Beyond.pl, one of the most secure data centres in Europe and a cloud service provider,
has successfully completed the certification of its environmental management system and validated its compliance with the ISO 14001:2015 standard. This means that the company has confirmed its competencies as a sustainable supplier of IT infrastructure services as well as its proactive approach to supporting the maximum reduction of the negative impact
of business on the environment.

ISO 14001 is the most recognized international standard for environmental management systems, aiming to eradicate business practices harmful to the environment. Moreover, it is often used by businesses to verify their vendors in order to build sustainable supply chains. 

The ISO 14001 certification obtained by Beyond.pl confirms that the company’s environmental policy fully conforms to international standards. The audit verified Beyond.pl’s processes in the following areas: energy, water, sewage and waste management,  qualifications and roles and responsibilities of employees responsible for environmental management, the scope of environmental parameter monitoring, and surrounding the identification of non-compliance and implementation of corrective measures. In addition, the audit covered the company’s goals and tasks related to the implementation of its environmental strategy as well as its emergency response plans for its data centre infrastructure.

“The constant transition of a business to an online world,  the rate of growth of digitalization and systematic increase in the demand for cloud and data centre services directly contribute to the negative impact of the ICT industry on the environment. This is why our sector requires greater transparency. Customers and businesses need the right tools to make informed decisions on their impact on the climate. The ISO 14001 certificate formally confirms that Beyond.pl has conformed to the highest standards for many years. Our customers can now be confident that we are a valuable partner to them supporting their sustainable digital transformation projects and are an important asset in their green supply chains” said Wojciech Stramski, CEO of Beyond.pl.

Call to action for the industry 

As a result of continuous digital transformation and the rising demand for technology, the IT industry has an increasingly powerful impact on the environment. In 2019 it generated almost 54 million metric tons of electronic waste, which according to the UN’s Global E-waste Monitor, represents a 21% increase in five years. Electrical power consumption in the ICT sector is also rising. It is estimated that data centres currently consume more than 3% of the world’s energy, and that figure is expected to rise to as much as 8% in the coming years. This is one of the reasons why the rollout of proactive environmental protection practices in the industry is increasingly important. It is estimated that reducing the power of a large data centre by a mere 10% a year has the same result for curtailing carbon emissions as planting 12.000 trees.

Although environmental awareness is rising, and more and more data centre operators seek to lessen their negative impact on the environment, according to the Uptime Institute in 2021 49% of data centres did not measure their water use, and more than 75% did not measure their e-waste. Among the companies which did not measure water use, 63% of operators state the reason is a being that there is no business rationale for such while 23% have no means of monitoring their water consumption.

Green data centres on the map of Central Europe

Beyond.pl is an indisputable leader in the Polish and European data centre and cloud market in terms of sustainability. The company’s data centres have been powered 100% with green energy since 2020, as confirmed by certificates of origin. With a PUE 1.2 Beyond.pl’s Data Center 2 is among the most energy-efficient facilities in the region and simultaneously one of the three most secure data centres in the European Union, as evidenced by the ANSI/TIA-942 Rated 4 certification. The company actively participates in projects that support a sustainable data centre industry. Beyond.pl belongs to industry initiatives supporting green transformation such as the Climate Neutral Data Center Pact,
the European Green Digital Coalition and  VMware’s Zero Carbon Committed programme. In 2022, as the first Polish company from the IT sector, Beyond.pl officially announced its commitment to support the achievement of all 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals.

“We realize that change in how we do business is desperately needed, but the regulatory processes to enforce such change could take years to come through the pipeline and into effect. That is why every business leader should act proactively and ensure that action is taken today to do things the right way, contributing to reversing the negative changes in society caused by economic development and progressing digitalization. Companies from the ICT sector especially should set an example of how to neutralize these changes by introducing technologies which concurrently minimize the negative consequences on the environment. We view sustainability, the respect for natural resources, and the wellbeing of future generations as paramount, and we will continue with our commitment to helping create a better future” said Wojciech Stramski, CEO of Beyond.pl.