As BRE develops the revised BREEAM for Data Centres scheme, our ninth Talks session brought together leaders from across the Data Centre industry to explore what the next generation of sustainability assessment should look like.
About Talks
Talks is RED's thought leadership series, bringing together industry leaders, clients and subject matter experts to explore the challenges shaping the future of digital infrastructure. Combining expert presentations with open discussion, each session provides a forum for sharing practical insights, encouraging collaboration and discussing the trends influencing the industry's future.
This ninth session focused on the proposed revisions to the BREEAM for Data Centres scheme, bringing together representatives from BRE alongside developers, operators, consultants and sustainability specialists to explore how sustainability assessment should evolve alongside the sector it measures.
Explore Talks Thought Leadership Sessions & Register Your InterestWhy sustainability assessment must evolve
The Data Centre industry has changed dramatically over the past decade. AI-drive demand, increasing power densities, evolving cooling technologies, greater regulatory scrutiny and rising expectations around sustainability are reshaping how facilities are designed, built and operated. As the pace of change accelerates, so too does the need for sustainability frameworks that evolve alongside the industry they assess.
Since the introduction of the BREEAM UK Data Centres scheme in 2010, advances in technology, sustainability and regulation have transformed the sector. Against this backdrop, our ninth Talks session welcomed representatives from BRE to present the latest developments to the revised BREEAM for Data Centres scheme, sparking a wide-ranging discussion with developers, operators, consultants, designers and sustainability specialists about what these changes could mean for the sector and what the industry now expects from the next generation of sustainability assessment.
Measuring what matters
One of the clearest messages to emerge was that sustainability assessment must keep pace with the realities of modern Data Centres. Participants reflected on the rapid evolution of technologies, operational requirements and regulatory expectations, recognising that assessment frameworks need to be sufficiently adaptable to remain relevant while continuing to provide consistency, credibility and confidence for developers, operators, investors and regulators.
That evolution extends beyond the metrics themselves. While measures such as Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) remain an important indicator of operational efficiency, participants agreed they no longer provide a complete picture of sustainability performance. Instead, the discussion highlighted the need for a broader assessment of environmental performance, incorporating considerations such as embodied and operational carbon, water use, resilience and whole-life impacts.
Making sustainability practical
The conversation quickly moved beyond certification itself. Many organisations now work across multiple certification schemes while responding to an increasing number of regulatory reporting requirements, often requiring the same information to be submitted in different formats. Participants explored how greater alignment between certification frameworks, improved digital integration and the ability to reuse evidence across different reporting requirements could reduce duplication while maintaining confidence in outcomes. Rather than creating additional administrative burden, sustainability assessment has an opportunity to become a practical tool that supports compliance, investment decisions and operational performance.
Balancing ambition with practicality
The discussion also explored the challenge of benchmarking. As Data Centre technologies and operational models continue to evolve, meaningful comparisons between facilities are becoming increasingly complex. At the same time, limited industry-wide data makes it difficult to establish benchmarks that accurately reflect current best practice. Participants agreed that future standards should continue to encourage improvement while remaining practical to implement, striking the right balance between ambition and achievability across a diverse and rapidly evolving sector.
This balance between ambition and practicality became a recurring theme throughout the discussion. Raising standards is essential, but participants also acknowledged the need to recognise commercial realities, the continued importance of existing facilities and the pace at which technology continues to evolve. Ideas including phased implementation, pilot projects and performance tiers were discussed as potential ways of encouraging continuous improvement while allowing the framework to evolve over time.
Thinking beyond the building
The discussion also reinforced that sustainability assessment has a role extending beyond individual buildings. As demand for digital infrastructure continues to grow, participants highlighted the importance of considering wider infrastructure constraints including grid capacity, water availability and site suitability at the earliest stages of project development. Equally important is demonstrating the value that data centres can bring to the communities they serve, whether through initiatives such as district heating or other local benefits. Clear, balanced sustainability metrics can also support more informed planning decisions and help foster a broader understanding of the sector's role, enabling discussions to be based on evidence rather than perception.
Looking ahead
The discussion reinforced that the revision of BREEAM for Data Centres represents more than an update to an existing certification. It is an opportunity to ensure sustainability assessment reflects the realities of a rapidly evolving sector while remaining practical, internationally relevant and aligned with the needs of developers, operators, investors and regulators.
As digital infrastructure continues to underpin economic growth and technological innovation, the standards used to assess it must continue to evolve too. The conversation highlighted the importance of continued collaboration between certification bodies, developers, operators and the wider industry to ensure sustainability frameworks not only measure performance effectively, but also support better planning, investment and operational decision-making for the next generation of Data Centres.
