The customer engagement platform is scaling its climate program with Watershed.
Braze, the leading customer engagement platform helping brands forge lasting connections, is embedding sustainability into every part of its business. With strong executive support, a dedicated sustainability lead, and a strategic partnership with Watershed, Braze has built a cross-functional sustainability program that combines rigorous measurement with bold action on clean power—and a continuous improvement mindset.
Challenge
Braze’s climate work began with leadership-level commitment and clear ambition to lead, but like many companies in the early stages of sustainability work, it lacked a defined roadmap and the internal systems needed to bring that vision to life. The company needed expert guidance to build a science-aligned program and embed sustainability into its operations company-wide.
Solution
Braze partnered with Watershed for end-to-end support across measurement, reporting, and reduction planning. With expert guidance and platform tools, the Braze team gained the data, strategy, and momentum needed to scale its program—including clean power procurement and SBTi target submission.
Results
Audit-ready emissions reporting: The team completed three emissions footprints and adopted the CEDA methodology for more granular, global insights.
Expanded clean power investment: Braze participated in a VPPA funding five new solar projects and procured high-quality EACs to cover nearly all global offices.
Climate strategy embedded in operations: Braze now uses emissions data to guide reduction efforts across teams, from procurement to executive planning.
Challenge
Braze’s sustainability journey started with strong top-down momentum. CEO Bill Magnuson, a vocal advocate for climate and social impact, championed the company’s ESG efforts early on. “At Braze, we see sustainability not just as a responsibility, but as a strategic imperative,” Magnuson says. “By aligning with science-based targets and embedding ESG across our operations, we’re building a stronger company and a more resilient future.”
That commitment began taking shape in 2021, with the launch of Braze’s first social impact program and the formation of its ESG function, which included a climate arm. But without in-house climate expertise or scalable tools for managing sustainability data, the sustainability lead faced a steep learning curve. “You can’t develop the foundations of a strategy without understanding your data,” says Dylan Mayer, Braze’s Sustainability Senior Lead.
As a software company with a footprint concentrated in scope 2 and scope 3 emissions, Braze knew that embedding sustainability across every team—not just the ESG team—would be critical. But to build a program that could scale, it needed granular data and expert guidance.
Solution
Braze selected Watershed for its comprehensive platform and expert team, spanning everything from greenhouse gas accounting and science-based targets to clean power purchasing. Weekly meetings with Watershed quickly became a cornerstone of Braze’s climate program. And when Braze underwent a leadership transition, Watershed helped bridge the gap, onboarding Mayer and maintaining momentum.
“When I evaluated other climate platforms, Watershed stood out for its product and people,” Mayer says. “They’re truly an extension of our team.”
With Watershed’s support, Braze launched and scaled a robust climate program:
“The expertise and continuity Watershed provides is the primary reason we signed a multi-year renewal. They’ve made it possible to build a high-impact program, fast. ”
Dylan Mayer,
Sustainability Senior Lead at Braze
Results
Two footprints completed and counting
Braze has completed two emissions footprints and a rebaseline post-acquisition, with a third underway. The company worked with Watershed to transition from a U.S.-only emissions factor model to CEDA (Comprehensive Environmental Data Archive), the most up-to-date and geographically detailed emissions database available. Covering 60,000 emissions factors across 148 countries and 400 industries, CEDA allows Braze to more accurately reflect the emissions associated with its global operations—especially in Scope 3, where emissions vary widely by region and supplier. The annually updated data gives Braze a more precise foundation for setting targets and tracking reductions, building confidence in its data, goals, and impact.
“For us, the footprints highlight where we need to focus—and which internal partners we need to engage in order to reduce our emissions,” says Mayer. “Completing them is a race, but Watershed helps us get to the finish line.”
Braze worked with Watershed to develop near-term science-based targets and publish its first TCFD report—critical milestones in building a long-term, science-aligned decarbonization strategy.
Clean power strategy delivering global impact
Braze partnered with Watershed on a virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA)—a long-term financial contract between a company (Braze) and a renewable energy project—to fund five solar projects in Michigan. Braze committed to purchasing Energy Attribute Certificates (EACs) equivalent to 1,600 MWh annually, which are projected to avoid approximately 3,800 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent. The company also procured high-quality EACs to offset its scope 2 emissions from nearly all global offices in FY’24.
“Our VPPA is a key lever in reducing emissions—and in greening the grid,” Mayer says. “Watershed made it possible to partner with other similar-size technology companies to launch this VPPA, showing our ability to collaborate with our peers—and even our competition—while driving impact forward together.”
Tools and team to go further, faster
Braze uses Watershed’s platform weekly for emissions data uploads, reduction planning, and stakeholder engagement. The platform helped Mayer ramp up quickly after he joined Braze and took on the sustainability lead role, providing continuity and context: “Watershed has provided our growing and evolving team with continuity and support as we navigated a leadership shift—they truly are an extension of our team and has been with us every step of the way—answering questions, presenting to execs, and keeping us moving.”
“We’ve made so much progress that wouldn’t have been possible without Watershed.”
Dylan Mayer,
Sustainability Senior Lead at Braze
For Braze, the climate journey is just getting started. “We’re proud of how far we’ve come—but there’s always a next level,” says Mayer. “At Braze, the sky’s the limit: we have buy-in across the company and our program continues to break down walls. We’re excited to keep collaborating both with internal partners and Watershed alike to achieve and ramp up our goals.”
