Equinix becomes the first in the data centre industry to commit to reaching climate-neutral by 2030, backed by a science-based target and sustainability innovation agenda.
Equinix has announced that it is committed to becoming climate-neutral and has set a science-based target (SBT) for emissions reduction across its global operations and supply chain by 2030. Aligned with the Paris Climate Agreement, this commitment is a critical step to ensure that Equinix continues to advance investments and innovations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and keep global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
The expected impact of these sustainability efforts on the broader digital ecosystem is sizable and Equinix’s many and diverse customers are expected to benefit from the greening of their digital supply chains. Equinix plans to remain committed to engaging these stakeholders to drive transparency and impact.
The targets are supported by Equinix’s leadership and strategies across renewable energy, green finance, public policy advocacy and leading design and operations. Equinix’s approved emissions reduction target by the Science Based Target initiative (SBTi) builds on the company’s strong track record on sustainable growth and innovation, including achieving over 90% renewable energy coverage for its data centres from 2018 to 2020.
To date, Equinix has issued US$3.7 billion in green bonds toward environmentally sustainable projects across green buildings, renewable energy, energy and water efficiency, waste and clean transportation. Equinix is a founding member of the EU Climate Neutral Data Centre Operator Pact, as well as a founding board member of the Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance (REBA). The company is committed to designing and operating with an environmental focus and in 2020 invested US$14 million to stand up a global Energy Efficiency Centre of Excellence dedicated to driving improved efficiencies across its sites.
As part of its science-based target, Equinix is aiming to reduce its Scope 1 and 2 emissions (direct and indirect from electricity) by 50% by 2030 against a 2019 baseline. To achieve this goal, Equinix is targeting to reach 100% renewable energy by 2030, fulfiling its commitment to RE100. Additional carbon emission reductions will be achieved through driving energy efficiency savings, reducing refrigerant loss, phasing out high global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants and investigating the replacement of diesel generators with cleaner on-site generation technologies.
Equinix is also committing to partnering with top suppliers by engaging with those responsible for 66% of Equinix’s Purchased Goods and Services and Capital Goods supplier-related emissions, to set their own science-based targets by 2025. The company will also address fuel- and energy-related activities (FERA) with the aim to reduce the carbon associated with the delivery of power to its sites by 50% by 2030.
Beyond achieving its science-based targets, Equinix aims to reach climate-neutrality by 2030 across its Scope 1 and 2 emissions. The company plans to take advantage of select carbon offsets and investigate new innovations, such as biodiesel, green hydrogen and other lower carbon on-site generation technologies.
Hriday Ravindranath, Global CTIO, BT, said: “BT has been leading on climate action for almost three decades and we’ve pledged to be a net-zero emissions business by 2045. We were one of the first companies in the world to adopt science-based targets and we’re now using 100% renewable electricity worldwide. We’re delighted to see our partner Equinix, with whom we deliver cloud solutions to multinational customers, announce their own ambitious targets. Working together, we will achieve more.”
Page Motes, Head of Global Sustainability, Dell Technologies, said: “It takes collective action to make a global impact on climate change and Equinix’s next step is an important one. Setting science-based targets and reducing emissions across an organisation’s entire footprint are critical to measurable progress and align with our own climate strategy.”
Raouf Abdel, EVP Global Operations, Equinix, said: “Digital infrastructure is the backbone of today’s economy and allows people to work and connect from anywhere and everywhere. We share the urgency of governments, the industry and our customers that innovation and action are essential to ensure data centres are more sustainable and reduce carbon emissions quickly to address the impacts of global climate change. Our recent Global Tech Trends survey illustrated this with an increase in demand for greater transparency in IT infrastructure. We have seen this with the over 100% increase in requests for our Green Power Reports (GPRs), which empower customers to track progress against their own sustainability goals and reporting efforts.”
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