- The rise in digital demand and increased pressure from key
stakeholders drives the need for standardized environmental-impact reporting for
data centers
- Schneider Electric's framework proposes 5 key areas of impact to
address with 23 key metrics in Beginning, Advanced and Leading categories
HONG KONG SAR - Media
OutReach - 13 January 2022 - 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, today
released a comprehensive novel framework for environmentally sustainable data
centers. The industry-first framework proposes five areas of environmental
impact inclusive of key metrics for data center operators in various stages of
their sustainability journeys. By leveraging the framework, operators can mitigate
the impact data centers have on the environment.
Data centers
are the backbone of today's digital world. They are also responsible for up to
two percent of the world's carbon emissions, equivalent to that of the airline
industry. To contend with an increase in digital bandwidth and IT-sector
electricity demand, the industry demands a holistic and standardized 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 center operators.
Yet, the industry lacks a standardized approach for implementing, measuring,
and reporting on environmental impact. Schneider Electric developed a holistic
framework with standardized 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 center
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 Datacenter 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 center
operations. However, many data center 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 Center leveraging expertise from ESG experts,
sustainability consultants, data center scientists, and data center solution
architects to take the guesswork out of measurement and reporting. The Energy
Management Research Center was established in 2002 and has developed more than
200 vendor-neutral whitepapers and trade-off tools available for free to the
industry.
Data Center Sustainability Metrics
Drive Sustainability Strategy
Tracking and
reporting on standardized sustainability metrics helps drive internal team
alignment improvements and increases transparency for external stakeholders,
including customers and regulators. Implementing this framework also allows
data center operators to:
- Remove the
difficulty of selecting impactful metrics for tracking
- Improve
communication and alignment with internal teams on sustainability objectives
- Act on the data
to improve operations
- Enable regular
and consistent reporting for external stakeholders (investors, regulators,
potential employees, etc.
- Standardize
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 power, building, IT, and sustainability facets of the
business.
To learn more
about the framework and enable your sustainable growth, download
the Guide to Sustainability Metrics for Data Centers, today.
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