Developing a circular economy for the data centre industry

Since the public launch of the worldwide web in 1989, the digital communication sector has grown rapidly to the point that over 65 per cent of the global population is now connected. Connectivity has many obvious benefits, but the data centre industry (DCI) that enables it also generates large volumes of e-waste and uses considerable volumes of physical resources and energy.

The sector, whose services support not only the public but also millions of organisations, is based on a linear economy, so is also vulnerable to environmental and social impacts, and potential threats to resource supply chains. The need to change from the current practices inspired our project to illustrate the benefits and viability of a circular economy for the DCI (CEDaCI).

• Greener life science labs: the challenge to save energy and reduce waste
• Eight ways universities can reduce greenhouse gas emissions
• THE Awards 2024 spotlight: learn from the best in UK and Irish higher education

Our experience offers more general insight into environmental leadership.

Moving from linear to whole-system and circular thinking 

The DCI is composed of 11 subsectors that operate and service more than 7 million data centres around the world. To date, it has been silo-based and solutions to problems have been developed to best serve individual subsectors. For example, computing and data-processing technologies are evolving far more quickly than other technologies, which are developed responsively. Similarly, the DCI has focused on operational energy efficiency in response to legislation; no equivalent legislation for physical products exists, and so these are designed for use and factors such as resource efficiency and end-of-life processing have been ignored. 

In a circular economy, inputs, outputs and activities at any stage (or for industry subsectors) affect inputs, outputs and activities in all other stages (or subsectors); therefore, it is essential to consider a whole system to ensure that an action in one part of the system doesn’t adversely affect other parts. Whole-systems thinking is key to developing a circular economy for any sector, but it is particularly challenging in the silo-based DCI, where communication or detailed knowledge exchange among sub-sectors has been limited or non-existent. 

Building a robust project team 

Starting the CEDaCI project in 2017 was daunting, but I was fortunate to have collaborated and built positive relationships with several DCI stakeholders over seven years. Their endorsement of the concept gave it and me credibility, which was critical to encouraging other industry insiders, researchers and life cycle assessment (LCA) consultants to join what became a 25-partner team. I had time to visit many potential team members in person and develop the project proposal together, which encouraged buy-in. This and other in-person meetings helped to build a committed team from the outset. 

As the academic lead, I was responsible for overall project development and execution, but I also ensured that decision-making was democratic and that all team members were regarded equally. Team members had specific tasks and responsibilities, and everyone received positive feedback to ensure ownership. Communication and meetings were also open and regular, and all team members learned from each other throughout the project; team meetings were particularly important during the Covid pandemic and, although all were virtual, contact generated mutual support and ensured project progress. 

Ensuring stakeholder engagement

One of the key project outputs is a free-to-use online tool – the Circular Data Centre Compass – which assesses and compares the environmental, social and economic impacts of servers (which have the highest embodied impact of data centre equipment). It also shows the level of criticality of embodied materials in each server. The tool is non-biased and was designed to empower users to make informed decisions about equipment (for example, is extending product life through upgrade/remanufacture the best option for their business or is it better to purchase new? 

The benefits of an enhanced recycling process are highlighted via comparison with the impact of BAU recycling practice and landfill. 

Finally, the eco-design tool enables users to assess the level of circularity of the design decisions they make. The ecodesign tool was validated via design of a prototype server, details of which are open source published on the Open Compute Project platform. Initial compass development occurred during in-person stakeholder co-creation workshops to ensure that it would address users’ requirements and develop lasting engagement. The compass was subsequently tested, iterated and improved via further virtual co-creation events. The 20+ co-creation and compass training events allowed for breaking of silos, and for stakeholders from subsectors to learn from each other and foster new business relationships. 

Global reach

Project partners were all based in north-west Europe, where there is concentration of data centres. The project was aimed at SMEs, although some multinational corporations engaged as well. Throughout the project, team members attended, networked and presented at industry and academic events to ensure maximum impact, while the project website guaranteed online global visibility. In addition to the compass, the team built a stakeholder network of 500 participants, who communicated with team members and each other. 

Outcomes and impact

CEDaCI concluded in September 2023 having created significant impact and legacy. I brought together and led 25 committed partner organisations across seven countries and together we exceeded physical targets for server and CRM recycling and reclamation. The team also exceeded non-physical targets by contributing to more than 70 world-leading international conferences/events and writing nine conference papers and six publications, which all helped to raise awareness of the environmental and social impacts of DC equipment. 

Recommendations for environmental leadership are: 

• build a robust and committed project team and develop a strong sense of ownership 
• know and collaborate with stakeholders outside academia to maximise impact quickly and effectively
• learn from peers and stakeholders 
• meet in-person whenever environmentally favourable and possible
• be non-judgemental and generate robust evidence to demonstrate good practice
• enjoy what you are doing even when tasks are challenging.

Deborah Andrews is professor of design for sustainability and circularity at London South Bank University. The CEDaCI Project was shortlisted in the Outstanding Contribution to Environmental Leadership category in the 2024 THE Awards. A full list of nominees can be found here. 

If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter.

Visit these links for more information on the CEDaCI Project and the Circular Data Centre Compass.