Belgium’s LCL Data Centres Join SBTI 

LCL Data Centres, a Belgian data centre operator, has joined the Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTI). The goal of the SBTI is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, working towards a target of keeping the average increase in global temperature below 1.5°C.

The company officially joined the SBTI after enlisting the help of the independent Encon consulting firm to define clear, manageable goals that will allow the company to contribute to the SBTI objectives through the management of their own operations.

Encon helped LCL calculate GHG protocol standards and map different types of data centre emissions: direct emissions, indirect emissions including upstream and downstream (waste disposal) activities. The two companies then worked together to set achievable goals that will help SBTI limit the increase in global temperatures.

In the announcement of participation, Laurens van Reijen, Managing Director of LCL noted the data centre company’s long-standing commitment to sustainability, saying, “We have always viewed sustainable development as essential. Sustainable development is also about well-being at work – by creating a safe environment for everyone working at or visiting LCL – as well as studying ways to work more sustainably in all possible fields.

“These initiatives also benefit our customers,” van Reijen continued, “because they host their servers and telecommunications infrastructure on our premises. Thanks to this new and ambitious stage, we therefore also help our customers to work more sustainably.” In this way, LCL changes contribute to their own sustainability goals, as well as those of their customers.

“We have deliberately chosen the most difficult target because we want to make a difference.”

As the first Belgian data centre company to join the SBTI, LCL sees itself as a leader in a more environmentally-conscious data centre industry. While the company currently purchases renewable energy for their data centres and utilizes solar panels to provide additional power, their commitment to SBTI goals will “keep us sharp and focused.”