Environment
Managing our environmental impact every step of the way
As a global infrastructure provider, we build our own servers and data centers. This means we have been able to integrate sustainability in our model and practices for over 20 years: We integrated our industrial model in 2002 to better control our direct impacts and have been using our proprietary water-cooling technology since 2003 to optimize the use of energy of our servers”. This allows us to operate our datacenters with no air conditioning, therefore reducing our energy consumption and we design our servers to facilitate the refurbishing of their components.
Today, digital has a central and growing place in our professional and personal lives. Therefore, the growth of cloud is constantly accelerating to accompany the digitalization of all our activities. In line with our values and DNA, we position ourselves at the forefront of sustainable innovation. We want to contribute to the overall transformation of the sector with more sustainable practices and usages, by minimizing the impact linked to the operation of our data centers and usage of our severs and by being cautious with our use of resources.
Digital technology now accounts for 3 to 4% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions [1]. Within these significant impacts, the cloud currently accounts for 15% [2]. It is often thought that the cloud’s environmental impact is mostly due to usage (downstream), when most of its footprint comes from the components and servers manufacturing (upstream). For OVHcloud, IT components represent 46% of our total footprint, ahead of the electricity needed to power our datacenters (38% of our total footprint).
[1] ARCEP, 2022
[2] Green IT, The environmental footprint of the digital world, 2019
Being transparent
We disassemble 100% of our servers, and strictly test their components to give them a second life, either in circuit or through external recycling and valorization. The use of refurbished components in our servers allows us to prolong their lifetime with an average duration of 4.5 years and up to 9 years; and thus to avoid some manufacturing carbon emissions. Furthermore, 24 out of our 37 datacenters are rehabilitated buildings.
By being transparent on our Environmental targets and performance, we aim at empowering our customers and partners to further scale the full potential of a sustainable cloud, as well as accompany the best practices from an operational standpoint. While positioning ourselves at the forefront of this global challenge for the cloud industry, we contribute to the most significant initiatives and gather the driving forces of our ecosystem.
As part of our commitments, we communicate on our overall environmental impact, not only in terms of greenhouse gases emissions, but also energy, water, waste, transportation management and we share our carbon footprint since 2017.
We are also ISO50001 certified and participate in the European Code of Conduct for Energy Efficiency in Data Centre.
Key environmental indicators 2023
Our indicators are in line with the ISO 30134-2, ISO 30134-3, ISO 30134-8 and ISO 30134-9 standards.
Power Usage Effectiveness
It measures the efficiency of our energy consumption. The closest to 1, the better.
Our PUE is measured and audited over 12 months. Its calculation coverage rate stands at 88% in the datacenters we own and operate which makes it accurate and reliable.
Water Usage Effectiveness
It measures the efficiency of our water consumption. The closest to 0, the better.
Carbon Usage Effectiveness
It measures the emissions of our datacenter operations (our direct emissions, and indirect emissions due to electricity consumption). The closest to 0, the better.
Renewable Energy Factor
REF measures the rate of renewable energy in our datacenters.
Reused components ratio
This ratio states that for 100 components, 36 are refurbished ones.
Being committed
Low carbon energy
OVHcloud aims at limiting the use of carbon energy, resorting to renewable but also other low carbon energies (nuclear, hydroelectricity) by 2025.
Contribution to Global NetZero
OVHcloud commit to contribute to Global NetZero, equivalent to Scope 1 & 2 by 2025, and to all 3 scopes by 2030
Zero waste to landfill
OVHcloud commits to zero waste to landfill by 2025:
• At constant geographic scope
• On waste from OVHcloud processes
Our last reports
2021: Climate Neutral Data Center Pact
In January 2021, OVHcloud participated in the launch of the Climate Neutral Data Center Pact. Supported by the European Commission since its inception, the Pact is a significant initiative to ensure data centers are climate neutral by 2030.
Data center operators and trade associations are committed to the European Green Deal, achieving the ambitious greenhouse gas reductions of the climate law, and leveraging technology and digitalization to make Europe climate neutral by 2050.
To ensure data centers are an integral part of the sustainable future of Europe, operators and trade associations agree to take actions to make them climate neutral by 2030.
VMware Zero Carbon Committed Initiative
OVHcloud is proud to be part of the VMware Zero Carbon Committed initiative. This initiative aims at reducing the carbon footprint of datacenters operations, with efficient & productive use of IT infrastructures as well as using renewable energy power. Through this initiative, OVHcloud is identified as a trusted sustainability partner with aligned decarbonization goals: OVHcloud ensures to lower the impact of its digital operations across the globe.