Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles are increasingly essential for companies across all industries, as they address the pressing global challenges of climate change, social equity, and ethical business practices. Embracing ESG not only mitigates risks but also creates opportunities for innovation, customer loyalty, and long-term profitability.
For data centers, ESG holds even greater significance due to their pivotal role in powering the digital economy while being among the largest energy consumers globally. By adopting renewable energy, efficient cooling, and water conservation, they can minimize their environmental impact. ESG also ensures fair labor practices, equitable access to technology, and strong governance. Aligning business strategies with ESG is both a responsibility and a strategic move for sustainable growth and competitiveness.
LCL Data Centers, a forward-thinking company
LCL Data Centers (LCL) has extensive experience and expertise in data centers and colocation, which it offers to its customers and partners. The company operates five independent data centers in Belgium and, thanks to its dynamic team and strong reputation for service, has grown over the years into a provider that serves customers across nearly every business sector.
LCL is committed to achieving healthy growth with sustainability at its core. For the company, sustainability is more than just a concept—it’s a driving force for meaningful action. It aims to embed sustainability into every facet of its operations, striving to grow its business while creating positive impacts for its customers, partners, society, and the planet.
Like many companies, LCL faces various challenges on its ESG transformation journey to becoming a sustainability leader. One of their primary obstacles is reducing CO2 emissions while continuing to grow, with a goal of cutting emissions from their data centers by 42% by 2030. Additionally, they aim to source 40% of their energy from self-generated green sources across all LCL data enters by 2030.
LCL’s remarkable transformation started with a foundational materiality assessment to identify key priorities, followed by the adoption of an ESG framework. This created a comprehensive ESG roadmap, paving the way for their first ESG report in June 2022. As the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) came into force in 2024, LCL deepened their transformation journey, intensifying efforts to embed sustainability across all aspects of their operations. A pivotal step was the double materiality assessment, which redefined 14 key sustainability themes material to the company. Building on this, they released a more robust second sustainability report, showcasing significant improvements in transparency and reporting depth. Through a comprehensive CSRD gap analysis, LCL aligned their policies, actions, and targets with the Directive’s requirements, marking a transformative shift toward more comprehensive and accountable ESG practices that position the company for long-term impact.
How KPMG helped LCL Data Centers with their ESG transformation
“KPMG played a crucial role in setting up measurement and reporting systems that support LCL in accurately tracking our ESG progress”, explains Laurens van Reijen, CEO of LCL. “This has helped us stay aligned with international sustainability standards and the goals of the Paris Agreement”.
“KPMG also assisted us with conducting a double materiality assessment, developing policies, targets, and related measures within the framework of the CSRD, and performing a climate risk analysis. Additionally, they guided us in our sustainability reporting efforts”, adds Laurens.
“Our first sustainability report was launched in June 2022 without using a specific framework. For the 2023 report, we transitioned to the CSRD framework, incorporating a double materiality assessment—an important step in enhancing transparency and depth in reporting. Thanks to KPMG’s guidance, this process went smoothly”, concludes Laurens.
LCL strikes Gold at the Belgian Awards for Sustainability Reports!
We’re thrilled to share that LCL has won Best Sustainability Report in the "Other Organizations" category at the 23rd Belgian Awards for Sustainability Reports!
This award celebrates their team’s achievements in setting new standards for transparency and creativity in sustainable reporting. From innovative ESG initiatives to responsible energy solutions, they are constantly evolving to lead the way in sustainable IT practices and KPMG is proud to have worked with them.
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