Sustainability and the Environment

Hosting a climate-neutral future

Find out what we're doing to keep our data centres sustainable.
Stefan Mink, Head of TechOps Hosting

Sustainability that goes beyond energy

At IONOS, your digital growth and our sustainable future go hand in hand.
Our mission

Climate-neutral hosting

IONOS is committed to keeping our infrastructure climate-neutral and free of environmental trade-offs. By hosting with us or using our cloud or server products, your business can reduce its impact on the climate.

Through the use of green energy, we minimise our CO₂ emissions. We also continuously improve the efficiency of our data centres. New servers are built with the most energy-efficient technologies available, and recycled or disposed of properly at the end of their service lives.

From energy sourcing to the supply chain, sustainability remains a key factor in our decision-making process.

Minimising CO₂

Powered by green energy

To reduce our CO₂ output and to do our part in the fight against climate change, IONOS uses energy from renewable sources wherever possible.

Our data centres in Europe run entirely on electricity from renewable sources. Priority is given to local and regional suppliers. Our proprietary US data centre is powered solely by wind energy.

Green electricity icon

100% green energy

Our proprietary data centres in Europe and North America run on 100% renewable energy. In the rare instances where we use non-renewable energy, like diesel generators for backup power, our carbon is offset.

226.85 tons of CO₂ saved

In 2021, we were able to save more than 226 tons of CO₂ through the responsible reuse and recycling of old servers and office equipment.

Certified by the experts

Our energy management systems are regularly assessed by sustainability management experts and are ISO 50001 certified.

Maximising performance while reducing energy consumption

Reducing our demand

Reducing energy consumption is just as important as sourcing sustainable energy. Regularly upgrading our data centre infrastructure helps to reduce energy loss during operation. By optimising IT, such as through virtualisation and container clusters, we maximise the customer benefit while minimising our environmental impact.
Stefan Mink
Head of TechOps Hosting, IONOS

Ultra-efficient hardware and software

Our data centres use the most modern, energy-efficient hardware. Low-power processors deliver performance and help eliminate excess heat, so they need less energy. Our own software stack built around Linux allows us to deliver optimal performance at high loads and reduce the overall number of servers at the same time. Similarly, virtualisation enables us to replace dedicated servers with more energy efficient virtual servers, while containers reduce redundancy on the operating system kernel. This allows for more scalability during peak load times.

Intelligent cooling

As cooling requires a considerable amount of energy, finding ways to become more energy efficient is a top priority. This includes using data science and machine learning for more optimal cooling and the integration of newer technologies like adiabatic, or evaporative, cooling. A recent upgrade to our air conditioning system at our largest data centre in Germany in 2020 resulted in a 15% increase in energy efficiency. Construction of our new high-performance UK data centre began in 2021. This is planned to be 20% more energy efficient than our existing data centre.

Other sustainability initiatives

From reducing travel to recycling, we encourage our employees to do their bit.
Business travel

Remote working and responsible travel

All our energy-efficient offices are equipped for high-end video conferencing and virtual meetings. This ensures cross-country collaboration without the need for cross-country travel. When travelling is a must, train is preferred. IONOS employees are also encouraged to carpool or use alternate fossil-fuel-free forms of transport.
Recycling

Reducing our carbon footprint

Once our servers have reached the end of their service life, they are reused, recycled or disposed of appropriately. In 2021, 124.1 tons of hardware were recycled across the IONOS Group. As a result, our CO₂ footprint was reduced by over 226 tons. Employees are also encouraged to play their part by recycling at work.
Animated graphic: laptop, smartphone and desktop PC being reused

Download the United Internet Sustainability Report 2021(PDF) to learn more about corporate social responsibility and the environmental policies at IONOS.