Back in 2011, we committed to the United Nations our intent to become carbon neutral, reduce per capita electricity consumption by 50% (against the baseline year 2008), and use 100% renewable power for electricity by 2018. Our efforts included aggressive targets to reduce consumption and switch to renewable energy sources for our business operations.
Infosys is huge. With over 198,000 employees, over 45 million square feet area (in India alone), and with hundreds of buildings to manage, reducing our carbon footprint and energy consumption is no easy task.
Since 2008, our employee strength has increased 143%! Thinking about how much energy these many employees consume and the emission per employee? Go figure!
Policy changes, complexity in calculations and our scale - all these make sustainability a complicated business requiring dedicated effort, resources and commitment. Take for instance the scope 1 (direct GHG emissions), scope 2 (electricity indirect GHG emissions) and scope 3 (other indirect GHG emissions) emissions and their calculations. While scope 1 and 2 are fairly direct calculations, calculating scope 3, which includes sources not owned or controlled by the company, such as emissions caused by employee travel and commute, is rather challenging.
As a large technology enterprise, we deliver technology-led innovations for our clients consistently. And it’s only natural that we turn to technology to serve our own needs. We wanted to go beyond the regular smart meters and smart lighting approach. We wanted to lead with innovation.
For us, the process started with small but sure steps towards two goals - reducing our water and energy consumption. Over the years, we have developed a technology intensive, data-driven approach to do more with less. Our data-driven approach to optimize our operations led to the setting up of the Central Command Center (CCC) in our Bengaluru campus. Today we are using technologies like machine learning, predictive analytics and Internet of Things (IoT) to be more sustainable. We have run machines that self-diagnose maintenance needs, trigger alerts, and base their working on a deep understanding of the way we work, our movements, our patterns and our needs.
Everything, beginning from where we buy from to how we sell and report is a conscious decision factoring these efforts.
We have equipment-wise and building-wise automated monitoring systems that trigger alerts, moderate electricity supply, and generate heat maps, saving us maintenance and energy costs.
