Commitment to Sustainability

Traditionally, data centers have utilized cooling systems that evaporate water, removing millions of gallons of water from the watershed and discharging wastewater with highly concentrated contaminants to the local treatment system. But at CyrusOne, we take a different approach. Our data centers are designed to avoid dependence on water for cooling, providing increased resilience and reducing impacts to the communities and habitats where we operate. Combined with our transition to carbon-free energy, our facilities are designed to neither consume large amounts of water nor emit large amounts of carbon.

Our target for water conservation is not to simply do “less bad” but to do “more good” and leave regions better than if we were never there. With this in mind, we developed our net positive water strategy and pioneered the first net positive water data center in 2020. To achieve net positive water status, we first reduce the amount of water that is needed and then partner with environmental nonprofits to restore 20% more water than we withdraw from the local watersheds. This makes our presence in a community a net gain for water. We continue to add facilities to our net positive water portfolio annually and have set a target to make all our facilities that are in high water stress regions into net positive water facilities.

Circularity, also referred to as a transition to a Circular Economy, is a model of production and consumption that involves the reusing, repairing, refurbishing, and recycling of existing materials and products as a means of continuing production in a sustainable or environmentally preferable way. At CyrusOne, our approach to a circular economy is grounded in the fundamental principles of reduce, rethink, reuse, and recycle. These strategies are implemented during both the construction and operation of our data centers.

We recognize that reducing consumption and waste generation at the source is where we can have the biggest impact. Therefore, we focus on construction upstreaming or eliminating the need for a material all together. We then rethink our processes to look for alternative products or materials that either incorporate recycled or renewable content, or have longer lifespans, reducing the frequency that the product needs to be replaced.

Next, we consider ways to reuse material that may otherwise end up in landfill such as integrating fly ash into our concrete mixtures or reusing waste produced during demolition in the construction of a new facility. Where we can’t reduce or reuse, our final line of defense is recycling. We ensure comprehensive recycling practices are in place for most waste materials, encompassing e-waste, construction byproducts, packaging, and more.

CyrusOne maintains rigorous corporate governance standards that ensure transparency and accountability across our operations. Our governance framework includes structured oversight processes, robust risk management protocols, and systematic compliance monitoring. Through strategic leadership development and clear accountability measures, we strengthen our organizational effectiveness and decision-making capabilities.

Our commitment to institutional integrity is reinforced through comprehensive compliance programs and regular training. These programs address critical areas including cybersecurity protocols, anti-corruption measures, antitrust compliance, and ethical business practices. Through transparent reporting and active stakeholder engagement, we maintain the trust of our investors, customers, and communities while advancing sustainable business practices.