Intelligent Data Centres Issue 30 | Page 53

Equinix sets 2030 global climateneutral target

Equinix becomes the first in the data centre industry to commit to reaching climate-neutral by 2030 , backed by a sciencebased target and sustainability innovation agenda .

Equinix has announced that it is committed to becoming climateneutral 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 climateneutrality 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 . ◊
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