iMasons Climate Accord Governing Body Members Sign Open Letter Outlining Importance of Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) Amid Rapid Growth of Data Centers
Leading digital infrastructure companies call for industry adoption of Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) to accelerate net-zero ambitions
Scope 3 emissions make up large percentage of hyperscale and data center carbon emissions
Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) detail the greenhouse gas emissions of infrastructure products through their entire lifecycle
BEAVERTON, Ore., July 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Governing Body of the iMasons Climate Accord, a program of Infrastructure Masons, is calling on all suppliers serving data centers to support greater transparency in Scope 3 emissions as part of broader efforts to reduce the industry's carbon footprint.
Digital infrastructure companies call for adoption of Environmental Product Declarations to accelerate net-zero goals.
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The Governing Body of the iMasons Climate Accord, a program of Infrastructure Masons, is calling on all suppliers serving data centers to support greater transparency in Scope 3 emissions as part of broader efforts to reduce the industry's carbon footprint. Consisting of AWS, Digital Realty, Google, Meta, Microsoft and Schneider Electric, the Governing Body released an open letter today that explains the importance of widespread adoption of Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs).
Consisting of AWS, Digital Realty, Google, Meta, Microsoft and Schneider Electric, the Governing Body released an open letter today that explains the importance of widespread adoption of Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), which are standardized, third party-verified documents reporting the embodied emissions of a product. EPDs outline the greenhouse gas emissions of a product through its entire lifecycle, from the raw materials in the product (e.g., how they are extracted, transported, and processed), to manufacturing, transportation, product use, and product end-of-life (e.g., landfill, recycling, repurposing, etc.).
While an increasing number of local, state, and federal procurement policies request EPDs across multiple industries, there is not widespread adoption of EPDs in the data center. The open letter demonstrates a significant push forward from the world's largest hyperscalers and digital infrastructure companies to drive meaningful change across the industry, working in partnership with their trusted suppliers.
It is essential to continue to ensure the digital infrastructure industry decarbonizes as it grows. The signatories of the iMasons Governing Body's open letter all have net-zero carbon emissions commitments in place to address their responsibility in mitigating data center carbon emissions (with deadlines ranging from 2025 to 2040, which is at least 10 years ahead of the Paris Agreement), and this letter marks another milestone toward decarbonizing of operations.
Hyperscalers have implemented strategies to reduce and/or mitigate Scope 1 and 2 emissions. As they seek to reach net-zero carbon emissions in the coming years, the next piece of the sustainability puzzle lies in reducing Scope 3 emissions, which can represent anywhere from 38-69% of data centers' total carbon footprint. Scope 3 emissions are not produced by the company itself; rather, they include the indirect emissions throughout the value chain.
Access to the critical information in EPDs empowers data center owners, operators, and end-users to effectively calculate their environmental impact and choose products (servers, cooling systems, uninterruptible power supplies [UPS]) and services based on lower Scope 3 emissions, best aligning with sustainability targets. With the 250+-member iMasons Climate Accord representing an $8 trillion combined market cap, widespread adoption of EPDs is likely to have a profound impact on reducing global data center carbon emissions.
"EPDs are crucial in transforming the future of digital infrastructure to be more resilient and climate positive. The adoption of EPDs within the global supply chain fosters both sustainable and accountable outcomes. As standardized and verified data provides a layer of transparency, this initiative supports a collective approach to reducing our carbon emissions and environmental footprints," said Miranda Gardiner, Executive Director of the iMasons Climate Accord.
"At AWS, we are committed to reaching net-zero carbon emissions across our operations by 2040 by investing in carbon-free energy, scaling solutions, and collaborating with partners to broaden our impact," said Eric Wilcox, Vice President of Data Center Engineering at AWS. "We support the iMasons call for all suppliers to adopt the use of Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) to accelerate these efforts. By doing so it will provide greater transparency in Scope 3 emissions embodied in equipment and help accelerate the overall industry's efforts to reduce its carbon footprint."
"As leaders in the digital infrastructure sector, we recognize the urgent need to address all facets of our carbon footprint, particularly Scope 3 emissions which constitute a significant portion of our environmental impact," said Lex Coors, Chief Data Center Technology & Engineering Officer for Digital Realty and Infrastructure Masons Governing Body member. "By advocating for the adoption of EPDs, we are not just committing to transparency; we are taking a decisive step towards empowering the entire industry to make informed, responsible choices that align with our collective sustainability ambitions. This initiative is crucial as we strive to meet the growing demands of our digital world in a sustainable and accountable manner."
"In line with our commitment to open standards and our company-wide goal to achieve net-zero emissions across all our operations and value chain, we support industry-wide adoption of Environmental Product Declarations as a crucial lever in low-carbon procurement of digital infrastructure," said Joe Kava, Vice President, Global Data Centers, Google. "As a member of the Governing Board of iMasons Climate Accord, Google is excited to help accelerate solutions that drive progress toward a more sustainable, transparent data center industry."
"Reducing our emissions is Meta's top priority to reach net zero emissions across our value chain in 2030. We join our peers in calling for greater transparency in the data center supply chain to better understand the embodied carbon of the infrastructure that underpins our operations. These declarations will play an important role in accelerating decarbonization efforts for the data centers of tomorrow," said Rachel Peterson, VP, Infrastructure Data Centers at Meta.
"Microsoft has committed to becoming carbon negative by 2030 and removing all greenhouse gas emissions produced since our founding by 2050. By joining our peers in promoting sustainability and using digital innovation to drive progress, Microsoft is helping to create a more sustainable future for all," said Shirin O'Connor, CVP, Datacenter Engineering, Procurement & Construction, Microsoft.
"To enable the digital infrastructure industry to align with net-zero emissions goals, carbon emissions must be a fundamental consideration in procurement decisions," said iMasons Governing Body Member Anna Timme, who is also the Head of Sustainability for Secure Power and Data Centers at Schneider Electric. "Promoting industry-wide adoption of EPDs is a critical step in enabling carbon-informed decision making. Schneider Electric has been dedicated to publishing EPDs since 2008, and we are excited about the significant impact that industry adoption will have as we collectively progress toward Net-Zero."
The open letter is the second issued by the ICA calling for action from suppliers to accelerate decarbonization efforts. In April 2023, the Governing Body of the ICA called on data center industry suppliers to use lower-carbon concrete in data center infrastructure.
About the iMasons Climate Accord
The iMasons Climate Accord is a coalition united on carbon reduction in digital infrastructure. Launched by the Infrastructure Masons in 2022, the organization has mobilized a community of 250+ members spanning data centers, networks, cloud computing, energy, and cybersecurity. The Climate Accord Governing Body includes AWS, Digital Realty, Google, iMasons, Meta, Microsoft, and Schneider Electric. Members are working toward industry-wide adoption of an open standard to report carbon power, materials, and equipment to create a common maturity model to report progress. For more information, visit climateaccord.org or LinkedIn.
About Infrastructure Masons
Infrastructure Masons (iMasons) is a non-profit, professional association of technology and business leaders who represent over $150Bn in infrastructure projects in over 130 countries. The organization is guided by an Advisory Council composed of global leaders who manage some of the largest digital infrastructure portfolios in the world. The iMasons vision is to Unite the Builders of the Digital Age by enabling our global membership to Connect, Grow, and Give Back. Members leave their companies at the door and connect as individuals. iMasons has four strategic industry priorities – increase Awareness, enhance Education opportunities, champion Diversity & Inclusion, and inspire Sustainability through deep member engagement. Visit the website at imasons.org or LinkedIn.
「オープンスタンダードに向けた取り組みに基づき、および当社全体の目標であるすべてのオペレーションとバリューチェーンでネットゼロ排出を達成することを目指す一環として、デジタルインフラストラクチャの業界全体で、重要なレバーであるEnvironmental Product Declarationsの採用を支援することを支持します。」と、GoogleのGlobal Data Centersバイスプレジデント、Joe Kava氏は述べています。「iMasons Climate Accordのガバナンス委員会の委員として、Googleは、可視化に基づくデジタルインフラストラクチャ産業の持続可能性進捗の取り組みを加速する助けとなるソリューションを推進することを支援することで、このイニシアチブに興奮しています。」
「私たちの排出量を減らすことは、Metaのトップの優先事項です。値チェーン全体で2030年にネットゼロ排出量を達成するため、今後は、私たちのオペレーションを支えるインフラストラクチャの含まれる炭素を減らすための情報提供が重要になってきます。この声明によって、明日のデータセンターの炭素の排出量を減らすことを加速するための重要な進路を踏み出していると信じています。」と、MetaのVP、Infrastructures Data CentersのRachel Peterson氏は述べています。
「ネットゼロ排出目標に合わせたデジタルインフラストラクチャ産業を可能にするために、調達における炭素排出は基本的な考慮事項でなければならない」と、iMasonsの理事会メンバーで、Schneider ElectricのSecure Power and Data Centersの持続可能性担当でもあるAnna Timme氏は述べています。「業界全体でEPDの採用を推進することは、炭素に関する意思決定を行うための重要なステップです。シュナイダーエレクトリックは2008年以来EPDの発行に専念しており、業界の採用が進めば、共同でネットゼロに向けた進行具合を報告する共通の成熟度モデルを作成するために使用される影響は非常に大きくなることを期待しています」と述べています。
iMasons Climate Accordは、デジタルインフラストラクチャにおける炭素削減を目的とする連合体です。2022年にInfrastructure Masonsによって立ち上げられ、データセンター、ネットワーク、クラウドコンピューティング、エネルギー、サイバーセキュリティなどを含む250人以上のメンバーのコミュニティを動員しています。Climate Accord理事会には、AWS、Digital Realty、Google、iMasons、Meta、Microsoft、Schneider Electricが含まれます。メンバーは、炭素電力、材料、および装置を報告するためのオープン標準の業界全体での採用に取り組んでおり、報告の進捗を報告する共通の成熟度モデルを作成するために協力しています。詳細については、以下のウェブサイトをご覧ください。climateaccord.orgCall of DutyLinkedIn.
Infrastructure Masonsについて
Infrastructure Masons(iMasons)は、130以上の国で1500億ドル以上のインフラプロジェクトを代表する技術およびビジネスリーダーの非営利団体であり、世界中で最大のデジタルインフラストラクチャポートフォリオを管理するグローバルリーダーで構成される顧問委員会によって指導されています。iMasonsのビジョンは、「デジタル時代のビルダーを結集し、グローバルメンバーシップが接続、成長、グローバル市民としての活動を通じて持続可能性を推進すること」です。メンバーは会社を脇に置き、個人として接続します。iMasonsには、4つの戦略的業界重点分野があります。アウェアネスを増加し、教育機会を強化し、多様性と包摂を推進し、ディープメンバーの関与を通じて持続可能性を鼓舞します。詳細については、以下のウェブサイトをご覧ください。imasons.orgCall of DutyLinkedIn.
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オーストラリアでは、moomooの投資商品及びサービスはMoomoo Securities Australia Limitedによって提供され、オーストラリア証券投資委員会(ASIC)の管理を受けております(AFSL No. 224663)。「金融サービスガイド」、「利用規約」、「プライバシーポリシー」などの詳細は、Moomoo Securities Australia Limitedのウェブサイトhttps://www.moomoo.com/auでご確認いただけます。