Sustainability is top of mind at businesses all around the world, and finding ways to decarb the data center has quickly moved to the top of the priority list for global IT teams. But are we making progress? Hitachi Vantara has some new insights to share. It conducted a worldwide survey of 1,000 IT and C-level business executives, including 250 from the US, in a cross-section of different industries to find out how their organizations are tackling sustainability challenges, including decarbonization of the data center. 

The report, The State of Data Infrastructure Sustainability, reveals some unexpected findings—especially in terms of progress and timeline. 

First, the good news for our planet. The report shows that sustainability is a priority for US businesses, as 78 percent of them have plans for achieving carbon neutrality, and 79 percent have plans for achieving net zero carbon emissions.  And the push toward sustainability among businesses is strong: 85 percent of respondents in the survey say they are “on plan” or “ahead of plan” for their carbon reduction goals. And 51 percent of organizations put eco-friendly data centers high on their list. 

The Reality Check

However, other findings from the report indicate that businesses may be overestimating their actual progress, as the timeline for achieving their ambitious data center decarbonization goals is still many years out.

Some key findings from the US businesses included in the Hitachi Vantara survey:

• Two in five (40%) organizations reported that they lack a sustainability strategy and implementation plan.
• The timing for achieving their sustainability goals is still decades away. On average, organizations do not expect to be at net zero emissions for 20+ years, or until 2048.

“To get to net-zero, firms must establish a concrete strategy and implementation plan, with leadership buy-in, that takes a data-driven approach to emissions across the entire IT estate, including edge, on-prem, and off-prem,” says Mark Ablett, President, Digital Infrastructure, Hitachi Vantara, in a press report.

The Slow Path to Net Zero

The Hitachi Vantara survey also reveals some insights into what is causing sustainability efforts to stall out. According to the survey, 45 percent of businesses cited “keeping up with regulations” as the largest obstacle to hitting their sustainability goals. And 38 percent also noted that they had inadequate access to critical sustainability data.

Interestingly, businesses also listed compliance also as a driver of their efforts to go green. Hitachi Vantara reports that complying with regulations was the primary driver of organizations’ sustainability efforts (64%), while ethical obligations (54%), and talent acquisition/retention (41%) completed the top three list. 

To learn more, download the full report, The State of Data Infrastructure Sustainability.

Ready to decarbonize your data center? Try the Hitachi Vantara CO2 Calculator.