Our 2025 Operational Goals

We are committed to minimizing the impact of our operations on the environment through our operational goals4, which we aim to achieve by year end 2025.

  • Renewable Electricity – Source 80% renewable electricity from long-term Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) and on-site projects
  • Green Buildings – Achieve LEED Gold or equivalent for all new builds and major renovations
  • Energy Efficiency – Reduce energy intensity (kWh/sq. ft) across our operationally controlled facilities by 20%
  • 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
  • Certified Management – Maintain 100% ISO 20121 certification for our on-site events and extend to off-site events

4 Reductions-based goals are calculated using a 2017 base year, except plastics, which are from a 2021 base year.

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

 

Sustainability Efforts Reducing our Impact

While our 2025 goals are a continuation of the sustainability journey that we began in 2005, below are some examples of operational sustainability initiatives we have delivered over the past two decades.

Decarbonization & Energy Transition

We are actively reducing our GHG emissions through a dual focus on enhancing energy efficiency and helping to advance the transition to renewable electricity. Our efforts aim to minimize our carbon footprint and contribute to a cleaner energy future.  

  • Strategic Renewable Electricity Sourcing: We pursue direct renewable electricity sourcing opportunities through long-term Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) to introduce new clean energy capacity to the grid. Where direct sourcing is not feasible, we procure high-quality, credible renewable energy certificates (RECs). Since 2020, we have sourced electricity equivalent to 100% of our global consumption from renewable sources.5
  • Impactful Renewable Energy Projects: We also advanced our goal of sourcing 80% of our electricity from long-term renewable agreements by commissioning a virtual power purchase agreement with the Bluebird Solar Project to introduce additional renewable energy capacity to the PJM grid. The 100 MW new solar farm, located in Harrison County, Kentucky, recently achieved commercial operation and is expected to match or exceed the firm’s energy consumption across its New York and New Jersey locations. This effort supports both lower operational carbon emissions for the firm and clean energy growth. Our Bengaluru campus has sourced 100% of its energy requirements through local solar PPAs since 2019. Additionally, a 1 MW solar carport at our Ayco Personal Financial Management headquarters in Upstate New York directly powers 60% of the building.
  • Transparent Renewable Energy Reporting: We adopted the Iron Mountain Green Power Pass, an industry endorsed accounting process established by the Future of Internet Power (FoIP) working group, to better 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 used at Iron Mountain data centers is from a qualifying renewable resource.

5 As detailed in our Sustainability Report Operational and Supply Chain Metrics.

 

Resource Stewardship & Circularity

Our approach to resource management emphasizes circular economy principles, focusing on reducing waste, reusing materials, and recycling to minimize our environmental impact and conserve natural resources.

  • Comprehensive Waste Reduction: We have implemented centralized waste bins that effectively segregate recyclable materials (paper, metals, plastic) from non-recyclable waste. Our global "Bring Your Own Mug" program and compostable materials use supports reducing or removing single-use paper and non-recyclable cups, plastic lids and straws from our pantries and cafeterias. We also partner with hospitality providers to explore digital tools for reducing food waste in our kitchens, use plastic-free alternatives on packaging, and recycle and compost coffee grinds from our office coffee bars.
  • Material Reuse and Recycling: Our furniture donation program for workplace refurbishments extends the life of items and diverts tons of waste from landfills by donating items to local charities and non-profits for re-use, remanufacture, or sale. We engage ISO 14001 certified vendors for responsible e-waste recycling and repurposing, and the deployment of remote access soft tokens has reduced hardware waste.
  • Sustainable Paper Practices: We have achieved a significant long-term reduction in office print volumes, leading to reduced per-capita employee paper consumption. Approximately 95% of our office paper is sourced from post-consumer recycled or certified new fiber sources. We've also eliminated paper communications for client accounts through e-delivery adoption. To further reduce print volumes, we consolidated printers, set all workplace printers to duplex as default, and introduced secure print and digital business cards.
  • Water Conservation and Reuse: We have reduced global water use compared to our 2013 baseline. Our new offices feature low-flow plumbing fixtures and rainwater collection and re-use systems. In New York, our global headquarters saves over 16 million gallons of water annually through reduction, reclamation, and reuse. In Bengaluru, freshwater use has been halved through a reverse osmosis sewage treatment plant that recycles grey and black water for landscape irrigation, air conditioning, and flushing. We have also implemented a Zero Liquid Discharge system in our Bengaluru campus, converting processed water concentrate into clean water to reduce freshwater use.

 

Sustainable Infrastructure & Operations

We are building and operating our facilities with sustainability at their core, leveraging smart technologies and strategic management systems to enhance efficiency, reduce environmental impact, and create thoughtful workspaces. Seventy-seven percent of our workplace square footage is LEED certified or equivalent.

  • Sustainable Infrastructure: We have consistently demonstrated our dedication to sustainable infrastructure by achieving leading certifications for our global workspaces. In 2005, our 30 Hudson office became our first LEED Certified building. Since then, we have expanded our portfolio of buildings to include our LEED Gold Certified global headquarters at 200 West Street in New York (2008), and in 2019, we opened both our LEED Platinum and WELL Gold certified 150ORR Bengaluru campus and our BREEAM Excellent certified Plumtree Court London office. Our dedication to employee well-being was further recognized in 2021 with the WELL Health-Safety Rating for our global workspaces. More recently, we opened our LEED Platinum and WELL Platinum certified Hyderabad campus in 2023, followed by our BREEAM Outstanding certified Birmingham office in 2024. Our newest addition, the Tokyo office, opened in 2025 with both LEED Platinum Interior Design and Construction and WELL Platinum Fit-out certifications, underscoring our ongoing leadership in sustainable and healthy building design.
  • Optimized Building Management: We have implemented an Intelligent Building Platform (IBP) which is a collection of standards, processes, and technology designed to enhance the operational efficiency of our corporate real estate. This platform helps in optimizing energy consumption and enabling predictive maintenance. Our facilities were consolidated and we deployed energy efficiency initiatives, such as chiller plant optimization, LED lighting and partial free cooling infrastructure, to reduce the impact of our data centers. Additionally, we have optimized existing buildings through flexible work practices across our workspaces.
  • Advanced Energy Efficiency: We have upgraded our infrastructure by retrofitting lighting to energy-efficient LEDs and modernizing HVAC systems. We've also transitioned key building operations, such as kitchen facilities in Bengaluru from gas to electricity and implemented demand-based heating systems in London, reducing energy consumption. Furthermore, technology solutions like desktop power management and desktop video conferencing have been deployed to reduce power load and energy consumption compared to traditional video conference rooms.
  • Optimized Energy Management Features: These features include daylight harvesting, which uses light sensors to automatically dim lights in response to natural light, and occupancy sensors that control lighting based on floor occupancy. We also utilize underfloor air conditioning, allowing for adjustable airflow at workstations, which reduces the need to cool entire workspaces.
  • Sustainable Resource Utilization: We strive to construct our buildings with sustainable materials, such as non-toxic, sustainably produced, and recyclable materials (e.g., Forest Stewardship Council-certified wood), contributing to improved indoor environmental quality, less waste, and greater transparency.
  • Enhancing Occupant Well-being & Sustainable Commuting: We provide bicycle storage and shower facilities in new offices to encourage employees to cycle to work, rather than drive. Furniture systems with Greenguard Certification are used to promote indoor air quality.

 

Employee & Community Engagement

Our commitment to sustainability extends to our employees and the communities we serve, fostering a culture of environmental responsibility and contributing to local well-being.

  • Employee Empowerment: We encourage employees to adopt sustainable practices through initiatives like our global #goDigital campaign. United States employees have access to free renewable energy benefits to offset their carbon footprint at home, subject to location availability. The benefit is provided through a third-party platform, which offers renewable energy to homeowners and renters by purchasing RECs and managing users’ utility accounts on their behalf.
  • Community Support: Our furniture donation program, which diverts items from landfills also has an important social benefit to charities and non-profits for re-use or sale. We have also partnered with non-profits to donate excess food from our onsite cafeterias to help local people in need.