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Data centre operators warn ‘sustainability overconfidence’ threatens green progress

Nine-in-10 tech operators are ‘fully prepared’ to meet climate goals, but more than half are now concerned their green strategy is not fit for purpose. 

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New research by Keysource has found that 97% of data centre companies consider themselves to have clear oversight of sustainability targets. They also consider achieving these to be ‘feasible’, revealing rising confidence in the ability to sustain rapid technological growth and still transition to a low carbon, low emissions, low pollution economy. 

However, the number of respondents that believe they have ‘adequate visibility of targets and the steps being taken to meet them’, with just 53% agreeing they were in a position to actually implement green strategies. 

‘It’s one thing to feel confident in your sustainability plans, and quite another to put it into action. Our research demonstrates as much, with practical application lagging behind perceived progress,’ said Jon Healy, COO at Keysource.

‘While the industry clearly recognises the importance of an integrated approach toward sustainability, we must urge data centres that the hard work is just beginning to deliver on best-laid strategies,’ he continued. ‘The findings of our report are encouraging, yet the role of the data centres in progressing or restricting worldwide climate goals relies on executing strategies swiftly and effectively.’

Measurement has also improved, with just 22% of data centre operators admitting reluctance to consider carbon in their investment decisions. A year earlier, the same study found that 38% of companies in the sector were reluctant to measure the impact of new tools and services, despite their potential to significantly increase environmental footprints. 

According to analysis, half of data centre bosses are prioritising Scope 1 emissions from owned assets like buildings and vehicles. 42% are directing funds towards Scope 2, which covers tings like utilities. Meanwhile, 45% are addressing the impact of purchased goods and service emissions, or Scope 3. More than half – 55% – also now have access to separate ‘green funds’ to help support sustainability. This was up from 50% the previous year. 

‘In the immediate future, we require greater industry-wide standardisation to how we tackle sustainability goals. We need to form a framework for how we assess, measure, and report, as well as the steps taken to act on this data. We must stay cynical on confidence around reporting, as well as positive yet incremental green budget growth, as we do not yet have the full picture when it comes to assessing various scope emissions, nor a consensus on which is most important to measure. As an industry, we must strive to unify our goals and practices and make progress as a collective, not singular entities,’ said Rich Clifford, Director of Solutions at Keysource.

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Image: Taylor Vick via Unsplash

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