cloud emissions telemetry	Consolidated multi-account cloud reporting and analytics	AWS
Google Cloud Carbon Footprint	Service-level carbon metrics	Project-level analysis and optimization workflows	Google Cloud
Schneider Electric EcoStruxure	Operational energy data integration	Facility energy, IoT telemetry, performance dashboards	Schneider Electric

Adoption Tactics: Multi-Cloud, Data Lakehouses, and Controls Automation CIOs are standardizing on multi-cloud stacks that centralize data in lakehouses to harmonize emissions factors, meter data, and supplier inputs. Provider carbon tools from Google Cloud and AWS feed into enterprise platforms like Microsoft, SAP, and Salesforce to ensure consistent calculations and audit trails mapped to ESRS and IFRS S2 requirements (EFRAG) and (IFRS). Enterprises are also deploying supplier portals and APIs to expand primary data coverage across Scope 3 categories, reducing reliance on spend-based estimates. Operational platforms from Schneider Electric and Siemens connect real-time energy and process data to emissions ledgers, improving benchmarking, abatement planning, and assurance readiness. These steps align with related Climate Tech developments as procurement and finance teams co-own decarbonization execution. "The priority is control and evidence: every number needs lineage back to source systems," said Patrick Flynn, SVP of Sustainability at Salesforce, describing customer focus areas for the next reporting cycle (Salesforce). This emphasis on governance and automation is shaping RFPs and bake-offs as enterprises rationalize overlapping tools. What This Means for Budgets and Roadmaps Budget owners are consolidating point solutions into platform-aligned deployments anchored to ERP, finance, and cloud estates, with implementation roadmaps that prioritize data foundations, supplier coverage, and assurance controls before moving to scenario planning and abatement cost curves. Standard-setting bodies are reinforcing this sequencing by tying disclosures to materiality assessment, data quality, and internal control frameworks (EFRAG ESRS) and (IFRS S2). For technology leaders, the deployment playbook increasingly mirrors financial systems implementations: design master data models, integrate operational telemetry, codify controls, and enable assurance workflows. Vendors are publishing reference architectures to shorten time-to-value and reduce program risk, a trend expected to persist into the next reporting cycle alongside broader Climate Tech trends. FAQs { "question": "How are regulatory timelines shaping enterprise climate platform deployments?", "answer": "CSRD and IFRS S2 are pushing enterprises to accelerate deployments focused on audit-ready data and internal controls. The EU’s CSRD expands assurance and granular disclosure requirements, while IFRS S2 standardizes climate-related disclosures for capital markets. As a result, CIOs prioritize ERP integration, supplier data exchange, and evidence chains that map to ESRS and IFRS guidance. This sequencing helps organizations pass assurance while setting a foundation for abatement planning and scenario analysis." } { "question": "Which vendors are most commonly used in enterprise climate stacks today?", "answer": "Enterprises typically combine Microsoft Cloud for Sustainability or SAP Sustainability for ERP-native accounting with Salesforce Net Zero Cloud for disclosures and supplier engagement. AWS and Google Cloud provide provider-level carbon telemetry that feeds consolidated reporting across multi-cloud estates. Operational data is often integrated via Schneider Electric EcoStruxure or Siemens building and plant platforms. This mix enables standardized calculations, governance, and audit trails across business units and regions." } { "question": "What deployment strategies reduce time-to-value for climate programs?", "answer": "Successful programs start with a data foundation: harmonized emissions factors, meter and IoT integrations, and supplier APIs. For more on [related conversational ai developments](/conversational-ai-market-size-rapid-growth-real-revenue). Teams implement standardized controls and evidence workflows aligned to ESRS and IFRS S2, then automate disclosures and dashboards. Multi-cloud telemetry from AWS and Google Cloud is unified in a central lakehouse, and ERP integration ensures procurement and finance workflows capture climate impacts. Reference architectures published by vendors further accelerate delivery and reduce integration risk." } { "question": "How do enterprises improve Scope 3 data quality across supply chains?", "answer": "Organizations are deploying supplier portals, standardized questionnaires, and API-based data exchange to collect primary emissions and product footprint data. They supplement estimates with operational metrics where possible, validate entries with third-party factors, and tie all records to audit trails. Platforms from Microsoft, SAP, and Salesforce help automate outreach and validation, while operational systems from Schneider Electric and Siemens bring in energy and process data that improves accuracy over time." } { "question": "What will define success in the next reporting cycle?", "answer": "Success will hinge on auditability, coverage, and operational impact. Teams that deliver end-to-end evidence chains—from cloud and facility telemetry to supplier data and ERP transactions—will navigate assurance efficiently. Consolidated platforms will replace overlapping tools, and data will drive procurement decisions, abatement investments, and budgeting. With CSRD and IFRS S2 shaping expectations, the winners will embed sustainability into core processes rather than treat it as a reporting afterthought." } References

• Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) - European Commission, Accessed January 2026
• IFRS S2 Climate-related Disclosures - IFRS Foundation, Accessed January 2026
• European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) - EFRAG, Accessed January 2026
• Microsoft Cloud for Sustainability - Microsoft, Accessed January 2026
• SAP Sustainability Solutions - SAP, Accessed January 2026
• Salesforce Net Zero Cloud Overview - Salesforce, Accessed January 2026
• AWS Sustainability - Amazon Web Services, Accessed January 2026
• Carbon Footprint for Google Cloud - Google Cloud, Accessed January 2026
• EcoStruxure Platform - Schneider Electric, Accessed January 2026
• Connected Buildings and Energy Management - Siemens, Accessed January 2026