Expands commitment to social responsibility while making
strong progress towards goal of procuring 100% of its power from
carbon-free sources
OVERLAND
PARK, Kan., July 19,
2022 /PRNewswire/ -- QTS Data Centers, a leading
provider of hybrid colocation and mega scale data center solutions,
today announced it has published its 2021 Environmental,
Social and Governance (ESG) Report.
Available online here, the 2021 ESG Report has been
prepared in accordance with the GRI Standards and the
Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) real estate
standards and aligns with the guidance of the Task Force on
Climate-Related Financial Disclosures.
Named by Newsweek as one of America's most responsible
companies in 2021, QTS expanded its commitment to social
responsibility particularly in the areas of giving back to the
community, supporting diversity and implementing success-based
giving programs.
- QTS' Grow with QTS program has donated more than 50,000 trees
planted across the United States
to help with fire restoration, restore stripped mineland and
restore forests and animal habitats.
- QTS' HumanKIND program delivers clean water in impoverished
communities in need and has provided access to drinking water to
over 11,000 people globally for a year.
- QTS has partnered with the U.S. Dream Academy to sponsor
children of incarcerated parents in after-school programs that aim
to break the cycle of intergenerational incarceration. In 2021, QTS
sponsored 18 children in the U.S. Dream Academy.
Additionally, in 2021, QTS employees donated over 4,300
volunteer hours to various communities (the highest annual amount
of hours contributed in the history of the QTS Community Impact
program), and provided over 130 different organizations with
charitable contributions amounting to over $1.7 million.
"We have made strong progress in establishing QTS as an industry
leader through our innovative sustainability initiatives," said
Chad Williams, CEO of QTS. "QTS'
long-standing Core Values have established the foundation of our
corporate sustainability program which prioritizes a servant
leadership culture in the stewardship of our company, customers,
partners and communities. As our business continues to grow, our
responsibility to positively impact those around us will also grow.
We look forward to this opportunity and will continue to challenge
our organization in the pursuit of our cultural goals with purpose
and transparency."
QTS' ESG report documents the Company's
vision of enhancing the care and improvement of
life and minimizing its carbon footprint
through technology, manpower and advanced construction and
procurement initiatives. Based on progress and success in 2021, the
Company has updated its environmental goals as follows:
- Procure 100% of its power from carbon-free energy
sources. In 2021, QTS made strong progress on its
commitment to renewable energy procurement which includes the
signing of a definitive 20-year agreement with Georgia
Power subscribing to nearly 350 megawatts of new renewable
energy to be added to the power grid supporting
its Atlanta-Metro and Suwanee Georgia data center campuses.
Factoring in this agreement, which takes effect in 2024, QTS has
met its original goal with more than 100% of its 2018 baseline
power being supported by renewable sources. QTS has set a goal
of procuring carbon-free energy to support each new data center
site that it develops, balancing the time to establish agreements
that have the best outcomes for all of its stakeholders. As its
portfolio grows, QTS will continue to make sustainable decisions
for procuring carbon-free energy at all of its facilities.
- Portfolio-wide annual water-use effectiveness (WUE)
reduction of 5%. QTS has achieved its initial water goal and on
average QTS has conserved 15 million gallons of water annually
since 2016. The Company is proud of its accomplishments in water
conservation, and as the portfolio grows, QTS is adjusting its
water conservation metric to enhance the tracking of its impact and
efficiency. Going forward, the Company aims to measure
year-over-year improvement in WUE.
- Report to GRESB, CDP, EcoVadis, RE100 and the EPA Green
Power Partnership. Though QTS is no longer a public
company and will not be measured by certain public ratings groups,
QTS will continue to pursue a goal of transparency in reporting ESG
data by voluntarily reporting to those respected
institutions.
- Design 100% of QTS buildings to Green Building Standards and
Energy Star certifications for all eligible
properties. Shifting to meet the needs of its growing
footprint, QTS will continue to design to green building standards,
supporting its commitment to continually enhance energy efficiency
at all of its existing and new buildings.
- Install EV charging stations at 75% of QTS' facilities by
2025. QTS achieved the original goal of installing EV
charging stations at 75% of its facilities. This has been an
especially successful program with QTS customers, communities
and employees. Now that the Company has now accomplished this goal,
it will incorporate the installation of Electric Vehicle (EV)
charging stations in the standard design for all new buildings.
- Recycle 90% of its operational waste by 2025. At
the end of 2021, QTS had recycled over 1.7 billion pounds of
material and recycled 74.5% of its operational waste. Waste and
materials usage are becoming larger topics in the industry's
sustainability efforts, QTS is diligently approaching its waste
tracking and recycling through site level programs and new
initiatives.
QTS was acquired by Blackstone (NYSE: BX) in 2021. Eric Duchon, Global Head of ESG for Blackstone
Real Estate, and Greg Blank, Senior
Managing Director in Blackstone's Infrastructure business, said,
"Blackstone is proud of the incredible work our portfolio companies
are doing to support a stronger, more sustainable economy, which we
believe also enhances their value. We look forward to continuing to
work with QTS as they execute on their commitment to reduce carbon
emissions, contributing to a more resilient, cleaner energy future,
while giving back to the communities in which they operate."
About QTS Data Centers
QTS Data Centers, LLC is a
leading provider of data center solutions across a diverse
footprint spanning more than 9 million square feet of owned mega
scale data center space within North
America and Europe. Through
its software-defined technology platform, QTS is able to deliver
secure, compliant infrastructure solutions, robust connectivity and
premium customer service to leading hyperscale technology
companies, enterprises, and government entities. QTS is a
Blackstone portfolio company. Visit QTS at www.qtsdatacenters.com,
call toll-free 877.QTS.DATA or follow on Twitter
@DataCenters_QTS.
Media Contact:
Carter B. Cromley
(703) 861-7245
carter.cromley@qtsdatacenters.com
View original content to download
multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/qts-publishes-annual-environmental-social-and-governance-esg-report-301588240.html
SOURCE QTS Realty Trust, Inc.