Extra tags: Data CentreDigital Transformation
Schneider Electric, the leader in digital transformation of energy management and automation, and the world’s most sustainable corporation 2021 as ranked by Corporate Knights, released a comprehensive novel framework for environmentally sustainable data centres. The industry-first framework proposes five environmental impact areas, including key metrics for data centre operators in various stages of their sustainability journeys. By leveraging the framework, operators can mitigate data centres' impact on the environment.
The backbone of today's digital world is data centres. They are also responsible for up to 2% of global carbon emissions, which is equivalent to the airline industry. To deal with rising digital bandwidth and IT-sector electricity demand, the industry requires a comprehensive and standardised approach to environmental sustainability.
Pankaj Sharma, Executive Vice President, Secure Power Division, Schneider Electric, said: “Environmental sustainability reporting is a growing focus for many data centre operators. Yet, the industry lacks a standardised approach for implementing, measuring, and reporting on environmental impact. Schneider Electric developed a holistic framework with standardised metrics to guide operators and the industry at large. Our intention with this framework is to improve benchmarking and progress toward environmental sustainability to protect natural resources for future generations."
“The data centre industry has made significant progress in increasing energy efficiency; however, as digital demands increase they must remain committed to driving long-term broader sustainability initiatives,” said Rob Brothers, Program Vice President for the Datacentre and Support Services Program at IDC. You can’t have an impact on what you don’t measure; therefore, companies must establish clear and consistent metrics that account for not only efficient technology, but also the consumption (or possible destruction) of natural resources such as water, land and biodiversity.”
Mounting pressures from investors, regulators, shareholders, customers and employees also drive the need for improved environmental-impact reporting in data centre operations. However, many data centre operators lack sustainability expertise and face a daunting task of determining what metrics to track and strategies to implement. Schneider Electric’s framework was developed by its Energy Management Research Centre, leveraging ESG experts, sustainability consultants, data centre scientists, and data centre solution architects to take the guesswork out of measurement and reporting. The Energy Management Research Centre was established in 2002 and has developed more than 200 vendor-neutral whitepapers and trade-off tools available for free to the industry.
Data Centre Sustainability Metrics Drive Sustainability Strategy
Tracking and reporting on standardised sustainability metrics help drive internal team alignment improvements and increases transparency for external stakeholders, including customers and regulators. Implementing this framework also allows data centre operators to:
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Remove the difficulty of selecting impactful metrics for tracking
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Improve communication and alignment with internal teams on sustainability objectives
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Act on the data to improve operations
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Enable regular and consistent reporting for external stakeholders (investors, regulators, potential employees, etc.
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Standardise benchmarking across industry peers around the globe
Schneider Electric works with leading technology companies and colocation providers to design, build, operate, and maintain facilities. It is the only digital partner that offers solutions for the business's power, building, IT, and sustainability facets.
