Environment
Equinix strategically uses green bonds to fund environmentally impactful projects and raise capital. This approach aligns our financial endeavors with our commitment to sustainability.
We use green bonds to facilitate investments in areas such as green buildings, renewable energy and energy efficiency. These investments translate into tangible sustainability benefits and underscore our dedication to driving positive environmental change. As a top ten U.S. corporate green bond issuer, as of December 2023, we have successfully raised $4.9 billion since our first green bond offering in 2020.
Principles and Reporting
Equinix’s Eligible Green Projects follow our 2024 Green Finance Framework, based on the Green Bond Principles of June 2021 and the Green Loan Principles of February 2023.
An amount equal to the net proceeds from any Green Financing is applied to fund or refinance Eligible Green Projects. The projects mitigate climate change and encourage adaptation through natural resource and biodiversity conservation and pollution prevention and control.
The environmental benefits of our Green Finance Framework and our alignment with the Green Bond Principles are supported by a Second-Party Opinion issued in 2024 by Moody’s ESG Solutions.
Equinix’s inaugural Green Finance Framework, established in 2020, and corresponding Second-Party Opinion can be viewed below:
“Our green bonds demonstrate Equinix’s continued commitment to designing, building and delivering the most reliable, secure and sustainable data center infrastructure possible in order to benefit our customers, the communities in which we operate, our investors and the planet. Through the allocation of our green bonds, we have been able to directly align our financing needs with our sustainability strategy.”
Katrina Rymill
SVP Corporate Finance & Sustainability
We communicate our green bond allocation annually through Green Bond Allocation Reports. We firmly believe that transparency ensures accountability and demonstrates how our financial activities directly contribute to projects with clear environmental benefits. Additionally, these reports showcase the pivotal role green debt issuances play in driving our low-carbon transition.
Reports from previous years, linked to our 2020 Green Finance Framework, can be viewed below:
Green Bond Progress
Equinix has issued $4.9 billion in green bonds, as of December 2023, to advance progress toward our target of achieving climate neutrality by 2030. As of the end of June 2023, the net proceeds of all four bond offerings were fully allocated.
These bonds have supported 207 projects, including Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) with 225 MW of renewable energy capacity, data center sustainable design innovations, green building initiatives and energy efficiency upgrades. Together, these efforts are expected to avoid 669,200 metric tons of CO2 equivalent (MTCO2e) annually, equivalent to the emissions from 149,000 gasoline-powered passenger vehicles driven for one year.
This diverse portfolio of projects reflects our comprehensive approach to sustainability that addresses various aspects of our operations. Allocations such as PPAs offer additional value to local markets by providing new renewable sources to help green the grid.
Equinix green bonds are as follows:
$1.35
Billion
September 2020:
Inaugural green bond
100% allocated
€1.10
Billion
February 2021:
Second green bond
100% allocated
$1.00
Billion
May 2021:
Third green bond
100% allocated
$1.20
Billion
April 2022:
Fourth green bond
100% allocated
Case Study
LEED Certification in Paris, France
Equinix financed our new IBX data center in France through our green bonds, designing it for optimal efficiency. Featuring a remarkable average annual PUE of 1.23, it includes a heat recovery system to reuse waste heat and a rooftop greenhouse with hydroponics to conserve water and grow produce. Targeting LEED certification, this center is expected to avoid 415 MTCO2e annually—exceeding industry standards.
