Google, An Unlikely Leader In Sustainability?

May 26, 2022

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By Cristian Bustos. Originally published at ValueWalk.

Sustainability has become a big part of any business and some of the biggest mega-cap companies are under pressure to lower carbon emissions. And despite massively offering tech products and services, they have become “unlikely leaders” in the green department such as Google – Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL).

Initiatives

Commonly, “profitable” does not rhyme with “sustainable.” However, the internet giant —which has also become a top producer of cell phones and devices— has launched a myriad of initiatives to tailing off its carbon footprint.

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The company became carbon-neutral in 2007 and has set sights on reaching zero emissions by 2030. CEO Sundar Pichai has voiced Google’s concerns about environmental issues caused by global warming such as extreme weather phenomena, wildfires, and other threats.

To make its contribution and reach its ESG goals, the company is planning to optimize sustainable energy sources in all its data centers and campuses. Upcoming features will offer consumers the possibility to purchase sustainable appliances with lower carbon footprints.

According to TechCrunch, Google has developed several initiatives to allow companies to track their carbon emissions via data collection services.

New Premises

Google’s new tech campus opened recently and is packed with sustainability features, including a geothermal pile system, the largest in North America, with which the company will seek to reduce carbon emissions by about 50%.

Also, the campus sports a “dragonscale” solar skin and wind farms that will help the campus operate on carbon-free energy 90% of the time, according to reports.

“A series of above-ground ponds to gather rainwater, combined with a building wastewater treatment system, serves as a water source for cooling towers, flushing toilets, and landscape irrigation,” as reported by Architectural Record.

The Bay View facilities will save an estimated 5 million gallons of water that would otherwise be used for cooling each year. They also rely on on-site recycled water for all its non-potable needs, as part of an effort to replenish 120% of the water the facility consumes by 2030.