Hitachi Vantara is leading the sustainability drive to achieve carbon neutrality globally

Hitachi Vantara is committed to sustainable product design, end-of-life management, and waste minimisation in accordance with circular economy principles. Their Virtual Storage Platform One solutions are ENERGY STAR certified, which reduces CO2 emissions by 30-40 percent.

Hitachi Vantara, Hitachi’s data storage, infrastructure, and hybrid cloud management subsidiary, revealed its inaugural Sustainability Report, highlighting the company’s commitment to making sustainability a key foundation of its market-leading data infrastructure portfolio and demonstrating its ongoing commitment to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles. The study details Hitachi Vantara’s past and present activities, as well as the actions it is taking to achieve future sustainability innovation and operational excellence, demonstrating the company’s commitment to generating good change.

In line with emerging and global ESG trends, the Sustainability Report encompasses Hitachi Vantara’s sustainability efforts, covering initiatives undertaken prior to the reorganization in fiscal year 2023 and providing insights into current practices and objectives. The report also reflects the collective effort of Hitachi Vantara’s global workforce, emphasising collaboration and cross-functionality in advancing sustainable business practices, and aligns with internationally recognized accounting standards and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Importantly, the report highlights the sustainability innovation, including CO2 reduction technology that has been built into Hitachi Vantara’s storage infrastructure portfolio for years.

The company has also set ambitious time-bound goals to enhance its ESG performance, demonstrating an ongoing commitment to sustainability leadership. These goals include:

Working towards a decarbonised society by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and reaching Carbon Neutral in Scope 1 (direct emissions) and 2 (indirect emissions) by FY2030. Achieving a 30 percent female leadership ratio by FY2030 in order to improve Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the leadership level. By FY2025, the company’s Cybersecurity Framework, Controls, and Assurance Management will have been matured, strengthening security processes and protecting consumer information.

Sheila Rohra, CEO of Hitachi Vantara, said, “Sustainability is not just a buzzword at Hitachi Vantara. We’re committed to environmental responsibility across our operations and products. This includes our eco-friendly storage products, which incorporate cutting edge CO2 reduction technology. We’re also expanding our decarbonisation efforts across our global operations and supply chain, as well as using intelligent data lifecycle management to optimize sustainable outcomes for our customers. Our inaugural Sustainability Report provides insight into these initiatives, highlighting the company’s unwavering dedication to being a responsible and socially innovative business.”

Hitachi Vantara is devoted to sustainable product design, end-of-life management, and waste minimization, all of which are consistent with circular economy concepts. Its Virtual Storage Platform One data platform solutions are ENERGY STAR certified, with the company’s innovative automatic switching method cutting power usage and helping to reduce CO2 emissions by 30-40% depending on the model. This accreditation represents a dedication to environmental responsibility, as well as significant energy savings for both consumers and companies.

Carbon Emissions Management: The firm creates and reduces energy throughout its global locations. Its cutting-edge Netherlands distribution center’s on-site solar panels generate around one-third of its yearly power use, with the rest coming from renewable Energy Attribute Certificates (EACs).

Social Impact: Hitachi Vantara is committed to driving positive social impact globally. Its Global Learning team partnered with Mmakgabo Senior Secondary school in South Africa to lessen the digital divide and support students with ambitions to attend college, while in India, the team has been supporting The Akshaya Patra Foundation, a nonprofit organization striving to eliminate classroom hunger.

Hitachi Vantara has already been working with customers around the world to help them improve the efficiency and sustainability of their products, services, and operations. For example, the company delivered a seamless storage migration for BMW Group, which led to a 70 percent smaller footprint and requires 80 percent less power, making it much more cost-effective and environmentally friendly. Gijima, a South African Information and Communications Technology company, deployed Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform systems to consolidate their physical infrastructure, which led to a 66 percent reduction in power consumption and reduction in CO2 emissions. Türk Telekom, a Turkish information and communications technology company, implemented a new data architecture that is more environmentally sustainable, reducing their total footprint from 23 cabinets to 9 and decreasing power and cooling requirements by approximately 60 percent.

Mehmet Fatih Bekin, data center and cloud services director at Türk Telekom, said, “We need to be sure that our storage systems won’t start causing bottlenecks that could impact performance and reliability for our end-users. And just as importantly, the energy efficiency of our new VSP arrays is not just better for the environment, it also reduces our operational expenditure.”