STT GDC releases its 2022 ESG report

Author: Isha Jain

ST Telemedia Global Data Centres has published today its 2022 Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) report.

The report outlines the progress toward its ESG targets, as well as its three main ESG pillars – carbon neutral data centre operations by 2030; a safe, secure, diverse and inclusive workplace; and ethical and responsible business. Sustainability is increasingly at the forefront of global priorities, with calls for stronger collective commitment towards tangible results in this area.

Bruno Lopez, President and Group Chief Executive Officer, ST Telemedia Global Data Centres, says, “As one of the world’s fastest growing data centre providers, we expect our data centres to be leading edge in terms of sustainability, efficiency and security. We are committed to innovating and investing in renewable energy sources and technologies that actively contribute to energy and water efficiencies. In 2022, we have increased the use of renewable energy across the group, achieving 52% penetration and reaffirming our commitment to achieve carbon neutral data centre operations by 2030.”

The company also published a Sustainability-Linked Financial Framework during 2022, that transforms its commitment to be net carbon neutral by 2030 into concrete action plans. The framework upholds its sustainability commitments with stringent Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and Sustainability Performance Targets (SPTs), ensuring advancement of mid to long term sustainability goals.

“As we come head to head with more environmental, social, governance and regulatory risks, we are committed to investing in strengthening our governance structure. In 2022, we have introduced a dedicated sustainability committee who will ensure that sustainability considerations are fully integrated into our decision making processes and that we are constantly pushing ourselves to improve and do better,” says Bruno.

2022 ESG report highlights

A key component of the ESG report is measuring the company’s progress towards becoming net carbon neutral data centre operations by 2030. This includes key metrics such as carbon intensity, Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) and usage of renewable energy.

Environmental Impact:

• STT GDC has achieved 52% usage of carbon-free electricity across the group, an improvement of 9% year-on-year.
• Carbon intensity showed a reduction of 24% year-on-year.
• Improved average PUE by 7% since 2020.
• Improved average WUE by a total of 18% since 2020.
• Increased utilisation of renewable energy in Singapore to 84GWh.
• Over 30% of waste generated has been successfully diverted from landfill towards recycling.
• 44% of its data centres are certified as green buildings under recognised national or international programmes.

Social impact

• STT GDC has world-class health and safety management systems within each of its businesses. As part of its continuous improvement programme, every operating entity has achieved certification against the stringent requirements of ISO 45001. Of the total of 13.7m hours recorded in construction and operations, there were zero work-related serious injuries with a 0.15 total recordable incident rate.
• One of three of the management team are accomplished women, highlighting its dedication to promoting gender diversity and equal representation in leadership positions.
• It also reaffirmed its commitment to fair treatment and non-discrimination in the workplace, attracting employees that reflect diverse communities.

Responsible business practices

• The company is committed to the highest standards of business ethics. Corporate integrity and responsible business practices govern its values and culture, including,
• Zero-tolerance policy on bribery, kickbacks and corruption.
• Requirement that all persons acting on behalf of the company must conduct all business activities in compliance with its policies and applicable anti-corruption laws.
• Launched its new supplier code of conduct as an important step towards deepening its relationship with like-minded supply chain partners.

STT GDC’s ESG Report is based on its financial year from 1 January to 31 December 2022, covering all operations under its control during the year.