Data centers are the backbone of today’s digital world. They are also responsible for close to two percent of the world’s carbon emissions – that is equivalent to emissions from the aerospace industry. To deal with an increase in digital bandwidth and electricity demand from the IT sector, the industry is demanding a holistic and standardized approach to environmental sustainability.

To initiate this approach, Schneider Electric has unveiled a novel comprehensive framework to help mitigate the impact data centers have on the environment. The company has developed an approach with standardized metrics to guide operators and the industry at large with the goal of improving sustainability benchmarks.

“The data center industry has made significant progress in increasing energy efficiency, but as digital demands increase, a commitment to driving long-term sustainability initiatives must grow. You can’t know the impact of something you don’t measure,” said Rob Brothers, Vice President Program for IDC’s Data Center and Support Services Program.

“Therefore, companies must establish clear and consistent metrics that account not only for efficient technology, but also for the consumption (or potential destruction) of natural resources such as water, land, and biodiversity,”

Increasing pressures from investors, regulators, shareholders, customers and employees are also driving the need for better environmental impact reporting in data center operations. However, many data center operators lack sustainability expertise and are faced with the daunting task of determining which metrics to track and which strategies to implement.

The Schneider Electric framework was developed by its Energy Management Research Center drawing on the expertise of ESG (Environment, Society and Corporate Governance) 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-independent white papers and compensation tools freely available to the industry.

Data Center Sustainability Metrics Drive Sustainability Strategies

Tracking and reporting on standardized sustainability metrics help drive improvements in internal team alignment and increase transparency to external stakeholders, including customers and regulators.

The implementation of this framework also allows data center operators to take actions such as:

• Eliminate the difficulty of selecting truly impactful metrics to track.
• Improve communication and alignment with internal teams on sustainability goals.
• Act on data to improve operations.
• Enable regular and consistent reporting to external stakeholders (investors, regulators, potential employees, etc.).
• Standardize industry peer benchmarking worldwide.

Schneider Electric is a global leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation and the world’s most sustainable corporation in 2021, as ranked by Corporate Knights.

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 energy, construction, IT and sustainability aspects of the business.

To learn more about the framework, download the Data Center Sustainability Metrics Guide.