Environment
We take decisive action to manage our impacts
We’re taking climate action
At Vocus, we believe connectivity should enable potential.
We are proud of our fibre networks and the connectivity they provide, but we’re also aware that data centres are predicted to produce up to 3.2 per cent of global carbon emissions by 2025. It’s therefore critical that we take decisive action to minimise our climate impact and in doing so, enable better possibilities for our people, our customers and our society.
That’s why we have set a target to achieve net zero emissions across our operations in 2025.
Where are we now?
In our target baseline year (FY19) our direct (scope 1) emissions from fuel and fluids used to operate our back-up generators, cooling systems and Vocus fleet, as well as our indirect (scope 2) emissions from the electricity purchased to power our operations, equated to just over 45,000 tonnes of carbon emissions. Our scope 2 footprint represents 98% of our overall emissions, and 88% of this electricity is used to power our data centres, with the remaining 12% being used to power our offices (6%), CEVs (4%) and other network equipment (2%).
How will we get to net zero?
To deliver a net zero climate impact by the end of 2025, we
are working to reduce our underlying scope 2 emissions by consolidating our
data centre footprint and continuing to pursue energy efficiency and abatement
opportunities right across our business – including initiatives aimed at
reducing emissions within our remaining data centres by a further 15% (from a
FY19 baseline) between FY23-25.
By the end
of 2025 our operations will be powered by 100% renewable energy to help us to
mitigate our residual scope 2 emissions, and we will be offsetting our
remaining scope 1 footprint (which in our baseline year represented only 2% of
our overall scope 1+2 emissions profile) using Australian Carbon Credit Units.
More information
on our emissions footprint and trajectory, as well as our planned net zero
pathway will be available in our FY22 ESG Report.
Where to from here?
Vocus recognises that our emissions footprint extends well beyond our direct operations, and we’re setting further targets to help to manage our impacts right across our value chain (Scopes 1, 2 and 3). As first steps towards this goal, we have commenced a scope 3 screening process to assess and quantify our indirect (scope 3) emissions profile, and we’re collaborating with our third-party data centre providers to determine the optimal process for managing emissions associated with our facilities.
“At Vocus, we believe connectivity should enable potential and that as a company, we are in a position to enable better possibilities for our people, our customers and for society through the critical connections that we build. Our Net Zero target is key to this.”
Ellie Sweeney, Vocus CEO
Towards renewable energy
By the end of 2025, our operations will be powered by 100% renewable energy. In the meantime, we are utilising renewable energy wherever possible to minimise the emissions across our networks.
Sections of the Vocus inter-capital network are powered by 35 off-grid fibre optic communication shelters, also known as controlled environments vaults (CEVs), lighting up the fibres on our Adelaide-Perth, Adelaide-Darwin, and Tenant Creek–Townsville routes.
These off-grid sites are 100% solar powered and keep our network running 24x7. Our solar CEVs generate approximately 224,798 kWh of renewable energy each year.
We're also an accredited GreenPower supplier and provide 10% and 100% GreenPower options to our Dodo customers, supporting clean and renewable sources of electricity like solar biogas, biomass, hydro, and wind generation. When a customer chooses 10% or 100% GreenPower, that percentage of their electricity consumption is abated with Accredited Renewable Energy Certificates created from renewable electricity that has already been supplied into the electricity grid. This electricity replaces the same amount of energy that would otherwise have been sourced from fossil fuels.
Managing our impacts
At Vocus, we strive to operate in a manner that minimises our environmental impacts. Accordingly, at a minimum we:
- comply with relevant statutory and regulatory environmental requirements;
- monitor and report against our environmental performance, objectives and targets and work to maintain and continually improve our environmental standards;
- ensure that environmental care is considered of equal importance to every other facet of our business’ management and operations;
- are committed to returning sites to a state compatible with a healthy environment; and
- will continue to promote individual commitment to safe and environmentally responsible behaviour through the training and education of, and dissemination of information to, all relevant Vocus team members.
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