At Equinix, materiality matters. We are targeting improvements in material ESG areas that our business impacts and driving standardization in reporting and transparency.
Reporting Boundary | |
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Assets: | 210 data centers |
Colocation floor area: | 9.9 million sq. ft. |
Gross square footage: | 22.3 million sq. ft. |
Energy Consumption: | ~5,740 GWh of electricity consumption Absolute change since 2015: +120% |
Renewable Energy: | ~5,250 GWh (92% globally) |
Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions: | Scope 1: 40,700 mtCO2e Scope 2 market-based: 306,000 mtCO2e Scope 2 location-based: 2,079,000 mtCO2e Scope 3: 155,000 mtCO2e Absolute change in Scope 2 market-based GHG Emissions since 2015: -60% |
Carbon Intensity (per unit Revenue): | Market-based: 62 mtCO2e / million USD Location-based: 381 mtCO2e / million USD |
Climate Change Disclosure: | Equinix has responded to the CDP Climate Change survey since 2015. We make our response publicly available on our website. |
Energy Intensity: | 1.028 GWh electricity/million USD. This represents a change of -1% year-over-year from 1.040 GWh/million USD in 2017. |
Assurance: | ISO 14064-3: 2019 Limited Assurance of Equinix’s energy consumption, Scope 1, 2, & 3 emissions |
Gender Breakdown: | Women Full-Time Employees (FTEs) Globally: 22% |
Region Breakdown: | Americas 45%, Asia-Pacific 22%, EMEA 34% |
Employee Engagement Rate: | 85% |
Turnover Rate: | 13% (Men 12%, Women 15%) |
Training and Education Investment: | 884 USD per FTE |
Nondiscrimination: | Equinix’s Code of Business Conduct prohibits discrimination and is reinforced throughout employee handbooks |
Corporate Citizenship: | Employee Donations, Matching Gifts and Corporate Grants: 4.7 million USD since 2015 |
Independent Directors: | 8 of 10 in 2019 (80%) |
Board Diversity: | 3 women (30%), 8 men (70%)** |
Board Oversight of ESG: | Yes |
Director Meeting Attendance: | 95% individual director participation in Board and applicable Committee meetings |
Anti-Bribery and Corruption: | Compliance training is mandatory for all employees globally. 100% completion has been achieved for the past 6 years |
Public Policy Activities: | Disclosed publicly here |
Data Privacy and Security: | Equinix’s Global Data Privacy Office helps us meet the requirements of the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Equinix has attained approval from the EU for its Binding Corporate Rules |
* All metrics as of December 31, 2019
** Current as of 6/18/2020
A core component of Equinix’s sustainability strategy is engagement. We maintain multi-dimensional communication channels with our network of customers, employees, investors, and service providers, as well as other groups, such as advocacy organizations and industry groups. The table below summarizes some of the principal ways we engage with these key stakeholder groups.
Disclosure Number | Disclosure Title | 2019 Response | |
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GRI 102: Organizational Profile | |||
102-1 | Name of the organization | Equinix, Inc. (NASDAQ: EQIX) | |
102-2 | Activities, brands, products, and services | Equinix provides a variety of International Business Exchange (IBX) colocation data centers, as well as interconnection solutions and managed IT infrastructure services. Additional details are available in our 2019 Form 10-K. | |
102-3 | Location of headquarters | One Lagoon Drive, Redwood City, California 94065, USA | |
102-4 | Location of operations | As of the end of 2019, Equinix operated 210 IBX data centers in 55 strategic markets in 26 countries across the Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, the Middle East and Africa (“EMEA”). As of December 2019, Equinix operated:
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102-5 | Ownership and legal form | Equinix is a Real Estate Investment Trust (“REIT”) and is publicly traded on the NASDAQ Stock Market. | |
102-6 | Markets served | In 2019, Equinix operated in 55 strategic markets across the Americas, Asia-Pacific, and EMEA with more than 9,700 customers, including a diversified mix of cloud and IT service providers, content providers, enterprises, financial companies, and network and mobile service providers. | |
102-7 | Scale of the organization | 2019 Form 10-K, Item 1 and Item 6 | |
102-8 | Information on employees and other workers | Total headcount: Equinix had 8,193 regular employees as of December 31, 2019. This is a 8.9% headcount growth since 2018. The 8,193 headcount excludes employees integrated from the Switch acquisition.Total number of employees/workers by type and by gender:
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102-9 | Supply chain | Equinix designs, builds, and operates multi-tenant retail interconnection data centers globally. Our supply chain consists of the materials and utilities contracts needed to provide the space, power and cooling that we offer our customers. The space consists of the materials used to build our data centers and the contractors we hire during the construction phases. The power and cooling infrastructure consist of equipment inside the sites that bring power to our customers’ electronic equipment reliably (including backup generators and UPS units) and maintain the necessary temperatures, airflow and humidity needed to keep our customers’ equipment running effectively and reliably (HVAC equipment). Our power supply chain is heavily monitored and managed for both price and environmental concerns. We also use a variety of suppliers who help us maintain some aspects of data center operations and reliability, such as physical security measures and security personnel, janitors, waste management companies, etc. And we use a variety of consultants and vendors to help us improve our business strategy and processes.We are committed to ensuring that our suppliers maintain high standards of ethics and environmental compliance. Since 2015, we have instituted a Business Partner Code of Conduct that is part of our Global Suppler Information Form. It has been included in all contracts signed with our suppliers since June 2015. | |
102-10 | Significant changes to the organization and its supply chain | In 2019, Equinix opened ten new data centers, invested in two xScale data centers, added capacity in 22 markets and expanded the total number of IBX and xScale data center facilities to 210, including our acquisition of three data centers in Mexico from Axtel S.A.B. de C.V. in early 2020. The acquisition of Axtel Mexico data centers are excluded from the 2019 operational boundary. | |
102-11 | Precautionary Principle or approach | Equinix does not specifically apply the precautionary principle; however Equinix meets or exceeds all applicable local, regional, and federal laws and regulations. We take steps to ensure that we operate with the highest levels of integrity and reliability, and we develop our programs to meet or exceed industry best practices across all areas: environmental, social and governance. Globally, we employ a risk-based approach to our policies and practices and seek to implement best practices around the world, including increased transparency around the impact of our operations and the policies we have in place. | |
102-12 | External initiatives | Equinix participates in the following initiatives, in no particular order: CDP, SASB, TCFD, Accounting for Sustainability (A4S), S&P Global Sam Corporate Sustainability Assessment, Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB), EcoVadis, Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance (REBA), EU Code of Conduct for Data Centres, Green Datacentre Research Programme, Information Technology Industry Council (and the former The Green Grid), ISO 50001 Energy Management System, ISO 14001 Environmental Management System, NAREIT Real Estate Sustainability Council (RESC) and ESG Forum, CEO ACT!ON Network, Paradigm for Parity, RE100, techUK, Singapore BCA-IMDA Green Mark, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Energy Star Data Center Rating program, U.S. EPA Green Power Partnership, U.S. Green Building Council (LEED). Please note this list is not exhaustive. | |
102-13 | Membership of associations | Equinix sits on the boards of the following organizations: European Data Centre Association (EUDCA), Data Center Coalition (DCC) in Northern Virginia, Internet Infrastructure Coalition (i2C), Information Technology Industry Council (ITI), and Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance (REBA) and is an active member of the Northern Virginia Technology Council (NVTC) | |
GRI 102: Strategy | |||
102-14 | Statement from senior decision-maker | CEO Letter | |
102-15 | Key impacts, risks, and opportunities | 2019 Form 10-K, Item 1A | |
GRI 102: Ethics and Integrity | |||
102-16 | Values, principles, standards, and norms of behavior | Equinix’s Code of Business Conduct can be found on Equinix’s Investor Relations Guidelines & Policies page. | |
GRI 102: Governance | |||
102-17 | Mechanisms for advice and concerns about ethics | Equinix’s Code of Business Conduct can be found on Equinix’s Investor Relations Guidelines & Policies page. And Equinix’s Whistleblower Protection Policy protects corporate “whistleblowers”; ensuring that concerns around ethics and corruption can be taken seriously and acted upon by the Company. | |
102-18 102-19 102-20 102-21 102-30 102-31 102-32 | Governance structure Delegating authority Executive-level responsibility for economic, environmental, and social topics Consulting stakeholders on economic, environmental, and social topics Effectiveness of risk management processes Review of economic, environmental, and social topics Highest governance body’s role in sustainability reporting | At Equinix, we are all working together to build an organization that is defined by its honesty, integrity and consistently ethical behavior. Our commitment to the highest standards of business and professional conduct differentiates our business as much as our technology. The sound corporate governance practices we have adopted enhance our accountability and transparency and promote our ethical pursuit of our shareholders’ best interests.
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102-22 | Composition of the highest governance body and its committees | 2020 Proxy Statement | |
102-23 | Chair of the highest governance body | 2020 Proxy Statement | |
102-24 | Nominating and selecting the highest governance body | 2020 Proxy Statement | |
GRI 102: Stakeholder Engagement | |||
102-40 | List of stakeholder groups | For more details, please refer to our Stakeholder Engagement Table | |
102-41 | Collective bargaining agreements |
In line with our values and an approach of consultation and social partnership, Equinix supports dialogue and consultation on changes affecting our employees even where there is no obligation to do so. | |
102-42 | Identifying and selecting stakeholders | Equinix identifies key stakeholders based on their influence on the company’s decisions, responsibility to the company, knowledge of external stakeholder concerns and those who rely on and are affected by our services. We also identify stakeholders as those in the communities near our data centers and organizations we interact with regularly. This process is described in more detail in the Stakeholder Engagement section | |
102-43 | Approach to stakeholder engagement | This process is described in more detail in the Stakeholder Engagement section | |
102-44 | Key topics and concerns raised | This process is described in more detail in the Stakeholder Engagement and Materiality sections | |
GRI 102: Reporting Practice | |||
102-45 | Entities included in consolidated financial statements | All entities listed in our 2019 Form 10-K | |
102-46 | Defining report content and topic Boundaries | For more details, please refer to our Report Profile discussion | |
102-47 | List of material topics | For more details, please refer to our Materiality Assessment discussion | |
102-48 | Restatements of information | None | |
102-49 | Changes in reporting | The Metronode acquisition sites that were excluded from the 2018 operational reporting boundary have been added to the 2019 boundary. In addition, data center expansions at existing sites are also included. | |
102-50 | Reporting period | 2019 calendar year | |
102-51 | Date of most recent report | Released August 2019 covering 2018 data | |
102-52 | Reporting cycle | Annually | |
102-53 | Contact point for questions regarding the report | Jennifer Ruch Director, Sustainability, Sustainability Program Office Sustainability@equinix.com 1.800.322.9280 | |
102-54 | Claims of reporting in accordance with the GRI Standards | This report has been prepared in accordance with the GRI Standards: Core option. | |
102-55 | GRI content index | Included in this section | |
102-56 | External assurance | This report does not have external assurance; however Equinix’s 2015-2019 Scope 1, Scope 2, and most of Scope 3 emissions have been externally verified to Limited Assurance Standards ISO 14064-3. |
Disclosure Number | Disclosure Title | 2019 Response | |
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GRI 201: Economic Performance | |||
103-1 | Explanation of the material topic and its Boundary | Materiality Assessment | |
103-2 103-3 | The management approach and its componentsEvaluation of the management approach | 2019 Form 10-K | |
201-1 | Direct economic value generated and distributed | 2019 Form 10-K, Item 6 and 7 | |
201-2 | Financial implications and other risks and opportunities due to climate change | Equinix CDP Climate Change Survey response | |
GRI 203: Indirect Economic Impacts | |||
103-1 | Explanation of the material topic and its Boundary | Materiality Assessment | |
103-2 103-3 | The management approach and its componentsEvaluation of the management approach | Equinix’s corporate philanthropy and citizenship efforts | |
203-1 | Development and impact of infrastructure investments and services supported | Infrastructure investments: 2019 Form 10-K, Note 17 in Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. Equinix’s corporate philanthropy and citizenship efforts. Metrics reported in USD. Indirect impacts: community grants:
Employee Volunteer hours:
Matching gifts:
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203-2 | Significant indirect economic impacts | This metric helps determine how many job opportunities were created in 2019, both as a result of growth and from a need to replace leaving employees. A total of 1,666 employees were hired externally in 2019 against the 2,632 open positions, 341 positions were filled internally, and the remaining positions not hired for were carried forward to 2020 or cancelled. | |
GRI 205: Anti-corruption | |||
103-1 | Explanation of the material topic and its Boundary | Materiality Assessment | |
103-2 103-3 | The management approach and its components Evaluation of the management approach | Equinix’s Governance & Ethics efforts | |
205-1 | Operations assessed for risks related to corruption | Every organization is judged by the actions of its people. When individuals consistently act with honesty and integrity, their company builds trust and a reputation for ethical behavior. At Equinix, we believe that acting ethically is not only the right thing to do, but it also makes good business sense. Worldwide, Equinix is committed to the highest standards of business and professional conduct. We designed our Code of Business Conduct to reflect and document our ethical values and standards. We use mandatory trainings on the Code to ensure that all Equinix employees are provided guidance on applying our ethical standards in their day-to-day decision-making and actions on behalf of our company.Equinix continually reviews its business operations and market environment to assess the various risk factors that have the potential to adversely affect our business. These risk factors, including those related to corruption, are reported annually as part of our SEC reporting. Please refer to our 10-K filing for 2019. | |
205-2 | Communication and training about anti-corruption policies and procedures | All new hires at Equinix must complete both Code of Business Conduct and anti-bribery and corruption training courses within six months of being hired. After that, employees are expected to take online or in-person compliance trainings on an annual basis depending on the training schedule each year. Trainings are available in multiple languages through a software program that enables us to reach 100% of Equinix employees. New Board members receive training on anti-bribery and corruption (ABC) risk and Equinix’s ABC policy and training program as part of their onboarding orientation session. Equinix’s management team also participates in all employee mandatory trainings described above. Equinix’s Whistleblower Protection Policy protects corporate “whistleblowers”; ensuring that concerns around ethics and corruption can be taken seriously and acted upon by the Company. | |
205-3 | Confirmed incidents of corruption and actions taken | Please review our SEC filings for detailed reporting on Corruption, Ethics and Compliance issues. Equinix strives to avoid duplicate reporting. | |
GRI 302: Energy | |||
103-1 | Explanation of the material topic and its Boundary | Materiality Assessment | |
103-2 103-3 | The management approach and its componentsEvaluation of the management approach | Equinix’s Environment efforts | |
302-1 | Energy consumption within the organization | Energy Consumption: Total energy consumption in 2019 was 5,830 GWh across Scope 1 and 2 (up from 5,564 GWh in 2018 or 4%). Scope 2 was 5,740 GWh (+10% YOY). The regional breakdown for Scope 2 was:
Note: This includes consumption from electric power, fuel cells operated under power purchase agreements and chilled water. It also includes the Metronode acquisition that was excluded last year. These values were assured to Limited Assurance ISO 14064-3 Requirements. Renewable Energy Consumption: Total renewable energy consumption in 2019 was 5,250 GWh (+10% YOY)
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302-3 | Energy intensity | Energy intensity as measured by electricity consumption (GWh) per unit revenue (million USD) was:
Note includes electric power and chilled water for all years. Equinix’s energy intensity as is driven both by site efficiency as well as how we generate revenue around the world. | |
302-4 | Reduction of energy consumption | Demand reduction from energy efficiency activities since 2011 is roughly 25,100 kW annually including 2,000 kW from projects completed in 2019. | |
GRI 305: Emissions | |||
103-1 | Explanation of the material topic and its Boundary | Materiality Assessment | |
103-2 103-3 | The management approach and its components Evaluation of the management approach | Equinix’s Environment efforts | |
305-1 | Direct (Scope 1) GHG emissions | Scope 1 emissions from: onsite diesel consumption for backup generation, natural gas used for heating and fuel cells, and refrigerant losses (new since 2018).
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305-2 | Energy indirect (Scope 2) GHG emissions | Scope 2 Location-based GHG emissions (electricity + chilled water), with YOY trend
The regional breakdown in 2019 was: 40% AMER (824,000 mtCO2e); 31% APAC (641,000 mtCO2e); 30% EMEA (614,000 mtCO2e). Scope 2 Market-based GHG emissions (electricity + chilled water) including contribution of renewable energy purchasing, with YOY trend:
The regional breakdown in 2019 was: 25% AMER (77,000 mtCO2e); 68% APAC (209,000 mtCO2e); 7% EMEA (20,000 mtCO2e). Market-based methodologies take into account Equinix’s large renewable energy purchases which allow us to use a 0 mtCO2e/MWh emissions factor (or net zero emissions from electricity) | |
305-3 | Other indirect (Scope 3) GHG emissions | Scope 3 emissions come from:
Scope 3 totals were:
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305-4 | GHG emissions intensity | Carbon Intensity as measured by total emissions (Scope 1+ Scope 2 Market-based emissions) per unit revenue (million USD) was:
Carbon intensity is driven both by our supplier-based emissions factors and our purchases of low-carbon and renewable energy, as well as how we generate revenue around the world. The trend of intensity increasing in 2019 was driven by the acquisition and inclusion of Metronode sites in the global portfolio. Overall, since 2015, carbon intensity has trended down 78%. | |
305-5 | Reduction of GHG emissions | Equinix sources clean and renewable energy around the world to make progress against our 100% renewable energy goal. Renewable energy coverage vs. our electricity usage in 2019 was: `
Specifically, Renewable Energy purchases reduce Scope 2 GHG emissions (from location-based to market-based):
(Note, Scope 2 includes electric power, fuel cells under power purchase agreement, and chilled water) Equinix also invests in energy efficiency upgrades, retrofits and improvements. Our $130 million in investment since 2011 results in annual emissions reductions of approximately 430,000 mtCO2e per year. | |
GRI 401: Employment | |||
103-1 | Explanation of the material topic and its Boundary | Materiality Assessment | |
103-2 103-3 | The management approach and its components Evaluation of the management approach | Equinix’s People efforts | |
401-1 | New employee hires and employee turnover | New employees hired and (hire rate):
Note, numbers depict how many people were hired during the year both for newly created positions and for positions that became vacant as a result of employee attrition. Employees added as a result of acquisitions are not included. New Hire rate = # of new hires / average annual head count. Employee turnover rate:
Represents how many employees left the organization voluntarily (includes retirement and death) as well as involuntarily (due to dismissal, misconduct, job performance etc.). The 2019 attrition rate is lower than industry benchmark of 20%. In 2019, attrition was observed to be higher among millennials and women as compared to other employee groups. | |
401-3 | Parental leave | Retention rate after parental leave (for EMEA and the Americas 2015 – 2018; Americas 2019):
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SOC-3-a (Equinix Internal Metric) | Employee satisfaction – survey response rate | Equinix uses the semi-annual Equinix Pulse Survey to gauge employee experience and make changes to enhance employee engagement. The “response rate” metric shows how many employees participated in the Pulse Survey. Higher response rate is preferred because it indicates that the survey is representative of a larger percentage of the employee population. The Pulse Survey was released twice in 2019:
When averaged, the Pulse Survey response rate was 88%, which is a slight decrease from 89% in 2018. | |
SOC-3-b (Equinix Internal Metric) | Employee satisfaction – survey results | The Pulse Survey has 5 indices: Communication, Alignment, Engagement, Belonging and Other. To determine employee satisfaction results, Equinix takes the “Engagement” index questions and create an aggregate score. The Engagement index measures the commitment level and satisfaction level of employees. Engagement or satisfaction score:
In 2017, in addition to Engagement, Equinix has also introduced questions to assess whether employees feel like they belong at Equinix. Data from these questions will be used to inform and create a more inclusive workplace. | |
GRI 403: Occupational Health and Safety | |||
103-1 | Explanation of the material topic and its Boundary | Materiality Assessment | |
103-2 103-3 | The management approach and its componentsEvaluation of the management approach | Equinix’s Social Pillar efforts | |
403-9 | Work-related injuries | In 2019, Equinix had:
Equinix previously reported its absentee rate and lost day rates for the U.S. and Canada, but it is not a recommended disclosure in the new version of the GRI Standards: GRI 403: Occupational Health and Safety 2018. To request this information, please contact sustainability@equinix.com. | |
GRI 404: Training and Education | |||
103-1 | Explanation of the material topic and its Boundary | Materiality Assessment | |
103-2 103-3 | The management approach and its components Evaluation of the management approach | Equinix’s Social Pillar efforts | |
404-1 | Average hours of training per year per employee | In 2019, more than 8,000 learning resources were available to all employees and 9,387 employees started or completed training on the LMS, with an average of 21.8 hours on the system per learner. | |
404-2 | Programs for upgrading employee skills and transition assistance programs | Learning resources available to employees include: Equinix specific material created and deployed by various departments such as HR, Sales, Operations, Customer Care; CrossKnowledge libraries; Project Management; Agile; PMP Certification; Digital Literacy; Microsoft Office; Leadership; and a large variety of leadership and soft skills training resources.Equinix also has robust training programs covering our global policies and procedures – these are mandatory courses assigned to all employees, and are available in multiple languages. Examples include: Global Code of Business Conduct; Anti-Bribery and Corruption; Preventing Workplace Harassment (in U.S. and Asia-Pacific); Security Awareness and Responsibility; Business Continuity Training; and an introduction to REITs. Training and resources are also provided through external channels such as function-specific conferences and function-specific trainings such as Tableau training. Equinix also offers tuition reimbursement for academic programs, which contributes to overall employee development. In 2019, Equinix averaged $884 in training costs per FTE. And the average total hours on training and development per FTE was 21.8 hours. | |
GRI 405: Diversity and Equal Opportunity | |||
103-1 | Explanation of the material topic and its Boundary | Materiality Assessment | |
103-2 103-3 | The management approach and its components Evaluation of the management approach | Equinix’s People efforts | |
405-1 | Diversity of governance bodies and employees | The 2019 composition of Equinix’s governance bodies and Executive team was as follows:
The 2019 composition of Equinix’s employees was as follows:
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405-2 | Ratio of basic salary and remuneration of women to men | We are advocates of pay equity – our Rewards & Compensation team engages in regular market studies about pay, and since 2017, our global guidance to hiring managers is to refrain from asking candidates about their salary history, and instead focus on the appropriate pay for the job being offered. Globally, Equinix representation of females in the workforce and in leadership roles is on par with our peers in the industry. | |
GRI 406: Non-discrimination | |||
103-1 | Explanation of the material topic and its Boundary | Materiality Assessment | |
103-2 103-3 | The management approach and its components Evaluation of the management approach | Equinix’s People efforts | |
406-1 | Incidents of discrimination and corrective actions taken | Equinix takes seriously the importance of offering a workplace free of unlawful discrimination, harassment and retaliation.
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GRI 417: Marketing and Labeling | |||
103-1 | Explanation of the material topic and its Boundary | Materiality Assessment | |
103-2 103-3 | The management approach and its components Evaluation of the management approach | Equinix’s Environment efforts | |
417-1 | Requirements for product and service information and labeling | Equinix data centers provide a secure and reliable place for our customers’ IT equipment. Equinix supplies the power needed to run that equipment 24×7. Equinix tracks the energy content for 100% of its IBX data centers globally and makes available energy consumption, energy efficiency and renewable energy data to its customers. We believe that data centers should leverage their large electricity loads for positive social and environmental impact and Equinix’s 100% renewable energy goal is bringing more renewable energy generation sources online both locally and regionally in order to address the urgent need to move utility grids away from fossil fuels to address climate change. Upon request, customers can access custom environmental sustainability reports for their deployments within Equinix data centers including data for all deployments covered 100% with renewable energy in the calendar year and resulting in a net zero market-based carbon emissions factor (CEF) at those sites. | |
SOC-11 (Equinix Internal Metric) | Customer experience | Equinix is built on a culture of putting the customer at the center of everything we do. Aligning around the customer means delivering value for their business, building long-term strategic partnerships and driving loyalty by listening to and acting on their feedback. We want customers to recommend Equinix above all others because we deliver experiences they value and trust. We aim to reach 100% of our customers through our ongoing Net Promoter Score (NPS) survey, listening and learning across all industries and personas. We are pleased that customer sentiment has reflected our NPS above the tech industry average for both years of measurement with this metric. In 2019, we saw a healthy increase in our score, represented by 6,500 voices. Our efforts to make the customer experience a strategic differentiator revolve around:
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GRI 418: Customer Privacy | |||
103-1 | Explanation of the material topic and its Boundary | Materiality Assessment | |
103-2 103-3 | The management approach and its components Evaluation of the management approach | Equinix protects our customers’ business contact information and other personal data used to facilitate access to our data centers. Equinix has delivered a cross functional compliance program to implement the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). GDPR is a comprehensive set of data privacy compliance measures, including stringent personal data breach notification measures, and a process for responding to individual subject access requests. GDPR compliance is implemented across our global platform for systems, processes and policies that handle personal data of our customers, employees and other third parties, helping us facilitate compliance with new data privacy laws as they emerge globally. As Equinix launches new applications and systems, the Equinix Privacy Office is embedded in the process for such builds and launches to ensure that data privacy processes and policies are appropriately addressed. The Privacy Office is led by Legal with functional representation that manages this program of work, and reports to the Governance Committee. The Privacy Office continues to enforce data privacy compliance at Equinix world-wide on an ongoing basis. Equinix continues its involvement across our global customer base to assist customers in their own data privacy compliance, as appropriate. | |
418-1 | Substantiated complaints concerning breaches of customer privacy and losses of customer data | Please review our SEC filings for detailed reporting on Privacy and other Ethics and Compliance issues. Equinix strives to avoid duplicate reporting. | |
GRI 419: Socioeconomic Compliance | |||
103-1 | Explanation of the material topic and its Boundary | Materiality Assessment | |
103-2 103-3 | The management approach and its componentsEvaluation of the management approach | Equinix’s Governance efforts | |
419-1 | Non-compliance with laws and regulations in the social and economic area | As a global company, Equinix must comply with the laws in all the places we do business. Our employees understand this means they are responsible for understanding and complying with all laws and regulations that affect our jobs. In this way we proactively avoid both the monetary and reputation risks associated with sanctions and fines for non-compliance. In 2019, Equinix received no significant or material fines or non-monetary sanctions for non-compliance with laws and regulations. | |
Company-specific Metrics | |||
SOC-10 (Equinix Internal Metric) | Total customer uptime in a given year as measured in yearly availability. | Equinix IBX data centers feature advanced design, security, power and cooling elements to provide customers with industry- leading reliability, including average uptime of 99.9999% globally in 2019. All Equinix IBX data centers are equipped with UPS power, backup systems and N+1 (or greater) redundancy. The company guarantees certain service levels, such as uptime, as outlined in individual customer contracts. In 2019, Equinix regions had the following availabilities:
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