FUTURE FIRST
Our Vision
At Equinix, we believe in a better future. Our Future First sustainability strategy rallies our people and partners to dream of a better future and then do what it takes to make it happen. The impact today’s actions can have on tomorrow is front of mind in all we do.
Although there are pressing global challenges, growing stakeholder expectations around addressing long-term risks, and increasing awareness of the environmental and social impacts the digital economy has on the world, we know that Equinix, as the world’s digital infrastructure company, can play a positive role in bringing about a sustainable future.
The COVID-19 pandemic spanning the past two years exposed underlying inconsistencies in public health and contributed to widening economic disparities. The pandemic represents more than a healthcare crisis; it is a humanitarian crisis and has increased our collective awareness of the deeper systemic injustices in the U.S. and across the globe.
COVID-19 also accelerated the digitalization transformation that was already underway, including how we work, how we learn, and how we interact. These shifts will transform society long after the pandemic with some notable benefit, but they also exacerbate inequalities, such as a widening digital divide that is harmful as business, governments and other stakeholders attempt to address social vulnerabilities and built back more resilient and sustainable economies.
As the world’s largest global data center Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT), we have the opportunity to enable our customers and partners to scale their digital transformations sustainably. We are taking leadership role in doing what it takes to protect the planet and tackling climate change across our 240 International Business Exchange™ (IBX®) data centers, and within our broader industry..
Our global climate-neutral goal by 2030 and science-based targets will embed decarbonization actions across our business and our supply chain. We will do more to unleash our employees’ potential including investing in and scaling our attention to Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging (DIB) across our business, including the creation of diverse talent pipelines and pathways for more people to connect with meaningful work. We challenge ourselves to have courageous conversations about how we come together with colleagues and external partners, to build a more just and equitable world where no one is left behind. As a leader in the industry, Equinix is committed to doing what is right to lead the way and maximizing the benefits of technology for all people while minimizing its impact on the planet.
This report has been prepared in accordance with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Sustainability Reporting Standards Core Option and addresses some of the disclosures in the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) Real Estate Standard and Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD). We are committed to building these disclosures out over time.
A Message From our Executives
2021 was a year marked by both significant challenges and boundless opportunity. We entered the year filled with optimism, anticipating a return to normalcy as COVID-19 case counts moved steadily downward, only to face the stark reality of the Delta and Omicron variants, rising inflation and global supply chain disruptions. But despite these challenges, the Equinix team rose to the occasion.
Looking into 2022, renewed COVID-19 optimism is clouded by the tragic events in Ukraine. Equinix is proud to be joining a vigorous global response and providing humanitarian support to the Ukrainian people. But in this increasingly complex and dynamic world, one thing is clear: the need for digital infrastructure continues to rise. Industries across the globe are being reshaped, and digital transformation has become a foundational source of competitive advantage. Digital leaders are demanding infrastructure that is more distributed, more ecosystem powered, more flexible, more sustainable and more interconnected than ever before, and Equinix is uniquely positioned to respond.
Our global reach spans 66 metros across 27 countries, and customers continue to see Equinix as the best manifestation of the digital edge. Our scaled ecosystems enable proximity to the “who’s who” of the digital world, with 10,000 customers consisting of more than half the Fortune 500 and a commanding share of cloud on-ramps. Our interconnection platform now consists of more than 419,000 interconnections fueling the digital economy. These advantages are strongly aligned to market trends and allow Equinix to continue to extend its market leadership.
At Equinix, we believe that this market leadership comes with deep responsibility—a responsibility to serve all our stakeholders and to leave our world better than we found it. We are living up to this responsibility with a bold future-first sustainability agenda that reflects our company values across Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) initiatives. This starts with our “in service to” mindset, showing up each day in service to each other which, in turn, enables us to be in service to our customers, to our shareholders and to the communities in which we operate. Every day we take action to further our commitment to building a culture where every person can confidently say “I’m Safe, I Belong, and I Matter,” creating an environment that attracts, includes and inspires the diverse and talented teams that bring our vision to life. We were thrilled to receive a perfect score from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation and be recognized as a “Best Place to Work for LGBTQ+ Equality.” We were also proud to be ranked #1 in Real Estate in JUST Capital’s 2022 ranking of America’s most “just” companies. And, in a world that needs it more than ever, we have stepped up for our communities, donating over $2 million and volunteering more than 16,500 hours in support of 2,200+ charities around the world.
In June 2021, we became the first company in the data center industry to commit to being climate neutral globally by 2030. This commitment, backed by science-based targets for emissions reductions, an aggressive green financing plan and a comprehensive sustainability agenda, is a critical step in advancing our investments and innovations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and reflects the significant role we play in greening our customers’ digital supply chains and addressing the evolving needs of our stakeholders. We are well on our way to meeting our commitments, with over 95% renewable coverage for our portfolio in FY21, reaching over 90% for the fourth consecutive year. We also continue to improve the energy efficiency of our facilities, reducing our Power Usage Efficiency ratio over 5% year-over-year. And starting in 2022, we are holding our broader leadership team financially accountable for achieving both our environmental and our diversity objectives by implementing a modifier to short-term incentives for VP-level employees and above, including executive officers.
In closing, as we reflect on 2021, we, like many, are struck by a variety of emotions. We are as optimistic as ever about the tremendous opportunity we see ahead as we seek to fulfill our purpose—to be the platform where the world comes together, enabling the innovations that enrich our work, our life and our planet.
#InServiceTo
Charles Meyers
President and Chief
Executive Officer
Equinix, Inc.
Peter Van Camp
Executive Chairman
Equinix, Inc.
Keith Taylor
Chief Financial Officer
Equinix, Inc.
Charles Meyers
President and Chief Executive Officer
Equinix, Inc.
“As the leading global interconnection and data center company, Equinix is dedicated to powering, protecting and connecting the organizations and ecosystems that will shape this new era, and doing so in a sustainable and responsible way. ”