ST Telemedia Global Data Centres Releases Inaugural ESG Report
Report highlights the Group’s commitment and ongoing performance towards carbon-neutral data centre operations by 2030
ST Telemedia Global Data Centres (STT GDC), a leading data centre service provider headquartered in Singapore, today published its inaugural Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Report, providing a comprehensive overview of the Group’s approach, programmes and performance across three key pillars. These include Decarbonisation, a Safe, Secure and Inclusive Workplace, and Ethical & Responsible Operations.
“As an enabler of digital infrastructure across our global operations, we know that climate change has only further underscored the need to optimise our energy efficiency, source our energy responsibly and minimise our resource usage,” said Bruno Lopez, President and Group Chief Executive Officer, ST Telemedia Global Data Centres. With our inaugural ESG report, we reaffirm our commitments to providing reliable, resilient and responsible digital infrastructure across all our existing data centre platforms, even as we expand to new geographies.”
STT GDC has also recently participated in the inaugural auction of a portfolio of high-quality carbon credits hosted by the Climate Impact Exchange (CIX) in Singapore. Through the auction, it has successfully secured 25,000 tons of carbon credits that will offset approximately 15% of the company’s emissions in Singapore.
“Climate issues are a rising concern for many businesses and consumers. As Singapore pushes the envelope on sustainable development, it is imperative for the ecosystem to come together to make a collective impact and bring positive change. Sustainability has always been a core priority for our business and we have pledged to be carbon-neutral in our data centre operations by 2030. The CIX Alpha Auction represents an exciting opportunity for us to make a difference as part of our overall global ESG strategy and we are excited to join forces with other like-minded organisations to strengthen the marketplace and spearhead lasting change for future generations,” said Lopez.
2020 ESG Report Highlights:
Decarbonisation
- Pledged to transition its data centre operations to be net carbon-neutral by 2030
- Energy Efficiency: Over the year, STT GDC has achieved 43% carbon-free energy usage across its operations. In Singapore, it has installed a 2,000 m2 rooftop solar photovoltaic system at its latest data centre, STT Loyang. In addition, it has signed additional renewable energy power purchase agreements (PPAs) to increase renewable energy penetration from 32% to 51% across its India business in the coming years. In the UK, the company has renewed and expanded contracts to procure 100% renewable energy.
- Green Buildings: Newly constructed buildings will be LEED Gold certified as a minimum. In Thailand, STT GDC built the first LEED Gold data centre whereas, in Singapore, it achieved both LEED Gold and BCA-IMDA Green Mark Platinum certifications for the STT Loyang data centre.
- Water Stewardship: STT GDC regularly implements water usage efficiency programmes such as non-chemical treatment of the cooling tower at its STT Tai Seng data centre in Singapore, which allowed an estimated 7,300 m3 of environmentally friendly water to be discharged into the sewerage system without polluting the environment. In India, STT GDC had also pioneered a unique reverse osmosis (RO) plant in Chennai, allowing 40 kilolitres (kL) of blowdown water to be reused each day.
Fostering a Safe, Secure, Diverse and Inclusive Workplace
- Diversity and Inclusion: STT GDC boasts a diverse leadership with women making up a third of the management team (32%) in 2020. It plans to make further strategic plans regarding the critical topic of diversity in 2022.
- Labour Rights and Safety: As part of the Group’s drive towards world-class Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) performance, STT GDC has recorded 10.4 million hours worked in its construction program without serious incidents. STT GDC has also achieved zero work-related injuries within its operational data centres and zero high-consequence injuries throughout 2020.
- Building Industry Talent and Expertise: In India, the company launched the STT GDC India Centre of Excellence in 2021, providing career pathways for local students and upskilling industry talent.
Ethical and Responsible Operations
- Robust Governance: In addition to ensuring 100% of its employees formally acknowledge and commit to anti-corruption and ethics policies annually, STT GDC also ensures that 100% of its suppliers formally acknowledge the Group’s code of conduct.
- Fostering Local Communities: Launched in 2018, STT GDC’s Lakhpati Initiative is a community-centric approach where the Group builds enabling infrastructure based on farmers’ feedback. The programme has since engaged with over 1,000 households in India, helping them to generate a sustainable income
STT GDC’s inaugural ESG Report is based on the Group’s financial year from 1 January to 31 December 2020, covering all operations (data centres and offices) under STT GDC’s control during the year (i.e. Singapore, India and the UK).
Click here to read more about the ESG initiatives or download the full report.