AWS, Digital Realty, Google, Meta, Microsoft and Schneider Electric Call for Supplier Action to Help Decarbonize Digital Infrastructure
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
Why it is important to Decarbonise Digital Infrastructure
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), 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 EPDs are common in some business sectors, there is not widespread adoption of EPDs in the data center industry. 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, solving 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.
"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, a coalition of 250+ members that represents an $8 trillion combined market cap.
"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, V...