Above: Datacenter detail, photo by Bigstock

According to a study by global research and advisory firm Gartner, universal spending on data center infrastructure will increase by six per cent this year. Given that data centers represent one per cent of global electricity use, operators of these types of companies will face the complex challenge of meeting their needs to expand their capacity while finding ways to reduce emissions, according to the objectives established by their executive directors.

To advance the sustainability race, they will need to focus on reducing Scope 1 carbon emissions, which are generated directly from day-to-day data center operations, and Scope 2 greenhouse gases, which are the result of the production of electricity that is purchased and consumed. However, even more efficiencies can be achieved by targeting Scope 3 emissions (also called value chain emissions) that are generated from partners and suppliers.

Scope 3 emissions are produced from sources that the company does not own or control, for example, emissions generated by suppliers, commuting employees to work, business trips and disposal of waste in landfills.

Just as data center operators set new benchmarks in efficiency within the data center, they must also strategize ways to manage their Scope 3 emissions  and respond to management’s sustainability goals. These efforts have the added benefits of revealing supply chain cost savings, providing a margin advantage, and increasing adoption.

Key points that pave the way

Here are five steps data center operators should consider to reduce Scope 3 emissions.

1. Identify the size of your supply chain carbon emissions, establish decarbonization programs and targets, and engage with partners that support those initiatives.
2. Determine a baseline for your supplier’s carbon footprint. Develop strategies to engage suppliers in understanding their options for reducing carbon emissions.
3. Develop strategies that involve and evaluate your suppliers and partners on the use of renewable energy. Suppliers must take advantage of renewable energy when manufacturing data center construction products or providing products and services.
4. Manufacturers can develop designs to use recycled materials and reduce water use during manufacturing. These designs are the result of a product life cycle analysis that measures the carbon and ecological impact of extracting materials from natural resources and disposing of end-of-life product materials in a wasteful manner.
5. Make sure your suppliers accept and recycle products that are at the end of their useful life. Your suppliers and other lines of business can reuse them in new products.