Tell us a bit more about yourself and why sustainability is important to you.
– I joined Facebook as a Sustainability Strategy Manager this year after 10 years working on sustainability in the retail industry. It's been a steep learning curve but a great time to join the business with our recent commitment to become Net Zero Carbon emissions for our value chain in 2030. I will be focusing on our sustainability strategy in the EMEA region - focusing on internal and external stakeholder engagement, communications and strategy. Europe is demonstrating some real leadership on sustainability, and I’m excited and passionate about the environment and the role that business has to play in creating a sustainable future.
You are the new partner for the sustainability prize at this within Luleå Business Awards. Why is this important for Facebook to support?
– Facebook has been a part of the business community here for many years, and we want to support it and help it to thrive. The Business Awards are a great way to showcase the businesses in the region, so we are excited to be part of it. Sustainability is a key part of how we design, build and operate our data centers, so sponsoring this prize is a natural fit for us. We know that there are some really exciting businesses with great sustainability initiatives operating in the region, so it's a great opportunity to learn more and get involved.
What are your thoughts about presenting this award, this remarkable year with the pandemic affecting the whole world?
– This is certainly a remarkable year but I think it has illustrated how communities come together to fight challenges that affect us all. Recognizing sustainability efforts by companies is more important than ever and it's great to see the region is demonstrating its commitment to the even bigger challenge of climate change. It has been a challenging year for businesses, and many have shown creativity and resilience, so I think it’s great that the awards are going ahead, and businesses can be celebrated.
When it comes to sustainability, can you tell us more how Facebook works with this important area? Any examples you can share?
– Sustainability is incredibly important to us. Starting this year, Facebook’s global operations will achieve net zero carbon emissions and be 100 percent supported by renewable energy. We have also set an ambitious goal to reach net zero emissions for our value chain in 2030 by working with our supply chain partners to reduce emissions. It's an ambitious goal, but we’re excited to make it happen, and it is an opportunity to support the communities we’re a part of and make a positive impact on the world.
– Our data centers, which are really at the core of our impact, are among the most advanced, energy- efficient data center facilities in the world. All of our data center buildings earn LEED Gold certification by saving energy & water and creating minimal impact. We are particularly proud that our second data center building in Lulea has achieved LEED Platinum —the highest level of certification possible and the first of our global fleet to do so. This is all down to the hard work of Facebook teams across the business but particularly the team in Luleå.