Zero waste, a pivotal approach for minimising environmental impact, revolves around reducing waste through resource conservation, product redesign, and material reuse and recycling. This philosophy gains momentum as organisations worldwide seek sustainable practices.
In this journey, TRUE Certification, developed by Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI), emerges as a leading program, recognising organisations for their excellence in waste reduction and resource conservation. Certifications, like TRUE, provide a structured framework, guiding businesses towards effective waste reduction practices.
What sets TRUE Certification apart is its specific focus on waste reduction and resource conservation, distinguishing it from other certifications like ISO 14001 or LEED. It aligns organisations with a targeted mission of minimizing waste impact on the environment.
At its core, the TRUE program aims to divert all solid waste from landfills, incineration, and the environment while enhancing resource efficiency. It sets a challenging yet crucial goal for organisations committed to environmental responsibility.
As outlined by their rating system, the GBCI interprets "zero waste" in alignment with the definition established by the Zero Waste International Alliance.
Zero waste is a goal that is ethical, economical, efficient and visionary, to guide people in changing their lifestyles and practices to emulate sustainable natural cycles, where all discarded materials are designed to become resources for others to use.
To achieve Zero Waste certification, facilities must first meet seven minimum program requirements:
In addition to the previously outlined seven fundamental prerequisites, enterprises are required to accumulate a minimum of 31 points (out of a total of 81) spanning 16 categories on the TRUE scorecard to attain certification.
Within GBCI, certification tiers range from "Certified" to the prestigious "Platinum." Organisations meeting the stipulated requirements undergo an assessment, with a higher point tally indicating superior adherence to criteria and commendable performance.
The four TRUE certification levels are:
Embracing TRUE certification offers a gateway for organizations to streamline operations, cut inefficiencies, and discover cost savings and revenue streams through waste repurposing. Beyond environmental benefits, TRUE integrates best practices that drive economic progress and empower facilities to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, manage risks, reinvest resources, stimulate job creation, and enhance overall business value.
In FY24, NEXTDC achieved TRUE Certification for its S1 Sydney facility, reinforcing its dedication to environmental responsibility. The TRUE Zero Waste certification process will guide NEXTDC on a path to zero waste, implementing practices that will yield numerous environmental benefits, driving positive change in caring for our environment.
In this context, NEXTDC plays a pivotal role. Operating to the highest standards of energy efficiency, water preservation, and waste management, NEXTDC is committed to building a reliable, secure, and highly energy-efficient infrastructure platform.
For NEXTDC, a commitment to sustainability is nothing new. We have been recognised for our industry-leading, independently certified sustainable data centres since our inception in 2010. We’re always looking for new ways to lead sustainability innovation, performance and accountability in the data centre industry. We actively invest in environmental sustainability, and document achieved outcomes though our Environment, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) Performance Reporting on an annual basis.
In summary, here are the seven strategic programs in which NEXTDC is championing sustainability:
Leverage Australia's most extensive partner ecosystem with a community of 750+ partners to enable more connections with carriers, cloud providers, and IT service providers.
Empowering customers to leverage cloud first strategies and optimise multi-cloud deployments to scale mission critical IT infrastructure.
NEXTDC is at the forefront of supporting Edge computing and High-Performance Compute (HPC) requirements, providing customised solutions to accelerate your AI journey.
The only data centre operator in the southern hemisphere with Tier IV Gold certification for Operational Sustainability, NEXTDC guarantees zero downtime for reliability and performance.
Secure, private, and direct access to Australia’s most connected range of global cloud providers, integrated with a nationwide network of data centre facilities.
Internationally recognised for designing, constructing, and operating Australia’s market leading Tier IV facilities, certified by globally renowned Uptime Institute.
Demonstrating a commitment to sustainability, NEXTDC prioritizes renewable energy sources, achieving leading standards such as 5-star NABERS energy efficiency ratings and TRUE certification.
NEXTDC is certified by Australia’s Digital Transformation Agency (DTA), to ensure compliant and sovereign critical infrastructure choice for government at all levels.
NEXTDC, a listed company on the ASX 100, stands out with industry peer awards as the region's most innovative and customer focused data centre provider.
NEXTDC's corporate operations are certified carbon neutral under the Australian Government’s Climate Active Carbon Neutral Standard.
Engineered for outstanding energy efficiency, NEXTDC data centres deliver industry-leading benchmarks for minimising operational cost and total cost of ownership.