Demand for data centre services is growing at an ever-increasing rate. Across the globe, but especially in developing nations and growing economies, everything from social media to government services are looking to digital infrastructure as a basis on which to develop and service the growing user base.

However, as the industry grows, so does its use of energy power. With studies placing today’s global data centre energy consumption at anywhere between one percent to three percent, the engines of the digital economy do eat up a lot of the resources – almost the same as the entire global airline industry.

Yet, the sector has strived to turn the page and become more sustainable, not only from a power consumption standpoint but also from water utilisation and a better relationship with the natural world and populations.

The emergence of several industry associations, bodies, and pacts, is just the tip of the iceberg of the thousands of hours spent discussing and implementing planet-friendly strategies and technology. Especially at a time when for investors the theme is “go green or go home”, operators not only have the responsibility to help curb the sector’s impact on the climate but are also under pressure to attract capital for growth based on sustainability.

All this has led energy and digital infrastructure manufacturer Schneider Electric (EPA: SU) to launch the “Guide to Environmental Sustainability Metrics for Data Centers,” which lays out a set of 23 key metrics.

These 23 metrics are sorted into five categories spanning the full spectrum of environmental sustainability, and they are ranked across three levels of achievement: Beginning, Advanced, and Leading.

The key messages around this are that no one is alone in this transition and also that this is not a sprint, but a journey.

Joining The Tech Capital for this special interview is Paris-based Rob McKernan, Senior Vice President, Secure Power for Europe at Schneider Electric, who talks through the industry’s current energy state, where it is all headed, and how Schneider Electric “Guide to Environmental Sustainability Metrics for Data Centers” helps fight confusion back, eases the initial transaction for those at the start of their green makeover, and delivers on overall effective ways to change, report and evaluate goals.