Verne partners with VAXA to offset carbon emissions in Iceland

Verne, a data centre solutions provider, has announced a new partnership with the biotech food producer VAXA to offset its residual carbon emissions in Iceland. Despite Verne’s data centres being powered by 100% renewable energy, the company acknowledges a small remaining carbon footprint.

In an effort to mitigate the environmental impact further, Verne will collaborate with VAXA to offset its Scope 1, 2, and 3 greenhouse gas emissions. The move aligns with Verne’s mission to combat greenwashing within the data centre industry and to enhance the sustainability of its operations.

In 2021, Verne's infrastructure supported data centres and computing power equivalent to the electricity usage of over 10,000 homes, resulting in a carbon footprint of 574 tonnes of CO2 equivalent (tCO2e), which corresponds to the annual energy use of 70 homes. The partnership with VAXA will help in balancing these emissions, ensuring Verne’s data centre operations remain as sustainable as possible.

VAXA leverages geothermal power to support a circular economy in Iceland. Their advanced technology uses clean outputs from geothermal plants to cultivate microalgae indoors, independent of weather conditions. This microalgae, specifically spirulina, is recognised for its sustainable nature and high nutritional value, similar to that of beef.

"Sustainability is at the heart of our business, and we’re always looking for ways to make a positive impact," stated Crystal Riedemann, VP of Business Development at VAXA. "Partnering with Verne, a like-minded company that has also prioritised sustainability from day one, just made sense. We’re delighted to be joining them in their mission to end greenwashing in the data centre industry."

Dominic Ward, CEO of Verne, expressed enthusiasm for the collaboration. "We are incredibly excited to be partnering with VAXA, a highly innovative company that shares our values and commitment to sustainability and the circular economy. As the only country powered by 100% renewable energy, Iceland is the most sustainable location on earth for data centres. However, operations still produce emissions. The data centre industry has a responsibility to be transparent about sustainability reporting and demonstrate efforts to minimise its impact on the planet. That’s why we publish our emissions data and have decided to partner with VAXA, a true sustainability pioneer, to offset our carbon emissions in Iceland."

This partnership reinforces Verne’s long-term sustainability goals and commitment to maintaining transparency in its environmental practices. By offsetting its carbon emissions through collaboration with VAXA, Verne aims to provide the world’s most sustainable digital infrastructure.