NetApp Gets SBTi Validation – But is it Still a Big Deal?

In this time of political uncertainty and upheaval, many businesses are unsure which path will lead to a combination of profit and planetary prosperity.
But, despite the reelection of US President Donald Trump and his inauguration day executive orders, most remain committed to reducing carbon emissions and becoming more sustainable.
One device for achieving improvements is to have targets validated by the Science Based Targets initiative, which has more than 10,000 companies on its approved list.
The latest to get a sign-off is the global data storage solutions firm NetApp.
To mark the milestone, its Chief Sustainability Officer Nicola Acutt has written a blog, explaining why the validation is so important for the business and for the planet.
Why is it such a big deal?
Nicola also posted on LinkedIn to celebrate the news, saying: “To succeed in the long-term, businesses need to prioritise both innovation and resilience.
“That’s why I’m so pleased that the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) has validated NetApp’s emission reduction goals for scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions.”
She adds: “Why is this such a big deal? SBTi is a global standard for measuring sustainability initiatives -- and it's a critical benchmark we're using to continue delivering value for our customers.”
The blog expands on this, adding: “As we enter 2025, the world is starting to align around accepted standards for measuring sustainability initiatives.”
One of those moments
Nicola says that, to stick around for the long term in business, you need to innovate for the future while building resilience in the present.
She adds: “It can be tricky to get the balance right – a bit like changing the tyres when your car is cruising down the highway.
“But every once in a while, all the pieces align, and you get to pursue a goal that strengthens your company today and prepares it for tomorrow.
“Right now is one of those moments.”
Nicola says NetApp is “going far beyond” reducing its own carbon footprint, instead explicitly aligning its product development roadmap with sustainable outcomes.
“This means customers can count on us to not only help manage their data, but to reduce their overall energy usage and costs.”
Expanding the targets
NetApp is now committed to reducing its absolute scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 50.8% by 2030 from a 2020 base year.
It also plans to reduce the Scope 3 GHG emissions from use of sold products by 51.6% per petabytes shipped by 2030 from a 2023 base year.
This is beyond the targets that NetApp set in 2022.
Nicola says the changes have been driven by a “loud and clear” message from customers.
She says: “The economics of data are changing. As AI workloads get heavier, companies are creating and using data at an unprecedented rate that is only set to climb higher – and their energy costs are soaring in parallel.
“This kind of energy use isn’t sustainable – not for companies’ bottom lines and not for the planet.”
The reduction roadmap
NetApp is aiming to be a pioneer in its space, as the first company to line up its development plan with sustainable outcomes.
Nicola says: “To reach our new SBTi targets, NetApp is going far beyond just reducing our own carbon footprint.
“We’re explicitly aligning our product development roadmap with sustainable outcomes, making us the first company in our space to do so.
“This alignment means that customers can count on our innovations to help manage their most valuable assets – their data – and also to reduce their overall energy usage and costs. That’s a compelling value proposition.”
She says the new emissions reduction targets are just the next step in NetApp’s ongoing sustainability work – but an important step.
“The validation of our decarbonisation targets by an internationally recognised standard setter like SBTi lets customers know that we’re a trusted vendor in their data supply chain.
“It’s a signal that we’re committed to advancing sustainability not just today, but for the long term.”
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