Capgemini UK wins top environmental award

The European Commission has announced Capgemini UK as the winner of its top award for data centre innovation and energy efficiency at a ceremony at the Palais des Congrès Acropolis in Nice, France. The 2013 EU Code of Conduct for Data Centres award was presented to Capgemini for the outstanding environmental performance of the company's recently opened Merlin data centre in Swindon, Wiltshire.

Capgemini UK is part of the Capgemini Group, one of the world's foremost providers of consulting, technology and outsourcing services. The EU Code of Conduct for Data Centres was created following concern over the large and fast-growing consumption of electricity by the data centre sector as a result of increasing computer use and online activity worldwide.

Paul Soutter, CEO of Capgemini UK Infrastructure Services, said: 'We are delighted to secure this further recognition of our determined and continuing commitment to environmental excellence and sustainable IT. Issues such as energy efficiency are increasingly seen as critical by our clients, employees and local communities, so that awards such as today's are of the highest importance.'

Innovative features of the Merlin data centre in Capgemini's winning submission to the European Commission include:
o An outstanding and independently verified Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) rating of 1.2
o A sophisticated climate control system which continuously monitors hot and cold air flows to enable constant peak operational efficiency at minimum energy usage
o The use of Computational Fluid Dynamics at design stage to plan and control every aspect of the air path
o Three-Stage Air Optimisers using primary fresh-air cooling, second-stage evaporative cooling and third-stage Direct Expansion cooling
o Modular construction to give a lower carbon footprint and permit fast and simple scalability with negligible environmental impact.

Chris Howes, Head of Corporate Information Services at the Environment Agency, said: ‘As official endorsers of the EU Code of Conduct for Data Centres, we’d like to congratulate Paul Soutter and his team in Capgemini on achieving this recognition. We’re proud to be associated with the Merlin data centre, where a growing number of our own services are sustainably and securely hosted. Energy efficient data centres are a vital part of mitigating the carbon cost of IT. Capgemini’s success is a great example, to anyone providing IT services, of how to improve the energy efficiency of data centres.’

Merlin technology is now being applied to new, and retrofitted to existing, Capgemini data centres in the UK and globally in order to spread the environmental and efficiency benefits of Merlin on a worldwide scale.

Capgemini UK's existing environmental credentials include ISO-14001 certification for its Environmental Management System, a listing for three years running in the Sunday Times Best 60 Green Companies, and platinum status in the Corporate Responsibility Index published by Business in the Community. Capgemini UK is the only company in the UK IT sector to hold European Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) registration. EMAS goes beyond the requirements of ISO 14001 and promotes excellence in environmental management.