Earth Month is an opportunity to reflect on the impact we’re having on the world, to look at where we are on the journey to establishing a sustainable approach to doing business and where we can partner for better environmental outcomes.
In some cases, technology can create challenges in reducing carbon emissions – such as high energy-consuming data centres. But in others, newer technologies can help companies to be more sustainable. For example, some companies are using AI to identify and reduce energy consumption and emissions, improve data analysis and reporting capabilities, and inform stronger ESG policies.
With the goal of building an intrinsically evergreen foundation for a more sustainable future, VMware has implemented a wide range of initiatives to help our customers and partners decarbonise their operations and work towards their own sustainability targets, while harnessing the power of digital innovation. Over the last 25 years, this has avoided more than 1.2 billion tons of carbon emissions.
Some of the global programs that contribute to this mission are:
- VMware Green Score in Aria Operations, an innovative sustainability dashboard that helps companies track the sustainability of their data centre and its progress over time
- VMware Zero Carbon Committed™ program (featuring over 30 VMware Cloud Provider™ certified partners), which supports providers to set goals to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030
- VMware Responsible Sourcing™ program, which rewards suppliers who prioritise sustainability, diversity and accessibility
One great example of a company that has been leveraging VMware’s solutions and programs to reduce its carbon emissions is Orange. As one of the largest global Telco providers, Orange is now on track to reduce its carbon footprint in 20-30% by 2025.
Local focus
We also have a range of local initiatives in place to contribute to a more sustainable future, amplified by a team of passionate ambassadors who drive activity and change in our A/NZ business. For example, holding regular webinars to educate and inform our teams on relevant topics such as electric vehicles and solar power in the home; bringing together volunteer groups across the region to participate in activities like Clean-Up Australia Day and Plastic-Free July, and helping transform local communities through environmental initiatives such as tree-planting, bush regeneration, and wildlife assistance.
We’ve partnered with One Tree Planted for the past four years, which has resulted in more than 100,000 trees pledged in Australia. Pledging trees on behalf of our customers and partners in place of merchandise giveaways helps to further reduce waste and raise awareness to an important cause. This has grown to become a worldwide VMware program, with the company committing to planting and protecting one million trees by 2030 on our journey to Net Zero.
Tech4Forests
To extend our commitment to reforestation and afforestation in Australia, VMware recently partnered with The Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife (FNPW) to create the Tech4Forests project, that will buy land to expand national parks and fund regeneration programmes in Australia.
This initiative also supports the recently announced UN Global Biodiversity Framework’s goal of protecting 30 percent of land by 2030.
We’re currently working to raise funds that will contribute towards extending Lamington National Park by up to 186 hectares (the equivalent to the space taken up by 200 data centres).
Lamington National Park is part of the Gondwana Rainforest of Australia World Heritage Area, which includes the most extensive areas of subtropical rainforest in the world, most of the world’s warm temperate rainforest and nearly all of the Antarctic beech cool temperate forest. It has a unique geological history, evolutionary significance and provides habitats for up to 200 rare or threatened plant and animal species. It is recognised by UNESCO as one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots, and we are committed to helping preserve this natural environment.
So far, we’ve raised funds to help protect more than 20 hectares of the Park (equivalent to 160 Olympic swimming pools) and in the coming weeks we will be expanding the program out to our ecosystem, so VMware partners can join us in this initiative.
You can find more information here.
Beyond Earth Day
While setting ambitious targets is a great first step, we must continue to collaborate, educate ourselves and each other, measure our ESG progress transparently, and help our customers, partners and wider communities take a sustainable approach to innovation and digitisation. I’m inspired by what we’re doing globally and locally, and we’ll keep looking for areas where we can have a greater impact.
There is a huge opportunity for us to contribute as an industry. Collaboration is an important catalyst for change and thanks to the power of the ecosystem created by our partners, customers, and community, we’ll be able to accelerate faster towards a more sustainable future. If any of this resonates with you, we’re open to collaboration and we look forward to continuing to drive change beyond Earth Day.