Jun 3 2008
SoftLayer received its first delivery of servers under a new server packaging program that reduces packing materials by 80%. The program was created through several months of close collaboration between SoftLayer and its server manufacturer, Supermicro.
“From the shipment of our first server in 2006, SoftLayer has actively recycled all its data center materials. But with our rate of growth, it was essential we do even more,” stated Joshua Rushe, Vice President of Operations at SoftLayer. “We looked for a way to go beyond recycling and reduce the production of unnecessary material. We hope this program sets a new industry standard that will help reduce the total environmental impact of data centers worldwide.”
SoftLayer’s reduced packaging program provides multiple environmental benefits. It eliminates more than 8 pounds of packing material per server, as well as the shipment of user manuals and unnecessary components, thereby greatly reducing the volume of materials produced or recycled. Moreover, these measures reduce the total shipping “footprint,” enabling the same sized shipping containers to carry more units and reducing the amount of fuel consumed and carbon emissions produced when shipping.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that recycling one ton of cardboard and paper products leads to saving:
- 17 trees
- 3.3 cubic yards of landfill space
- 360 gallons of water
- 100 gallons of gasoline
- 60 pounds of air pollutants
- 10,401 kilowatts of electricity
The savings from eliminating the initial production of the cardboard is even more dramatic.
Based on these figures, SoftLayer’s new program will save over 750 trees per year. “But this is only the beginning,” said Mr. Rushe. “We continue working with key partners like Supermicro to create more ways to make data center operations as environmentally efficient as possible.”