Future First
Sustainability @ Equinix

Data centers consumed an estimated 460 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity in 2022, nearly 2% of all the world’s electricity. Our industry employs over 2,000,000 people and generates revenues of over $300 billion. Equinix is the world’s digital infrastructure company®, powering the digital economy with 260 data centers spanning more than 70 markets in more than 30 countries globally.

We have reflected deeply on what it means to be the leader in our sector as digital infrastructure becomes ever more central to the modern world. To realize the full potential of the digital economy, we must possess an equally ambitious commitment to sustainability across a broad sweep of environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues.

Our Environmental Challenge

To sustain growth, digital infrastructure providers must develop and implement sustainable solutions for global and local environmental challenges. At Equinix, we consider environmental sustainability to be a fundamental tenet of our operations. This means addressing all aspects of our footprint, including climate impact, water usage, resource usage, land utilization, biodiversity, operational efficiency and innovative building and design.

Since 2015, Equinix has been committed to reaching 100% clean and renewable energy coverage as part of our sustainability strategy. However, meeting internationally agreed climate change targets amidst a global shortage of renewable energy presents a significant challenge. Simply investing in the existing limited supply in the form of renewable energy certificates (RECs) is not a long-term solution.

Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) are a preferred source of renewable electricity coverage, as they provide additional renewable capacity into the local grids. Where possible, we strive to invest in regions where an energy transition will achieve the biggest greenhouse gas reduction. In the short term, we supplement our PPA-sourced renewables with regionally available energy attribution certificates (EACs). Together, our PPAs and EACs cover 96% of our electricity usage with renewables. We intend to continue ramping up our renewables coverage to match our growth and meet our 2030 climate targets.

Our climate impact reduction strategy drives our uncompromising commitment to energy efficiency. Since 2019, we have invested significant resources to leverage leading-edge technology in our data centers, seeking ever better efficiency. In 2023, we invested over US$78 million to drive efficiency across our global operations. Our ambition is to stand as one of the industry’s most sustainable digital infrastructure companies.

Our Social Opportunity

Equinix plays a vital role in society, empowering connection and enabling innovations that enrich our work, lives and communities. We are a force for social good—we prioritize diversity, equity and inclusion, cultivate a people-centered culture and invest in closing the digital divide. We strive to be the company that customers actively choose to do business with, communities eagerly partner with, and team members feel empowered to do the best work of their lives to create a better tomorrow.

Our strength lies in The Magic of Equinix, our culture and values statement that defines how we treat one another internally and how we behave externally. Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging (DIB) is more than a program—it’s central to our culture. Our vision is to be an organization that mirrors the diversity of the communities in which we operate. As we make progress toward our vision, we are creating opportunities for everyone to thrive at Equinix and in our global communities.

We value each of our employees and want our team members to enjoy rewarding and long-lasting careers, enhanced by educational opportunities and comprehensive wellbeing and benefits programs.

The shift to a digital economy shows significant potential benefits for our society, but this can only be realized by removing the social and economic barriers to accessing technology. We established the Equinix Foundation in 2022 to expand equitable access to technology, education and skills in today’s digital world. The vision of the Foundation is a more accessible, equitable and interconnected digital future for everyone, everywhere. Through the Equinix Foundation, partnerships and Equinix employee engagement initiatives, we are working to create a more accessible, equitable and sustainable future globally, with a focus on addressing the digital divide.

Governance

Maintaining the trust of our stakeholders is paramount to our success and longevity as a global leader in digital infrastructure. We have a clear expectation of integrity and ethics to which every member of our company is held accountable. Our approach to governance provides the framework for all our operations and external engagements.

Internally, accountability for ESG initiatives starts at the top with our leadership team, whose compensation is tied to our ESG performance. Our Nominating and Governance Committee (responsible for ESG) selects Board members for their expertise, independence and diversity, ensuring that qualified women and individuals from underrepresented groups are included in the pool of nominees from which new Board members are chosen. Externally, we promote global responsibility and ethical practices, forging partnerships with like-minded organizations to advocate for environmental sustainability and development that benefits society and communities.

Equinix cherishes the trust of our customers, which they place in our physical environment for the equipment they deploy in our data centers. We are committed to integrating privacy measures into every aspect of our operations—bolstering our resilience, expanding our capabilities and promoting a culture marked by speed, agility and an unwavering dedication to enhancing the user and customer experience. We have adopted a shared responsibility model—delineating security and compliance responsibilities between us and our customers.

As industry leaders, we have a unique opportunity to leverage our expertise and ambition to collaborate with our suppliers. We nurture a responsible, inclusive and environmentally conscious supply chain, encouraging them to establish science-based climate targets and align with fundamental sustainability principles.