Ramboll sets out roadmap for net zero data centres

23 September 2025

A new report unveiled at Climate Week NYC argues that data centres can be built and operated sustainably, with the potential to reach net zero emissions.

The study, published by global consultancy Ramboll, outlines strategies to tackle the environmental pressures created by the rapid growth of data centres worldwide. It provides guidance for developers, operators and consultants on reducing carbon emissions, protecting biodiversity, conserving water and applying circular economy principles.

The report highlights the strain that data centres, fuelled by the rise of artificial intelligence, are placing on global resources. According to the International Energy Agency, they used around 1.5% of the world’s electricity in 2024, a figure that could double by 2030. This demand also drives higher greenhouse gas emissions, water consumption and waste.

Operational carbon, linked to energy use, is identified as the largest contributor to the sector’s footprint. Ramboll says net zero can be achieved through efficiency measures, renewable energy procurement, energy reuse and demand response. Embodied carbon, tied to construction materials, could be cut by using low-carbon steel and concrete, sourcing materials locally, and reusing components from decommissioned buildings.

The report also stresses the need to incorporate biodiversity into planning and design, including early ecological surveys and site layouts that minimise habitat loss. Circularity, with the aim of reusing or recycling all materials and sending no waste to landfill, is another benchmark proposed.

Water neutrality is identified as critical, particularly in water-scarce regions. Solutions include avoiding water-based cooling, reusing water within facilities, and harvesting rainwater.

Ed Ansett, Ramboll’s global director of technology and innovation:

“The construction of data centres powered by the rise of artificial intelligence is booming across the globe, driving unprecedented demand for electricity and significantly contributing to global greenhouse gas emissions, increased water consumption, waste production, habitat destruction, and resource depletion. These challenges can be managed and mitigated if data centres are built with climate, biodiversity, and circularity in mind from the very start.

“There are economic benefits for data centre owners if they focus on circular practices,” explains Ed Ansett. “For instance, the sole physical byproduct of data centre energy consumption is heat, which has historically been unused and released to the atmosphere. Data centres are in an excellent position to export what would otherwise be wasted energy.”

‘Developing sustainable data centres: A strategic roadmap to achieve net zero carbon and reduce environmental impact’ offers full value chain solutions for the design, development and delivery of data centres. The report outlines a series of achievable benchmarks for owners, developers, operators, and consultants, directly tackling the core challenges to data centre sustainability: embodied carbon, operational carbon, biodiversity, circularity, energy, and water.