Executive summary
HubSpot, the customer platform for scaling businesses, has set an ambitious environmental target: achieve net zero carbon by 2040.
With a near-term goal to reduce scope 1 and 2 emissions by 47% by 2030 — a target validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) — Turning that ambition into action wasn’t straightforward. HubSpot’s energy use is distributed across small offices around the world, making traditional solutions like power purchase agreements (PPAs) tough to access.
In 2024, 12 of its 19 offices participated in green tariff programmes, while energy attribute certificates (EACs) were used to cover the remaining locations. At this point, 3Degrees stepped in to help HubSpot build a smarter, impact-led renewable energy strategy that matched both its global footprint and high standards.
Working closely with Diana Tovar, HubSpot’s Senior Environment Program Manager, the 3Degrees team helped curate a renewable energy portfolio that balanced practicality with purpose. Together, they identified projects that not only met the technical requirements but also aligned with HubSpot’s values around equity and climate justice.
This included U.S.-based renewable energy certificates (RECs) from PosiGen Solar — a project delivering direct benefits to low and moderate-income communities — and internationally sourced EACs certified by EKOenergy, which help fund new-build renewable energy projects in developing regions.
By selecting these high-impact options, HubSpot was able to turn a complex challenge into a global solution that matched its sustainability commitments.
Through this strategy, the company could:
Meet its renewable energy standards with a global portfolio of projects containing impactful co-benefits
Contribute in an aggregated capacity to new renewable energy projects being built
Stay on course to achieve its near-term scope 2 goals
Background
HubSpot helps marketing, sales, and customer service teams grow better with an AI-powered customer platform and has long valued quality and impact in all aspects of its business.
In 2024, the company reinforced this commitment by adopting a new mechanism to measure its social impact. This complemented its existing environmental goal to reach net zero carbon by 2040, and a near-term 47% reduction in its scopes 1 and 2 by 2030 as validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).
As part of integrating these values into its broader climate strategy, HubSpot had already set high standards for carbon credit procurement and had a desire to replicate this standard for its renewable energy purchasing as well. This became an even higher priority as HubSpot transitioned its largest office to run on 100% renewable electricity.
To support this effort, HubSpot engaged 3Degrees to explore options for global renewable energy that aligned with its impact-driven approach.
Challenges
Like many other technology companies, HubSpot operates with relatively low electricity usage across multiple global office locations, making it difficult to source renewable energy that holds additionality and greater co-benefits. As an example, HubSpot explored joining RE100, a global corporate renewable energy initiative, but its electricity load fell below the required threshold for participation. This factor also makes it nearly impossible to pursue a power purchase agreement (PPA) or source from a new build project. This left HubSpot with few possibilities to have the impact it desired.
How we helped
The 3Degrees team initiated their work with HubSpot by proposing multiple renewable energy options that would satisfy its high standards, including regional and facility-specific options, along with energy attribute certificates (EACs) carrying the EKOenergy label to cover its global electricity load.
After reviewing these initial options, HubSpot chose to prioritize renewable energy certificate (REC) projects with co-benefits in the U.S. and expressed interest in EKOenergy internationally.
of
For HubSpot’s U.S. load, 3Degrees has a wide range of REC projects with strong co-benefits within its extensive portfolio, so the team highlighted a number of these, including PosiGen Solar.
PosiGen Solar is a Louisiana-based organization dedicated to making solar energy affordable and accessible to everyone, particularly low-to-moderate income (LMI) communities and communities of color. In purchasing RECs from PosiGen, organizations contribute to LMI communities receiving rooftop solar installations, home battery backup systems, and energy efficiency upgrades. These RECs help make it possible for families to invest in their homes, save money on their utility bills, and take steps toward a brighter future.
After hearing these tangible benefits, HubSpot decided to move forward with PosiGen RECs for its North American load.
To address HubSpot’s global energy load in countries such as India, Singapore, Colombia, Australia, and Spain, among others, 3Degrees proposed EACs that carry the EKOenergy label – an internationally recognized certification that ensures each EAC contributes to broader social benefits.
Each EKOenergy-labeled EAC helps to fund new build renewable energy projects in developing regions by contributing to the EKOenergy fund — which helps bring new renewable energy to the grid while promoting energy access and equity, and embeds verified impact co-benefits directly into the renewable energy purchase.
Recognizing the value of this added impact, HubSpot decided to move forward with EKOenergy EACs to meet its international procurement goals.
Despite having a smaller, distributed load, HubSpot was able to secure global EACs that provide co-benefits and meet its impact criteria.
Results
Through its partnership with 3Degrees and the purchases of PosiGen RECs and EKOenergy EACs, HubSpot was able to:
Fulfill its renewable energy standards with a global portfolio of projects with impactful co-benefits
Contribute in an aggregated capacity to new renewable energy projects being built
Stay on course to achieving its near-term scope 2 goals
This wasn’t just about ticking a box. We wanted to walk the talk — and find renewable options that matched our values of equity, innovation, and global impact. With the partnership of 3Degrees, we found EAC options that align with both our company’s needs and our intentions.”
