Nairobi, Paris, 12 June 2025 – As the environmental impact of data centres and servers explodes, driven by economic growth and rapid advancements such as AI, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) today released new procurement guidelines to help governments and other authorities reduce the energy and water consumption of such centres.
The Sustainable Procurement Guidelines for Data Centres and Servers, from UNEP’s United for Efficiency (U4E) initiative, focus on key performance criteria and operating conditions for selecting energy-efficient data centres and computer servers.
These guidelines seek to fill a key gap: very few countries currently have comprehensive frameworks in place for sustainable data centre operations. This leaves the sector’s rapid expansion largely unregulated and contributes to increased greenhouse gas emissions, accelerating climate change and water scarcity.
“We know that data centres consume large amounts of energy and water, and we know that consumption is only going to grow, which will mean more greenhouse gas emissions and greater stress on water supplies,” said Martin Krause, Director of UNEP’s Climate Change Division. “The new guidelines can help to reduce these impacts, freeing up the digital transformation to deliver on its promise to improve people’s lives.’
Environmental impacts
Since 2019, internet users worldwide have more than doubled, while global internet traffic has expanded to 5.5 billion people worldwide. Edge computing, which processes data closer to the end user, is contributing to the rapid proliferation of data centres globally. Such centres are expanding in hubs like Brazil, Malaysia and Nigeria.
The International Energy Agency estimates that data centres will drive more than 20 per cent of the growth in electricity demand between now and 2030. The global demand from data centres is set to more than double over the next five years, consuming as much electricity by 2030 as Japan does today, according to estimates. Data centres and data transmission networks were responsible for 1 per cent of energy-related greenhouse gas emissions in 2020, experts say.
Many data centres also use significant volumes of water. According to the World Economic Forum, a one-megawatt data centre can consume up to 25.5 million litres of water each year only for cooling, comparable to the daily water use of around 300,000 people. This dependency can pose serious challenges, especially in regions facing water scarcity.
Enabling government action
Governments have a critical role in accelerating the transition to sustainable data centre development. The Sustainable Procurement Guidelines for Data Centres and Servers are designed to support public institutions and procurement agencies in selecting equipment and facilities for data centres and computer servers that meet high standards of energy efficiency, environmental performance and sustainability. By integrating these internationally recognized best practices into procurement frameworks, countries can ensure they align their digital infrastructure development with broader environmental and climate goals.
The guidelines provide recommendations for countries and indicators on, for example, power usage effectiveness, water usage effectiveness and renewable energy use. These guidelines enable countries to adopt measurable energy efficiency standards, integrate them into procurement specifications, and use them as a foundation for developing minimum energy performance standards.
Additionally, they support the development of incentive mechanisms, such as labelling schemes, to encourage data centre operators to meet sustainability criteria, further driving the transition to energy-efficient and resource-conscious practices.
The guidelines are crucial for developing countries, where expansion is most prevalent. As these nations expand their digital infrastructure, adopting sustainable practices is crucial to prevent the escalating consumption of energy and resources.
The guidelines were reviewed by various stakeholders, including service providers, data centre operators, digital industry associations, and research institutions, to ensure they reflect practical, high-impact sustainability practices.
