Dropbox data centers meet sustainability goes through achieving 100% renewable energy

In its effort to drive towards a greener future, DropBox has announced that it has already reached some of its sustainability goals. It has achieved this in part by fuelling all its data centers with 100% renewable energy.

Commenting on this milestone, Bart Volkmer, Chief Legal Officer at Dropbox and the President of the Dropbox Foundation, said: ​​"As an organization, we feel a tremendous responsibility to create a more sustainable future. It's without question that the harmful effects of climate change impact everyone and we feel an urgent need to take action."

Adding: "That's why we're committed to achieving carbon neutrality and purchasing 100% renewable energy by 2030. We know that we are one small part of a larger solution and hope this inspires others to take steps in the right direction."

The company is also delivering on its commitment to reducing its carbon footprint and fighting climate change through optimizing its power utilization effectiveness (PUE). It is achieving this through utilizing outside air economization, prioritizing thermal containment, and has retrofitted its existing data centers to reduce wasted energy. Through all of these changes, it has managed to achieve an average PUE 17% lower than the data center industry average.

Regarding its overall power usage, it has introduced its 'Pirlo' system, which automatically decommissioned servers. It is estimated that this saves 5% in power over each server's lifespan.

Overall through its sustainability efforts, DropBox has reduced its data center carbon footprint by 15% in the last 18 months. Going forward, the company also pledges to achieve carbon neutrality for scope 1, scope 2, and scope three business travel emissions by 2030. Moreover, it is also committing to support organizations that are working towards climate action.