Infomaniak’s greenhouse gas emissions increased by 172.8% compared to 2022. This increase is largely due to a new impact calculation method that weights the individual elements of the report differently as well as the purchase of servers for our new D4 data center. Ultimately, this operation will help improve the energy efficiency of our infrastructure by introducing an original solution for recovering all the heat produced by the servers. In addition, our environmental impact decreased in 2023 in key domains such as mobility and waste management. We are sharing this report in its entirety and in complete transparency.

Higher emissions linked to our growth

There are 3 main reasons for this increase:

The purchase of electronic equipment accounts for the bulk of the emissions

In 2023, the impact of purchasing electronic equipment increased, mainly because it is calculated differently. We use a new balance calculation model, based on a more accurate database using data provided by Resilio and other IT companies. With this new weighting, the impact of purchasing servers and their components more than tripled between 2022 and 2023. It is the manufacture of SSDs, DDR4 memories and servers that emits the largest volume of greenhouse gases.

No more waste with the decommissioning of an old data center

Since 2023, the report has distinguished the different categories of waste more accurately, bringing to light a 57% increase in e-waste. This increase can, in particular, be explained by the dismantling of our D2 data center, replaced by the new D4 data center which is much more energy-efficient. Around 30% of the servers, which have become obsolete and consume too much energy, have been removed and assigned to our recycling system. Due to their consumption levels, the space occupied and the power delivered for computation and storage, prolonging the use of these servers would have had a greater environmental impact than replacing them with more modern and efficient solutions.

The remaining 70% have been moved to the new D4 and updated in line with our in-house server life extension programme (up to 15 years), which offsets the impact of consumption versus manufacturing. We limit their obsolescence by adapting their role over time, changing their components to become storage servers rather than computation servers.

Increasing staff increases energy consumption

In line with the development of Infomaniak’s business activities, electricity consumption increased from 5.76 GWh in 2022 to 6.64 GWh in 2023. This increase of 15.2% is linked to the increase in staff numbers and the expansion of our offices in Geneva.

The impact of the “Heat and Refrigeration” category increases by 25.3%. This is due to the addition of three new backup generators for the D4 data center, which had to be installed and tested. They provide a redundant backup power supply, which is essential to ensure the continuity of service in the event of a power failure. Verifications were carried out by an accredited company to ensure compliance. These tests required the use of fuel oil, which led to an increase in consumption.

Positive contrast: record for soft mobility

The impact of commuting decreases

This decrease reached 14.1%, or 107.4 tCO2e in 2023 compared to 125 tCO2e in the previous year. In 2023, it was still Infomaniak’s second largest source of emissions (3.4%), but this decrease reflects a change in mobility habits. The share of soft mobility reached a record high of 61% and the car-sharing rate increased from 10% to 34% in a single year. Cars remain the main source of emissions from commuting. Efforts must therefore continue to reduce the use of private cars.

Better energy performance per employee

CO2 emissions per employee in connection with commuting decreased from 1.44 tCO2e in 2022 to 1.32 tCO2e in 2023 (excluding electronic equipment).

Our waste management is improving

The proportion of waste that can be incinerated is decreasing. It fell from 43% in 2022 to 34% in 2023. The share of recyclable waste increases from 34% to 38%. This means that we sort better and recycle more waste than we burn. E-waste is processed through specialised channels, and we have set up an auction system among employees for old electronic equipment. This contributes to a better recovery of e-waste.

Infomaniak’s commitment continues

The increase in our emissions reflects our participation in an accelerating polluting industry. We are fully aware that we must constantly do more to reduce our impact.

  • Deployment of the new D4 data center, designed to recycle the energy used, began in 2023 and was completed between late 2024 and early 2025. This is a world first in terms of environmental commitment, as all the heat generated by the servers is now recovered and injected into the district heating network to heat thousands of homes.
  • We have developed our own solar power plants, manufactured with European panels, to power our infrastructure and we are already looking for additional sites to install our future solar power plants.
  • In order to increase the share of renewable energy from solar sources, we are reaching out to local solar power producers through Pronovo, the official certification and support body for renewable energy in Switzerland. This allows us to guarantee that the electricity we purchase is produced from solar panels manufactured in Europe (Meyer Burger).
  • Promoting a reduction in the environmental impact of our suppliers is also an important area of progress. In particular, we are planning to implement strict purchasing policies specifically tailored to meet this aim.

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