Microsoft’s Journey towards Sustainability: A Decade of Progress and Innovation

Technology plays a large role in our daily lives, but it also has a significant impact on the environment. From the manufacturing of devices to the energy needed to power them, technology has led to increased carbon emissions, depleted natural resources and caused environmental damage. However, with the right approach, technology companies can play a crucial role in addressing these issues and promoting sustainable practices.

Microsoft has been actively working towards sustainability for over a decade, setting targets and creating initiatives to reduce its environmental impact and create positive change.

Microsoft’s sustainability goals and practices

Microsoft has set an ambitious agenda for the next decade with the following goals:

Be carbon negative by 2030.
Remove all historic emissions by 2050, becoming carbon negative.
Preserve ecosystems by protecting more land than it uses by 2025.
Build a Planetary Computer that harnesses Artificial Intelligence (AI) and cloud computing to solve some of the world’s biggest environmental challenges.
Become zero waste by 2030.

To achieve these goals, Microsoft has implemented a range of sustainable practices. One key strategy has been investing in renewable energy sources, with a goal of reaching 60% by 2025 and 100% by 2030. Another initiative is to minimise waste and maximise resource efficiency by taking a circular economy approach – reusing, repairing and recycling materials and products as much as possible. Microsoft is also working to decrease water usage and improve water management, as well as collaborating with suppliers to reduce their emissions.

The effect of Microsoft’s practices on the planet

Microsoft’s leading sustainable practices are already having a positive impact on the environment. It’s setting new standards of accountability worldwide, producing an annual transparency report on its progress. It’s been 100% carbon neutral since 2012 and has been consistently awarded the top rating by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), a global organisation that measures and scores corporate sustainability data.

However, as the business has expanded, Microsoft’s total emissions from sources outside of its direct operations (referred to as Scope 3 emissions) have risen by 23% year-on-year. This increase illustrates the difficulties in reducing emissions from external factors like supplier operations or employee commuting and highlights the need for continued efforts.

New initiatives: the Orkney underwater data centre project

One of Microsoft’s pioneering initiatives is the Orkney underwater data centre project, known as Project Natick, which uses ocean water for cooling and tidal energy for power. It began with the idea that a sealed container on the ocean floor could improve the reliability of data centres. Once the concept had been proved, phase 2 of the project was to deploy the Northern Isles Data Centre, a full-scale data centre module in the North Sea powered by renewable energy, where it was tested and monitored for the next two years.

Project Natick could have significant implications for data centres on land, as the underwater environment can provide a solution to the problems of corrosion from oxygen and humidity, temperature fluctuations, and equipment failure. The underwater data centre concept is also energy-efficient, as the cooling subsurface seas allow for heat-exchange plumbing similar to that found on submarines.

The proven reliability of underwater data centres has prompted discussions with the Microsoft Azure team, who believe this initiative has the potential to power the full suite of Azure cloud services. Microsoft also recognises the opportunity to create smaller data centres closer to customers instead of large, remote warehouses. This project is not only helping Microsoft achieve its environmental goals but presents a compelling image of a sustainable future.

How Partners Can Benefit from Microsoft Cloud for Sustainability

Microsoft Cloud for Sustainability has been created to tackle Microsoft’s Scope 3 emissions and provide multiple benefits and opportunities for MSPs. By using the Microsoft Sustainability Manager, partners can get a clear picture of the environmental impact of their work and develop a strategy to reduce it. The solution allows partners to:

Compile data intelligence to improve sustainability reporting and transform businesses.
Build a sustainable IT infrastructure and identify opportunities to replace tools, systems or activities with more efficient alternatives.
Reduce the environmental impact of operations.
Create sustainable, transparent supply chains.
Analyse and report environmental impact with dashboards that display emissions data.
Migrate to the cloud for energy efficiency.

By using Microsoft Cloud for Sustainability, partners can improve their reporting and demonstrate their commitment to environmental responsibility. By reducing their footprint, partners can also reduce operational costs, increase efficiency and improve their reputation among customers and stakeholders.

Building a better future: Microsoft’s ongoing commitment

Over the last decade, Microsoft has made significant progress with its environmental action and is committed to a more sustainable future. From carbon reduction to protecting ecosystems, the company has implemented sustainable practices across all operations. And initiatives like underwater data centres present an exciting opportunity to impact global energy consumption directly.

The challenge of reducing Scope 3 emissions remains, but Microsoft is committed to supporting partners and suppliers to effect change. As the world faces the crisis of climate change, technology companies have a responsibility to lead the way in finding solutions. Microsoft is demonstrating that it is up to the task and will continue to push the boundaries in its commitment to a more sustainable future.