The Environmental Impact of Data Center Decommissioning

There are between 3,000 and 5,500 data centers in the US, and approximately 500 of them are gigantic “hyperscale” data centers. Due to the dynamic nature of the tech industry, the number of data centers is constantly in flux. New facilities are continuously being developed while others are rapidly decommissioned.

Regrettably, all that activity can have an extremely negative impact on the environment. The solution is to work with a company that’s focused on extending the life of IT assets through recycling and resale, like mender.

What are the Environmental Concerns of Data Center Decommissioning?

According to a report on Statista, in 2020, nearly half of the organizations polled (42%) said they refreshed their data center servers every two to three years. That’s a massive cycle of decommissioning and upgrading hardware, which can have far-reaching environmental implications.

• E-Waste Build-up: Antiquated servers, storage devices, networking equipment, and cooling systems must go somewhere, and, in the past, that somewhere was usually a landfill (most were legal, although a few, not so much). When electronic equipment is left in a landfill, it is possible for hazardous materials like lead, mercury, and cadmium to leach from the equipment and contaminate soil and water.
• Carbon Emissions: Decommissioning a data center can be an energy-intensive process that contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and increases the facility’s carbon footprint.
• Resource Depletion: Much of the equipment in a data center contains rare earth metals (including some critical raw materials) and other valuable resources that are non-renewable. Not only does the mining and refining of these materials require significant energy consumption, but, if effort is not taken to salvage these critical resources, they can be lost forever. 

“At mender, we play a vital role in overcoming these concerns by leveraging certified recycling processes, advanced recovery techniques, and energy-efficient protocols. Our comprehensive IT asset disposal solutions ensure that environmental impacts are minimized at every stage of the decommissioning process,” said Robert Erwin of mender.

Data Center Decommissioning Methods

Currently, there are several different methods to decommission a data center, and the environmental impact of each method varies. 

• Full Decommissioning: A complete shutdown and dismantling of a data center. In addition to dismantling and removing all IT equipment, full decommissioning includes closing the building. Full decommissioning is often done due to a move or the facility becoming obsolete. Historically, full decommissioning has the greatest negative environmental impact. 
• Partial Decommissioning: When a data processing facility undergoes a limited upgrade, downgrade, or hardware refresh, the remaining operations must remain functional. A partial decommission takes specific sections of a facility offline while keeping others operational.
• Cloud Migration: As organizations transition to cloud-based solutions it is often necessary to decommission some or all of a physical data center. Deciding what to move to the cloud and what stays in physical storage can create a more agile operation.
• Data Center Consolidation: Organizations that have underutilized or redundant assets can benefit from consolidating facilities and equipment, which typically leads to a combination of full and partial decommissioning. 

Also, within each of those methods, there are several ways to approach decommissioning. The preferable method is the “circular economy” approach that focuses on refurbishing and reusing components to extend their lifecycles as well as recycling and eco-friendly disposal where appropriate.

“mender tailors our recycling solutions to fit our client’s needs,” said Erwin. “So, whether their need is a full or partial decommission, our efforts are crafted to align with our client’s financial and environmental objectives so they can continue to focus on innovation and a greener future.”

Best Practices to Minimize Environmental Impact

While data center decommissioning can be (and historically has been) harmful to the environment, some best practices can significantly minimize the environmental impact. 

The first step is to take a thorough accounting of all assets to identify what can be reused, resold, or recycled.

“At mender, we look at it like we’re giving your old tech a second life,” said Erwin.

The next step is to securely erase data from all devices.

“We provide our clients with data destruction and sanitization certificates so they can feel confident that their sensitive information is secure,” said Erwin. “We also provide a serialization service for clients who want an additional level of peace of mind.”

Finally, for any equipment that is not being refurbished and reused, it is necessary to extract the valuable metals and materials from the equipment.

“mender has adopted these best practices to promote our environmental, social, and governance-focused services. Then, once all equipment has been decommissioned and refurbished or recycled, we take a portion of our proceeds and use it to fund land and wildlife conservation programs,” said Erwin.

If you are invested in reducing the environmental impact of your data center decommissioning, reach out to mender and learn more about our recycling and sustainability solutions.