Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG)
Being a good global citizen isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s smart business. Explore how our commitment to ESG is helping enterprises cut costs and meet their sustainability goals. Read more in our ESG Report.
Building for a better tomorrow.
Energy efficiency is better for the planet and lowers costs for our customers. We are honored to be the only data center company named the Energy Star Partner of the Year by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for our energy efficiency efforts.
Our data centers are designed to require fewer construction materials while delivering industry-leading Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE). This not only lowers our customers’ carbon footprint but also their costs.
Our objective is to achieve LEED Silver minimum (or equivalent) for all major new construction and redevelopment projects. We have certified more than 13 million square feet under green building standards.
We aim to support the development of new clean energy supplies and reduce our reliance on fossil fuels We have more than 1.4 gigawatts of large-scale solar and wind power under contract and 5.4 megawatts of onsite solar installations globally.
Spotlight on sustainability
Explore our latest ESG report to see how we lead the data center industry in reducing our environmental impact.
66%
Our global renewable energy coverage (16% increase from 2020).
152
The number of our data centers matched with 100% renewable energy.
$6.4 Billion
Our fully allocated green bond funds.
67%
U.S. portfolio ENERGY STAR-certified by managed IT-capacity.
Discover how we're reducing our environmental impact
Certifications
Our numerous green building certifications show our commitment to responsible data centre development and minimising environmental impact for all stakeholders.
Conservation
Our data centres run efficiently thanks to our diligent monitoring and implementation of innovative energy and water conservation measures.
Clean energy
We partner with energy producers, developers, and utilities to provide renewable energy and meet the clean energy goals of our clients.
Green bonds
As a top green bond issuer in the data centre industry, we finance eco-friendly projects through standard bonds that have added environmental features.
Sustainability
Our Sustainability Policy outlines our dedication to improving our environmental impact and aligning with both customer and business goals.
Social Initiatives
#DIVERSITYatDigital
Our social initiatives aim to elevate corporate citizenship, enrich the communities we serve, and inspire change through ethical and equitable operations.
Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI)
We recruit based on skills, knowledge, attitude, and experience, without discrimination of gender, sexual orientation, age, family status, ethnicity, nationality, disability, or religion.
We promote diversity policies that ensure our workplace represents the qualified applicant pool in the regions we operate. We also evaluate pay equity annually.
Community engagement
Driven by a passion for giving back to the communities where we operate, our #DoBetterTogether initiative ignites and celebrates employee engagement and community involvement, allowing us to make a lasting positive impact.
Governance at Digital Realty
Stakeholder engagement
We understand the importance of building relationships with those who impact and are impacted by our business. That's why we prioritize engagement with a diverse range of stakeholders, including our employees, customers, investors, partners, government agencies, reliable suppliers, as well as communities and non-governmental organizations.
Ethics
We uphold the highest ethical standards and seek guidance from internal and external sources to maintain integrity and lawful practices.
Our Code of Business Conduct & Ethics addresses conflicts of interest, fair dealings, confidential info, gifts & entertainment, financial accuracy, legal compliance, public communication, environment, health & safety, and employment.
Resilience
We're proactive in addressing the financial impact of climate change on our business. We take a comprehensive, multi-level approach, from preparation and planning at each individual site, to managing risks across the entire enterprise. At a societal level, we advocate for a shift towards a low carbon future.
Supplier Code of Conduct
Our Supplier Code of Conduct outlines core company principles and describes the standards our suppliers must meet to establish and maintain a business relationship with us.
Supply Chain ESG
Engaging with our suppliers is important to ensure that they are operating with high standards for human rights, labor, and environmental responsibility. In 2023, we launched a dedicated Supply Chain ESG Program.
Enabling sustainable digital infrastructure
Putting our sustainability principles into practice is something that we’re committed to, helping to support our 5,000+ customers to meet their ESG targets and empowering them to drive innovation with green, scalable digital infrastructure.
To bring to life some of the ways we meet our ESG targets, we’re shining the spotlight on some of the key initiatives we’re driving globally.
Sustainability spotlight:
Portland, Oregon
Deep in Portland's Silicon Forest, we’re pioneering sustainable data centers. Discover how our award-winning initiatives, innovative PDX12 center, and collaboration with Schneider Electric redefine industry standards.