Scandinavian data center provider DigiPlex has signed up to the European Code of Conduct for Energy Efficiency in Data Centres.

The voluntary code will help DigiPlex ensure it has a low carbon footprint, and help it achieve an ISO 50001 certificate, the company says.

Why now?

The Code of Conduct (CoC) was created in 2008, to provide guidelines for data centers wanting to increase their efficiency and lower their environmental; impact. It has been updated since, with asociated best practices published each year, although it has not been making headlines lately. It has recently been mentioned as a possible basis for European data center efficiency regulations, but these have so far been avoided, thanks to voluntary initiatives such as the European Carbon Neutral Data Center Pact.

In response to a query from DCD, DigiPlex explained why it's only just joined: "DigiPlex has monitored the EU CoC since 2008 (in its infancy), and it was only recently, when the 2021 Best Practice Guidelines for the EU Code of Conduct on Data Centre Energy Efficiency were published, that DigiPlex decided to join," said a company statement. "It provides a good framework to collect data for ISO 50001, which is one of the sustainability goals we have set ourselves. In addition, it has enabled us to clearly verify how far we have come on our Journey, with the added benefit that this enables us to authenticate our own credentials to our clients."

The company also pointed out that the EU is working on a Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), which will require a lot more sustainability data: "we envisage that the EU CoC will play an important role in our industry going forward.".

The CoC won't make immediate differences to DigiPlex's working practices, as it already operates well below the 1.8 PUE level met by the majority of Code participants, says the DigiPlex release. "As such the plans and best practices set out in compliance with the European Code of Conduct, provide ideal foundations for achieving certification to ISO 50001."

ISO 50001 is an energy management standard, which requires continuous improvement in overall efficiency which, among other things, demands that operators set targets and gather data to make efficiency decisions - something where the Code of Conduct will help. DigiPlex says it plans to get ISO 50001 certification in 2023.

"Although voluntary, the EU Code of Conduct provides a stringent framework to help DigiPlex improve its already industry leading energy efficiency," said Haakon Holm-Knapstad, chief HR & compliance pfficer at DigiPlex. "With over 200 data points reported per site, it helps us prepare the granular data to support precise and effective improvement plans. This same data will be crucial as we approach ISO 50001 certification.”