The data center ESG playbook doesn’t exist yet
– let’s build it together
Data centers are the backbone of modern society — and a fast-growing source of environmental and societal impact. Yet the industry still lacks a shared view of what responsible and sustainable data center infrastructure should look like. We want to build that together with you.
dcently brings together the data center value chain — operators, customers, suppliers, investors, and sustainability professionals — to identify material ESG topics, share best practices, discuss challenges openly, and develop practical solutions together.
Through collaboration, knowledge sharing, and industry dialogue, we aim to create a shared ESG playbook for data centers — helping define what responsible infrastructure should look like for the future.T
Do you want to join? Check out our membership levels.
The problem: One of the world’s fastest-growing industries still lacks a shared definition of what good looks like.
Data centers already consume around 1.5% of global electricity, with demand expected to surge in the coming years, according to the International Energy Agency.
Yet one of the world’s fastest-growing industries still lacks a shared definition of what responsible and sustainable development looks like.
Today, data center ESG performance is often reduced to technical efficiency metrics such as PUE, WUE, energy reporting, and ISO standards — important, but incomplete. We measure operational efficiency, but not the industry’s broader environmental and societal impact.
Efficiency alone is no longer enough.
As digital infrastructure becomes increasingly critical to society, the industry must address wider environmental, social, and governance challenges with greater transparency, collaboration, and shared accountability.
At the same time, regulatory and voluntary frameworks such as CSRD, EU ETS, EED, and growing investor scrutiny are raising expectations. Auditable and comparable ESG data is becoming essential — yet existing frameworks are not designed for the realities of the rapidly growing data center industry.
Public acceptance is also becoming a critical issue. Without a shared understanding of responsible development, data centers risk losing their social license to operate.
That is why dcently exists.
We bring together the data center value chain — operators, customers, suppliers, investors, and sustainability professionals — to openly discuss challenges, identify material ESG topics, share best practices, and develop practical solutions together.
Our ambition is to build a shared ESG playbook for the industry — created by the industry itself.
The solution — creating a shared data center ESG playbook together
dcently brings together the entire data center ecosystem to develop a shared ESG playbook for the industry.
We are building a European network of sustainability professionals, engineers, researchers, operators, suppliers, investors, and decision-makers — all working toward the same goal: making digital infrastructure more responsible, transparent, and sustainable.
The challenges facing the industry are too complex to solve in silos. Real progress requires collaboration across the value chain, shared learning, and open discussions about both risks and solutions.
By connecting industry practitioners across disciplines and companies, dcently helps turn fragmented ESG efforts into shared knowledge and practical action.
Together, we are developing a practical framework for improving and comparing sustainability performance across the data center industry — while helping define what responsible digital infrastructure should look like for the future.
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From PUE to a more holistic and circular view of the resources used by data centers.
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From workforce diversity and ENPS to digital inclusion, strengthening the local community, and inner development.
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From fragmented reporting to transparent, comparable, auditable KPIs and clear roadmaps to improve performance on data center level.
Let’s do it together.
Building the definition of caring together.
