Going green: Visa’s 100 percent renewable electricity commitment
At Visa, we are committed to connecting the world through the most innovative, reliable and secure payments network in a manner that is responsible, ethical and sustainable. As part of our global environmental sustainability strategy, we have focused on resource efficiency initiatives aimed at reducing our use of energy at our data centers and offices around the world.
Today, we are pleased to announce the next phase of Visa’s environmental sustainability strategy—our commitment to sourcing 100 percent renewable electricity across our global operations by the end of 2019.
As we are sharing at today’s 2018 Climate Leadership Conference, an annual conference that brings together climate, energy and sustainability professionals to address climate change through policy, innovation and business solutions, our commitment includes two core components:
- Our roadmap to achieving 100 percent renewable electricity usage
- Our commitment to support the broader business movement toward access and using renewable energy
Roadmap to 100 percent
To reach our goal of 100 percent renewable electricity, Visa’s approach will pursue the best renewable electricity options available in each of our markets and emphasize immediate action across our global data center and office portfolio. Currently, 35 percent of Visa’s global electricity sourcing comes from a mix of renewable energy sources such as solar, wind and hydropower. Our efforts will include impactful, local renewable electricity investments in markets where Visa has major facilities and will require working with local utility and competitive electricity market providers. As a start toward our goal, Visa already has enrolled in green energy programs in the U.K., the San Francisco Bay Area, Austin, Texas, and other locations.
As part of our commitment, Visa is joining the RE100 initiative, a collaborative, global platform developed by The Climate Group in partnership with CDP to increase demand for—and delivery of—renewable energy. We’re proud to join more than 120 companies leading in this effort.
Broader Movement
As part of our commitment, Visa also is pledging to support the broader corporate transition to renewables. Toward this goal, we have joined Rocky Mountain Insitute’s Business Renewables Center, an initiative that streamlines and accelerates corporate purchasing of renewable energy. Visa also has become a signatory to the Corporate Renewable Energy Buyers’ Principles, a collaboration of leading companies seeking simplified access to renewable electricity. The Buyers’ Principles is an initiative facilitated by the World Resources Institute and the World Wildlife Fund.
Our commitment to 100 percent renewable electricity builds upon a foundation of environmental initiatives in our offices and data centers. Our efforts in energy efficiency have included building design and operations, lighting upgrades, motion sensors and an efficient electronics policy. As of 2017, an estimated 67 percent of our global data center and office square footage has achieved an environmental certification such as LEED.
To learn more about Visa’s commitment to environmental sustainability, click here to access our latest Corporate Responsibility Report.