Salesforce, the global leader in CRM, recently announced that Salesforce Tower—which opened to the first group of Salesforce employees this week—will feature the largest on-site water recycling system in a commercial high-rise building in the United States. This is a transformative milestone in the company's ongoing sustainability journey and the first of its kind for the City of San Francisco.

In Salesforce Tower, wastewater from sources such as rooftop rainwater collection, cooling towers, showers, sinks, toilets and urinals will be collected, treated in a centralized treatment center and recirculated through a separate pipe system to serve non-potable uses in the building. The system will reduce drinking water demand by saving up to 30,000 gallons of fresh water a day, 7.8 million gallons a year, equivalent to the annual water consumption of 16,000 San Francisco residents.

In collaboration with the City of San Francisco and Boston Properties, the blackwater system will be installed in Salesforce Tower making it the first partnership in the U.S. between a city government, building owner and a tenant to support blackwater reuse in a commercial high-rise building. The system will provide water recycling for all tenants in Salesforce Tower and offers a blueprint for how other companies looking to make a positive impact in the world can harness sustainable innovation.

The water recycling system is the latest example of Salesforce’s commitment to the environment through green building practices. Salesforce has also achieved or is pursuing green building certification in 64 percent of its global office spaces and LEED Platinum certification—the highest possible achievement—for three buildings in its San Francisco headquarters.

Since the company’s founding, Salesforce has harnessed its culture of innovation to incorporate sustainability into all facets of its business starting with delivering value to customers through its energy-efficient cloud. The company has since achieved net-zero greenhouse gas emissions, 33 years ahead of its original commitment.

“At Salesforce, real estate is more than architecture and design. It’s about creating a “home” that has a positive impact on all of our key stakeholders, including employees, partners, customers, communities and the environment,” said Elizabeth Pinkham, executive vice president, global real estate, Salesforce. “Because our offices are a physical expression of our values, Salesforce is committed to integrating green building practices into our real estate strategy, including office design, construction and operations.”