SAN FRANCISCO, June 17, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Digital Realty
(NYSE: DLR), a leading global provider of data center, colocation
and interconnection solutions, today published its second annual
Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Report, reporting the
company's ESG performance for 2019 and providing a comprehensive
overview of its clean energy commitment, resource conservation,
diversity and inclusion and other sustainable business practices.
In addition to today's publication of its 2019 ESG report,
Digital Realty announced its commitment earlier this year to
the Science-based Targets Initiative (SBTi). The company's
commitment to the SBTi process signifies its pledge to
significantly curb carbon emissions and underpins its plans to set
a target in-line with a well-below two-degree climate change
scenario by 2030.
"We are more committed than ever to managing our environmental
impact by optimizing our use of energy and natural resources –
because it's the right thing to do and it matters to our customers,
investors and employees," said A. William
Stein, Chief Executive Officer, Digital Realty. "We are
proud of the extensive work we've put in over the last year to
advance our goals and deliver sustainable growth for all of our
stakeholders."
2019 ESG Report Highlights:
Renewable Energy: Digital Realty added 50 megawatts
(MW) of new renewable energy supply in 2019, for a total of 324 MW
of solar and wind energy under contract. Renewables were matched
with 30% of its global electricity needs in 2019, reflecting steady
progress towards the company's goal of sourcing 100% renewable
energy for its operations portfolio. 54% of the electricity
consumed globally is carbon free, including 100% renewable energy
for its EMEA properties and 100% wind power for its U.S. colocation
data centers. The company's focus on renewable and carbon-free
energy enabled its facilities to avoid more than 1,253,000 metric
tons of CO2 emissions in 2019, enough to meet the electricity needs
of more than 212,000 homes for a year.
Green Buildings and Energy Efficiency: Digital
Realty leads the data center industry with 650 MW of green building
certifications. The company completed five green building
certifications in 2019, including four LEED-Gold and one
BREEAM-Excellent certification. In addition, the company certified
29 properties under the EPA's ENERGY STAR program and became the
first data center provider to receive the ENERGY STAR Partner of
the Year award in 2020.
Diversity and Inclusion: Digital Realty remains
committed to diversity, global employee engagement and strong
governance practices. The ESG report includes the company's
diversity metrics and enhancements made to the company's Corporate
Governance Guidelines to ensure inclusion of board candidates with
diversity in race, ethnicity and gender, and outlines the company's
condemnation of racial injustice.
"In these times, our company values matter more than ever. We
remain focused on ensuring that we are a leader in environmental,
social and governance issues and how these values translate into
our business and operations. These values lead our corporate
strategy, including our decision to commit to the SBTi and evaluate
new practices for corporate governance and philanthropy," closed
Stein.
Digital Realty's 2019 ESG Report was compiled in accordance with
the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Standards: Core option. The
full report, including more detail on Digital Realty's corporate
ESG strategy and objectives, can be found at
https://www.digitalrealty.com/environmental-social-and-governance-report-2019-highlights.
About Digital Realty
Digital Realty supports the data
center, colocation and interconnection strategies of customers
across the Americas, EMEA and APAC, ranging from cloud and
information technology services, communications and social
networking to financial services, manufacturing, energy, healthcare
and consumer products. To learn more about Digital Realty,
please visit digitalrealty.com or follow us on LinkedIn
and Twitter.
Media & Industry Analyst Relations
Marc Musgrove
Digital Realty
+1 (415) 508-2812
mmusgrove@digitalrealty.com
Investor Relations
John J.
Stewart
Digital Realty
+1 (415) 738-6500
InvestorRelations@digitalrealty.com
Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains
forward-looking statements which are based on current expectations,
forecasts and assumptions that involve risks and uncertainties that
could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially,
including statements related to our ESG report and ESG goals,
strategy and initiatives. For a list and description of such risks
and uncertainties, see the reports and other filings by the company
with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The company
disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any
forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information,
future events or otherwise.
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SOURCE Digital Realty