Corporate Sustainability
Explore how our larger Corporate Sustainability Programme is creating shared environmental, social and governance value for our customers, partners, investors and employees.
View our sustainability initiatives
Long-term 100% Clean and Renewable Energy Goal
Recent Results
92% renewable energy coverage globally in 2018 up from 77% in 2017
Overall Progress
Since 2015, Equinix has increased its renewable energy coverage from 33.5% to 92% globally
Recent Results
- 4,725 GWh of renewables procured in 2018 up from 3,495 GWh in 2017 (+35%)
- 92% renewable energy coverage globally in 2018 up from 77% in 2017
Overall Progress
- Since 2015, Equinix has increased its renewable energy coverage from 33.5% to 92% globally
- Virtual Power Purchase Agreements (VPPAs) for wind power supply over 900,000 MWh of renewables to our U.S. portfolio each year
- In 2018, 100% of our US load was covered by renewables; 77% of Asia-Pacific and 95% of EMEA.
Green-certified data centres
Recent Results
31 LEED certified data centres (23% by sq ft globally)
Overall Progress
LEED Silver or equivalent green building standards are Equinix’s policy for all new construction
Recent Results
- 62 out of 74 EMEA IBXs certified to ISO 14001:2015 (94% by sq ft in EMEA)
- 60 out of 74 EMEA IBXs certified to ISO 50001:2011 (93% by sq ft in EMEA)
- 31 LEED certified data centres (23% by sq ft globally)
Overall Progress
- Equinix data centres and offices meet global and regional environmental and energy management standards or green building standards
- LEED Silver or equivalent green building standards are Equinix’s policy for all new construction
- Our worldwide headquarters in California’s Silicon Valley has earned LEED® Gold Certification
Commitment to Collaboration and Transparency
Recent Results
Equinix is #4 on the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Power Partnership National Top 100 list
Overall Progress
Equinix’s sustainability reporting has aligned with GRI Standards since 2015
Recent Results
- As of July 2019, Equinix is #4 on the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Power Partnership National Top 100 list
- Equinix achieved a Silver-level recognition with EcoVadis for its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) practices in 2018
Overall Progress
- We support measurement, reporting and transparency around the impact of our operations
- Equinix’s sustainability reporting has aligned with GRI Standards since 2015
- Third party greenhouse gas verification in accordance with ISO 14064-3 has been performed since 2015
- Equinix discloses energy, greenhouse gas, and sustainability data to CDP (since 2015), Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (since 2016), RobecoSam DJSI/CSA (since 2019)
Effective Energy and Emission Reductions
Our Progress
Customers of Equinix can take advantage of a low-carbon emissions factor CEF) in over 160 of our IBX data centres
Recent Results
- 44% Reduction Year-Over-Year based on Scope 1 + Scope 2 (market-based) global totals (481,700 mtCO2e in 2017 to 270,700 mtCO2e in 2018)
- Customers of Equinix can take advantage of a low-carbon emissions factor CEF) in over 160 of our IBX data centres; resulting in net-zero Scope 2 carbon emissions at these sites
Overall Progress
- Equinix’s Scope 2 emissions fell 71% since 2015 on an absolute market-based carbon basis (766,100 mtCO2e to 224,000 mtCO2e)
- Since 2011, our investments in energy efficiency total >$100 million in upgrades, retrofits and improvements; representing 25,000 kilowatts of avoided demand annually or roughly 430,000 mtCO2e of carbon emissions
Green Innovation
We continuously look for innovative ways to deploy energy-saving technologies and on-site generation solutions.
Adaptive control systems
Reduce power consumption and increase cooling capacity through active airflow management using intelligent, distributed sensors and innovative control policies
ASHRAE thermal guidelines
Reduce power consumption for cooling, while maintaining a safe operating temperature for computing equipment
Cold/hot aisle containment
Lowers energy consumption and enables more efficient cooling by using physical barriers to reduce the mixing of cold air in data centre supply aisles with the hot air in exhaust aisles
Energy-efficient lighting systems
Utilise motion-activated controls and/or LEDs to reduce energy consumption and ambient heat from operating lights
Fuel cells
Place electricity in close proximity to our energy consumption while allowing maximum efficiency and increased resiliency; Equinix has 38 MW of fuel cells deployed in the US.
Machine learning and AI
Used in several pilot projects to identify new energy efficiency improvements in our data centers
High Temperature Chilled Water Set Points
Improve our design and operational PUEs by raising the chilled water temperature to save energy
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Green rooftops
The rooftops at sites like AM3, ZH5 and PA6 are covered with plants and vegetation, which helps keep the buildings cool, lowers cooling cost and reduces storm water runoff, which can carry pollution into nearby lakes and rivers and contribute to flooding.
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Fuel cells
Fuel cells offer performance/quality, reliability and resilience placing power near where it is consumed. SV5 was our alpha deployment of Bloom Energy fuel cells in 2015 (1 MW installation). Equinix currently has 38 MW of fuel cells deployed globally.
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Smardt Chillers
Smardt chillers provide maximum efficiency at our Toronto (TR2) data centre. High-efficiency air handlers allow cold aisle containment and granular modulation of the cooling air supply to reduce the amount of energy required to cool the data centre.
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Indirect evaporative cooling units (IDECs)
IDEC units use evaporative-based heat rejection and reduce water usage for heat rejection by utilising air-to-air cooling when outside temperature permits. IDECs reduce overall mechanical cooling capacity required in many locations.
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Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES)
Equinix’s AM3 data centre features an ATES system that employs cold groundwater to cool equipment during winter months, eliminating the need for traditional mechanical cooling within the data centre. AM3 has achieved a remarkable design PUE of 1.19.
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Thermally enhanced design
Our SV5 data centre incorporates techniques from state-of-the-art refrigeration systems to reduce the power needed to cool the colocation floor. The system uses efficient direct expansion coils, lower fan power through air management approaches and an innovative evaporative condensing system.
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Deep Lake Water Cooling (DWLC) system
In TR1 data centre, we take advantage of Toronto’s DLWC system to utilise water drawn from the chilly depths of Lake Ontario to cool buildings in downtown Toronto. This novel approach reduces total energy needs by 50% or more.
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Green Certifications and Renewable Energy Coverage
Equinix data centres are certified to meet rigorous environmental and energy management systems standards. All new builds target LEED Silver or equivalent green building certifications and over 160 of Equinix IBXs are 100% covered by renewable energy (as of 2018) resulting in net-zero Scope 2 carbon emissions at these sites.
Green Collaboration and Recognition
We pursue our sustainability goals with the intention of continuously making progress. We join forces with partners across industries and share best practices. We get and give advice on how to do things better. As a result, we have been recognised by a variety of organisations for our leadership in operating sustainably.
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