Certified carbon neutral, aiming for carbon negativity
Sustainable development is at the core of Finland’s second-largest data center company’s operations
Originally published in ficolo.com in 2021.
Cloud service and data center company Ficolo has received company-wide climate-neutrality certification. The Climate Neutral Company certification, awarded by Swiss carbon finance consultancy South Pole, complies with the international PAS 2060 standard developed to certify carbon-neutral operations. It takes into account both direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions, as well as the environmental impact of construction.
“Cloud and data center service providers play an important role in mitigating climate change. As a carbon neutral company, Ficolo is a pioneer in its industry, with environment-friendliness visible in all its operations. Certifying service providers increases industry transparency and thereby helps purchasers to make sustainable choices,” says Anna Lemström, South Pole’s Sustainability Advisor & Business Development Manager.
“We are committed to environmentally friendly operations. In the future, our aim is to be carbon-negative. Operationally, we’ve already achieved this, as waste heat at the new cloud delivery center, ‘The Air’, can be distributed to the district heating network,” explains Ficolo’s CEO Seppo Ihalainen.
Ficolo’s data centers have always run on green energy produced entirely by wind power. Additionally, electricity produced by our own 2600-square-meter solar panel array is used to cool ‘The Rock’ data center in Pori.
The environmental impact of cloud services matters. Worldwide, data centers use around two percent of all the electricity produced, and this figure is estimated to rise to eight percent by the end of the decade. Companies wanting to procure cloud services, and that care about their reputation, should ensure their service provider is committed to carbon-neutral operations.
“There’s plenty of talk in the industry about things like heat recovery, but much less action. We don’t just plan, we act, something that has been noted in the recognition we have received. Operational responsibility can also be seen positively in our customer acquisition.”
Seamless cooperation between cloud services and data centers is also emphasized in Ficolo’s Clouds & Colocation operating principle. Ficolo offers its customers the best of both cloud services and data centers.
“We can provide all public cloud services as well as hybrid solutions that combine the best of both public and private clouds. Our own data centers are ready to help customers whenever they need the best possible security, or a data center near them.”
Ficolo’s cloud services life-cycle model optimizes cloud deployment according to need. Ficolo’s data centers play a significant role in situations where data location is important for reasons that may include security, governance, or the nature of a customer’s service.
Ficolo, which turned ten in May 2021, has risen to become Finland’s second-largest data center company. The company is seeking even stronger growth with its new operating model.
“In the future, the market for cloud services will be increasingly diverse, and no single, one-size-fits-all solution will be suitable for every customer. This works to our advantage, as in addition to public cloud services, we can also offer customers custom solutions. Speed, scalability, and local competence are our strengths,” summarizes Ihalainen.