Prime, an international hyperscale and wholesale data center provider, has officially published the results from its inaugural sustainability report, which establishes key priorities and goals, informed by the company’s 2023 materiality assessment. According to certain reports, the core principles driving Prime’s sustainability strategy are “Protecting Our Home”, “Serving Our Community,” and “Living Our Values” with guiding principles that include innovation, collaboration, and impact. Another detail worth a mention here is how the development in question comes at the heels of company’s selection in the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2) as one of ten multi-sectoral organizations helping to overcome demand-side market barriers and increase the adoption of late-stage clean technologies. In case you weren’t aware, IN2 is funded by the Wells Fargo Foundation and co-administered by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Anyway, talk about Prime’s sustainability report on a slightly deeper level, we begin from the company’s pledge to Protect its Home, a pledge where it issued strategic commitments, including matching 100% of data center electricity consumption with renewable sources by 2030, as well as calculating and disclosing its greenhouse gas emissions inventory by the end of 2025. Next up, Prime implemented a data center design standard for increased resource efficiency. The company’s 2023 operating portfolio benchmarks included 1.33 design PUE at 100% critical load, and a 0.005% site-level Water Usage Effectiveness (WUE).
Another major revelation within the report came disguised as Prime’s successful procurement of Water Restoration Certificates® (WRCs) from Bonneville Environmental Foundation equal to 120% of 2023 consumption for an overall positive environmental impact. These WRCs directly supported restoration of the Chattahoochee River Basin reducing nutrient runoff, all while improving water flow. Alongside that, Prime has also committed to annually maintaining 120% coverage of operating data center water consumption. Moving on to Prime’s value of “Serving Communities,” it refers to how, back in 2023, the company posted a perfect safety track record for employees with zero total/recordable injuries and zero lost-time injuries. Furthermore, we would get to know that Prime’s community engagement program includes a 10-year commitment to support the Elk Grove Village annual summer concert series. Not just that, the report also informed us on the fact that 80% of employees at Prime’s largest office engaged in volunteer efforts for causes like the Denver Rescue Mission. On top of it, the report revealed the company’s investment in numerous local non-profit technology associations, including Colorado Technology Association, SpainDC, PortugalDC, and DDI amongst others, that seemingly promote STEM and women in technology initiatives. Complimenting the same is Prime’s effort to set 2023 employee pulse survey benchmarks with five of eight categories ranking as “Great” or “Excellent”. In that very context, the objective for future is to achieve “Great” or “Excellent” across all survey categories.
“As a digital infrastructure leader, Prime is compelled to do our part in creating a world that thrives, where technology and sustainability advance together,” said Nicholas Laag, Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Prime Data Centers. “We conduct business in an industry that is highly energy intensive with sustained demand projected for years to come. This creates a sense of urgency but also motivation knowing that when we innovate and drive real progress, the potential for positive impact is material. Everyone at Prime has been motivated to complete this important first milestone and looks forward to achieving our program objectives.”
Rounding up highlights is Prime’s promise of “Living its Values”. This one takes us into company’s demonstration of its collaboration with a Global Partner-level membership in the Infrastructure Masons. Prime would also go on to join the Clean Energy Buyers Association, and at the same time, maintain involvement with the iMasons Climate Accord project. Among other things, we must acknowledge how the company commits to collect sustainability data, establish baselines, and identify metrics to track supplier efforts throughout 2024.
