Governance
With strong corporate values and a passion for building trust and connectivity among our stakeholders, we believe our responsibility as a good corporate citizen includes active engagement to advance our key public policy priorities. Increasingly, as policymakers at different levels of governmental organizations focus on the data center industry, Equinix is stepping forward to communicate our perspectives and distinctive value, advocating for responsible stewardship in our sector.
Our team works alongside a wide range of stakeholders including government, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and industry and civic organizations in the communities in which we operate.
Public Policy and Government Affairs
Public Policy Priorities
We define our public policy priorities by aligning them with our business objectives and the interests of our various stakeholders. Our key priorities include:
- Increasing access to clean energy
- Improving resilience in the energy sector
- Enabling a more connected and secure world
- Engaging local communities and leaders on the role and benefits of data centers.
Our support for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), a U.S. government program seeking to close the digital divide, is an example of Equinix public policy in action. To promote a more connected and secure world, in 2023, Equinix offered free, high-speed internet exchange ports to internet service providers (ISPs) in three states through the ACP. The Equinix initiative grew out of our participation with CEO Action for Racial Equity (CEOARE), an organization that focuses on advancing racial equity through public policy at the federal, state and local levels in Texas, Michigan and New York.
Commitment to Paris Agreement
As part of our sustainability efforts, we are committed to conducting our public policy engagement activities in a manner that supports the goals set forth in the Paris Agreement.
Our Environmental Sustainability and Climate Change Policy states that “Equinix will set goals in line with what climate scientists report will be required by our sector to meet the Paris Accord climate targets and enable a transition to a low-carbon economy.” We collaborate with partners to reduce our sector’s environmental impact, including advocating for renewable public policies.
Accordingly, we work globally with governments in pursuit of policies that will:
- Enable and award energy efficiency innovations in data center operations;
- Encourage and incentivize the development and delivery of clean, renewable energy;
- Streamline permitting and provide adequate investment in electrical grid infrastructure to allow for the efficient delivery of power; and
- Other measures that assure our digital infrastructure is powered and supported in a manner that is fully sustainable.
Furthermore, Equinix carries forth this sustainability commitment to trade associations, industry consortia, and other advocacy groups.
Public Policy Governance
Equinix has a cross-functional Public Policy Council composed of senior leaders with global responsibilities. The Council’s remit is to meet quarterly with the Public Policy and Government Affairs team to provide oversight and advice on relevant public policy concerns. Through these meetings, relevant senior executives across Equinix stay informed on legislative and regulatory developments, providing feedback and guidance on Equinix’s position on key issues.
Equinix’s Public Policy and Government Affairs team reports to the Senior Vice President, Global Regulatory, Public Policy, Privacy and Compliance. Equinix’s public policy activities are reviewed and governed by our Executive Vice President, Global General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, in consultation with the Chief Legal and Human Resources Officer and the Board’s Nominating and Governance Committee.
Our country managing directors serve as public policy ambassadors. They play a crucial role in assessing policies within their respective regions, voicing the unique needs and requirements of those regions within our company.
Our Public Policy Activities guidance document articulates our approach to trade association engagements, political contributions and advocacy for issues relevant to our business.
The Nominating and Governance Committee semiannually reviews the policies and practices of Equinix’s Public Policy function, membership in trade associations, lobbying expenses and activities, and all other political activities.
In all regions throughout the world, Equinix works to conduct its public policy activities in a transparent manner with strict attention to all applicable legal and ethical requirements.
Political Contributions Policy and Disclosure
- The Equinix Code of Business Conduct prohibits employees from making or committing to political contributions on behalf of Equinix
- Equinix neither maintains a Political Action Committee (PAC) nor allows independent expenditures on behalf of any level of government
- Detailed information about contributions is disclosed semiannually in a political contributions report
- Per the Lobby Disclosure Act, Equinix files quarterly reports on its federal lobbying activities and expenditures. These reports can be accessed through the Lobby Contribution Filing search on the Lobbying Disclosure page of the U.S. Congress website or on our Investor Relations page under Disclosure
In 2023, Equinix was recognized by the CPA-Zicklin Index of Corporate Political Disclosure and Accountability as a “Trendsetter” in political spending disclosure practices and oversight policies among Fortune 500 companies.
Collaborating with our Peers
Equinix belongs to industry and trade associations in the United States and abroad. Our involvement and memberships help Equinix remain apprised of emerging issues and industry standards, allowing us to analyze policy and political information, influence association focus and positions and provide educational opportunities for Equinix employees. Through various forums, we are actively advocating for policies that promote the generation and use of renewable energy and other low-carbon alternatives. We also seek to support change that will build strong and thriving communities and will enable our data centers to play an integral role in development that maximizes environmental and social benefits.
Case Study
Collaborating to Enhance Data Center Key Performance Indicators
We work with industry peers and experts as a member of the ISO 30134 Working Group to review and refine data center Key Performance Indicators (KPI) standards. KPIs covered by ISO 30134 include Energy Reuse Factor (ERF), Renewable Energy Factor (REF), Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE), Water Usage Effectiveness (WUE) and more. This group of experts has played an important role in guiding the data center industry to measure and report in accordance with an internationally accepted standard. Additionally, current and new regulations increasingly refer to ISO 30134 KPIs.
In 2023, Equinix belonged to approximately 60 associations and related organizations. This includes nine in the United States, Canada, and Latin America; 37 in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA); and 14 in Asia and the Pacific (APAC). In 2023, Equinix played an influential role in establishing associations in APAC, Mexico and Ireland.
Equinix’s membership in any trade association does not indicate our agreement with all views and positions taken by the association. As of December 31, 2023, we were active members of the following sample list of organizations and associations. The trade associations in which we played an active leadership role are indicated by an asterisk:
Trade Organizations:
- Alliance for Renewable Clean Energy (ARCHES)
- Asia Cloud Computing Association (ACCA) *
- Data Center Coalition (DCC) *
- Digital Infrastructure Ireland (DII) *
- Dutch Data Center Association *
- European Data Centre Association (EUDCA) *
- Finnish Data Center Association (FDCA) *
- France Datacenter *
- German Datacenter Association *
- Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) *
- Italian Data Centre Association (IDA) *
- National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (Nareit) *
- Northern Virginia Technology Council (NVTC) *
- Polish Data Center Association*
- SPAIN DC *
- Swedish Data Center Industry Association (SDIA) *
- Tech Council of Australia
- TechUK (United Kingdom) *
- US-ASEAN Business Council
- US-Colombia Business Council *
Other Priority Groups:
- CEO Action for Racial Equity
- Clean Energy Buyers Alliance (CEBA)
- Nareit ESG Forum
- RE100
Our 2023 collaborative advocacy activities included:
- Working with CEBA to promote effective policies for the procurement and scaling of renewable energy globally
- Engaging policymakers in northern Virginia about pragmatic land use and zoning regulations through the DCC
- Continuing to play a leadership role in the EUDCA’s Climate Neutral Data Centre Pact (the Pact), driving the goal of data center carbon neutrality by 2030—Equinix and other members developed an auditable framework for the Pact’s 2025-2030 targets
Case Study
Forming a New Trade Association
Equinix played an instrumental role in the founding of the Asia-Pacific Data Centre Association (APDCA), a first-of-its-kind regional trade association formed to represent the collective interests of the data center industry. The APDCA will engage with governments to codevelop policies that drive the security and sustainability of data centers and share its collective knowledge to strengthen and build modern, diversified and resilient economies in the Asia-Pacific region, through the competitive development of future-proofed facilities and services.