Data centre servers can now receive third-party certification on their greenness

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Despite the pandemic, tech vendors haven’t slowed sustainability efforts with HPE the first to get their ProLiant XL 170r Gen 10 and XL225n Gen10 Plus servers TCO Certified for sustainability.

Data centres by their nature have environmental challenges. TCO Certified Servers means that the full lifecycle of the product , including its supply chain, hazardous substances used, and circular criteria promoting it is sustainable and meets the standards set out by the IT vendor.

With the certification, customers looking for sustainable or Green IT solutions are able to make purchases verified by an independent third-party vendor. TCO also runs a product finder that allows partners and customers to establish the green credentials of a piece of hardware.

Companies like Apple and Intel are examples of IT vendors who are embracing sustainability efforts and declaring their intentions to be carbon neutral in times to come.

Sören Enholm, CEO of TCO Development, the organisation behind TCO Certified said:

"Annually more than 20,000 hours are spent verifying products as well as the factories where they're made according to the criteria in TCO Certified. We know that a mere self-declaration is not enough to drive change — product testing at independent test laboratories and factory inspections by independent auditors are critical."

According to Enholm TCO Development expects more companies to follow the lead of HPE given the interest in gaining certification from both IT vendors and customers.

This article was first published in Hardware Zone.