Equinix committed to a slew of science-based environmental targets in June, though some of its key environmental metrics continue to rise in tandem with the vendor’s growth. 

By 2030, Equinix aims to be climate neutral across scope 1 and 2 emissions, to reduce scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 50% based on 2019 data, and to reduce fuel and energy-related activities by 50% based on 2019 data. These targets follow Equinix’s 2015 promise to use 100% renewable energy by 2030. 

Equinix’s growth is an obstacle toward meeting its science-based targets. The vendor’s scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions, carbon intensity, and energy consumption increased between 2018 and 2020, according to its key environmental metrics. 

“It’s a bit of a dilemma, isn’t it?” Equinix’s Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) sustainability lead Maurice Mortell said in reference to Equinix’s rising emissions during an interview with SDxCentral. “As the business grows and we build new sites, we continue to expand our footprint. That figure is going to grow with that.” 

The company’s legacy infrastructure is another barrier to these goals, according to Mortell. Equinix’s data centers are located around the globe, and not all of them were built with sustainable regulations in mind ‒‒ especially its older data centers. 

Although Equinix aims to implement sustainable building standards across its operations, Mortell recognizes that Equinix’s “legacy footprint does need some work so [data centers are] at the center of excellence around reducing energy usage.” 

Those older data centers are the starting point for Equinix’s carbon neutrality strategy. Mortell estimates it will take up to 10 years and “sizable investments” to reach these goals. However, he maintains optimism toward these targets despite challenges the company faces. “We've identified what we need to do in each of those sites. It’s just getting after the work and getting it done.”

Mortell said Equinix will begin addressing scope 3 emissions more thoroughly after making significant reductions at the scope 1 and 2 levels. Scope 3 includes emissions from a company’s supply chain, and these emissions are often the hardest to regulate. 

The vendor’s plan is to encourage 66% of its supply chain partners by emissions to set science-based targets before 2025, which should help lessen the impact of Equinix’s scope 3 emissions.

Chasing science-based targets often requires substantial investments, but it provides a plethora of returns. Aside from mitigating the climate crisis, meeting sustainability goals can help companies uphold a favorable reputation with consumers.

Equinix’s sustainability director Jennifer Ruch said during a separate webinar that the vendor has an opportunity “to connect with new customers by doing these sustainable initiatives and promoting ourselves as being the greenest data center, the most sustainable data center company, and having this longer term vision.” 

Implementing and meeting science-based targets can also prove to be a financially-beneficial avenue. “There is also real return on investment,” Ruch explained. 

Ruch reasoned that if Equinix can use energy more efficiently in its data centers, it can service more customers and continue to scale its renewable energy strategy to provide more cost savings and lower emissions. “I think long term, companies that are sustainable are going to be around much longer and are going to use resources more efficiently,” Ruch said.