Our 2025 Operational Goals

We are committed to minimizing the impact of our operations on the environment through our 2025 Operational Goals.  

  • Energy Efficiency – Reduce energy intensity (kWh/sq. ft) across our operationally controlled facilities by 20%
  • Renewable Electricity – Source 80% renewable electricity from long-term Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) and on-site projects
  • Business Waste – Continue to divert 100% of business waste from landfill
  • Paper – Reduce our paper consumption per capita by 30%
  • Water – Reduce water intensity (gal/occupied seat) by 15%
  • Plastic – Remove 100% of plastic beverage bottles and disposables from on-site cafeterias, micro-markets and vending machines globally
  • Green Buildings – Achieve LEED Gold or equivalent for all new builds and major renovations
  • Certified Management – Maintain 100% ISO 20121 certification for our on-site events and extend to off-site events
*Reductions are calculated using a 2017 baseline.


The concerted management of our operations and facilities globally remain key to the continued progress towards our goals. Read more on how we are working towards our 2025 goals in our latest Sustainability Report.

While our 2025 goals are new targets for us to achieve as a firm, they are a continuation of a sustainability journey that we began in 2005. Below are some examples of operational sustainability initiatives we have delivered over the past two decades.

Energy Efficiency

  • Achieved 27% reduction in our global energy use against target of 10% in 2020 from 2013 baseline
  • Retrofitted lights to LED and upgraded HVAC systems
  • Optimized existing buildings by adopting flexible work practices across our workspace
  • Deployed new technology solutions, such as desktop power management, to reduce power load and desktop video conferencing, which reduces energy consumption compared to traditional video conference rooms
  • Implemented ICONICS data analytics platform across major hub offices to provide building monitoring and analytics which provides visualization and reporting solutions for energy optimization and Automatic Fault Detection and Diagnostics (AFDD). These functionalities help improve operational efficiency by driving energy efficiency and reducing man hours spent on activities
  • Reduced impact of our data centers through facility consolidation and deploying energy efficiency initiatives, such as chiller plant optimization, LED lighting and partial free cooling infrastructure

Renewable Electricity

  • Sourced electricity equivalent to 100% of our global consumption from renewable sources since 2020
  • Pursuing direct renewable electricity sourcing opportunities, such as long-term Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) and where not feasible, procuring high-quality and credible renewable energy certificates
  • Signed PPAs in India to source 100% of the energy requirements for our Bengaluru campus through solar power
  • Installed a 1 MW solar carport for our Ayco Personal Financial Management headquarters in Upstate New York which directly powers 60% of the building
  • Adopted the Iron Mountain Green Power Pass, an industry endorsed accounting process established by the Future of Internet Power (FoIP) work group, to accurately report energy consumed at colocation data centers. Green Power Pass identifies the firm’s volume of energy used and validates that 100% of the power they use at Iron Mountain data centers is from qualifying renewable resource, enabling us to report this power as zero emissions
  • Offered all employees in the United States free access to renewable energy to offset their carbon footprint at home through an Arcadia platform, which offers renewable energy to homeowners and renters nationwide by purchasing Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) and managing users’ utility accounts on their behalf

Business Waste

  • Moving to centralized waste bins with segregation of recyclable waste, such as paper, metals, plastic, from non-recyclable waste
  • Adopted a Bring Your Own Mug scheme across offices globally, removing paper and non-recyclable cups, plastic lids and plastic straws from our pantries and cafeterias
  • Partnered with a local paper recycling vendor in Bengaluru to turn our shredded paper waste into notebooks for office use
  • Created a furniture donation program for workplace refurbishments to donate furniture to local charities and non-profits for re-use, remanufacture, sale or donation, extending the life of items and diverting tons of waste from landfill
  • Partnered with our hospitality providers to explore digital tools to reduce food waste in our kitchen
  • Recycled and composted coffee grinds from our office coffee bars
  • Created partnerships with non-profits to donate excess food from our onsite cafeterias to help local people in need
  • Engaged ISO 14001 certified vendors to recycle and repurpose e-waste
  • Deployed remote access soft tokens to reduce hardware waste

Paper

  • Achieved 69% reduction in our paper per capita consumption in 2020 from 2013 baseline
  • Sourced over 95% of our paper from post-consumer recycled or certified new fibre sources
  • Launched a global #goDigital campaign to support more digital ways of working among our employees
  • Consolidated number of printers across offices to assist with behavior change
  • Set all workplace printers to duplex as default and introduced secure print to reduce print volumes
  • Introduced digital business cards for employee use
  • Eliminated paper communications from thousands of client accounts by asking them to update their mailing preferences

Water

  • Achieved a 23% reduction in our global water use against target of 5% in 2020 from 2013 baseline
  • Specified low flow plumbing fixtures, rainwater collection and re-use systems in our new offices
  • Adopted water recycling/reuse systems where feasible:
    • In New York, our global headquarters saves over 16 million gallons of water per year through the reduction, reclamation and reuse of water in the building
    • In Bengaluru, freshwater use has been reduced by half through the reverse osmosis sewage treatment plant recycling of grey and black water for use in landscape irrigation, air conditioning and flushing purposes
  • Implemented a Zero Liquid Discharge system in our Bengaluru campus, reducing the use of fresh water by converting processed reject water from water treatment systems into clean water. This new technology was integrated into our existing onsite water recycling system to operate at a higher efficiency than the conventional solutions in the market

Plastic

  • Removed single-use plastics in the workspace, including bottles, cup lids and straws
  • Use compostable disposables in pantries and onsite cafeterias 
  • Work with our hospitality providers to use plastic-free alternatives on packaging

Green Buildings

Since 2020, over 70% of our global building portfolio has been certified green. Key environmental features include:

  • Daylight Harvesting: Use of light sensors that respond to daylight by dimming the light
  • Occupancy Sensors: Use of lights that turn on or off based on floor occupancy
  • Under Floor Air Conditioning: Ability to adjust the amount of airflow at workstations, which reduces the need to cool the entire workspace
  • Sustainable Materials: Disclosing the use of materials that are non-toxic, sustainably produced and recyclable (e.g., Forest Stewardship Council-certified wood), which contributes to indoor environmental quality, less waste and greater transparency
  • Low Flow Water Fixtures: Use of modified fixtures to conserve water use in restrooms and pantries
  • Bicycle Storage and Shower Facilities: Providing facilities that encourage our people to avoid driving to work and consider cycling as an alternate form of commuting to work
  • Greenguard Certification: Use of furniture systems that promote good indoor air quality

Certified Management

Key features of our Certified Management include: