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Greener data-center construction starts with using less material, then choosing lower-impact concrete, steel, and other components that still meet structural, fire, electrical, and uptime requirements. Mass timber, prefabrication, and recycled or reusable equipment can help in the right project; none is automatically sustainable. The useful test is whole-life performance backed by comparable environmental data—not a “green” label.
What green materials mean in a data center
In a mission-critical facility, a material’s environmental profile includes more than its carbon footprint. Relevant factors include raw-material extraction, manufacturing, transport, installation, maintenance, replacement, and end of life. Teams may also need to consider water use, hazardous substances, durability, repairability, recycled content, construction waste, and the potential to reuse or recycle components.
Embodied carbon covers emissions associated with materials and construction across the stages included in a project’s accounting. Operational carbon comes from the facility’s electricity use, including IT loads, cooling, UPS and electrical losses, lighting, backup generation, and refrigerant leakage. AWS explains its building embodied-carbon boundary in its sustainability methodology. Keep the two measures distinct: a lower-carbon structure is not a good trade if it compromises reliability or causes a substantial loss in operating efficiency.
Data centers need heavy foundations, equipment support, fire protection, wind and seismic resistance, and long service lives. Concrete and steel therefore remain difficult to eliminate altogether. The practical goal is to reduce quantities and choose better-performing alternatives without weakening the facility’s technical or operational requirements.
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Start by using less material
Reducing material demand can avoid the performance and availability risks that may accompany unfamiliar substitutes. Structural engineers and project teams can review spans, bay layouts, slab and mezzanine design, roof assemblies, equipment supports, and planned capacity before specifying alternatives.
- Right-size structural elements to actual loads and avoid overdesign.
- Consider higher-strength steel or lighter assemblies where calculations show they can meet the same requirements with less material.
- Remove unnecessary concrete toppings and avoid redundant supports.
- Coordinate electrical and IT spaces so structural systems serve multiple functions where practical.
- Reuse existing buildings or foundations when condition, code, and equipment requirements allow.
- Phase future capacity instead of constructing excess space and infrastructure upfront.
In one design-specific example, AWS reported that removing a concrete mezzanine topping and using steel beams saved approximately 115 metric tons of CO₂e per data center. That figure describes the company’s example, not a result that can be assumed for other designs. AWS’s October 2023 article also reported using lower-carbon concrete, steel, or both in 43 data centers at that time, and more than 22,000 metric tons of CO₂e saved across 27 data centers announced in 2023; these are historical, company-reported figures, not a current total or general benchmark. See AWS’s construction account.
Specify lower-carbon concrete by performance
Cement is a major source of concrete’s embodied carbon. Options for reducing it include Portland-Limestone Cement (including Type IL in the United States), supplementary cementitious materials such as slag or fly ash, calcined clay, optimized cement content, carbon-cured concrete, and recycled aggregate where specifications permit. Availability and results depend on local materials, mix design, curing, structural needs, and the lifecycle boundary used for comparison.
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Do not procure simply by asking for “green concrete.” Set the required performance first, then have the supplier document how the proposed mix meets it.
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- Specify strength, modulus, slump, placement method, and air content.
- Set temperature, shrinkage, curing, and early-strength requirements, including any schedule constraints.
- Identify freeze-thaw, fire, durability, and exposure requirements applicable to the project.
- Request mix-specific global-warming-potential (GWP) data and disclose the lifecycle boundary and baseline used.
- Confirm local availability of cement substitutes and complete trial batches before broad deployment.
Lower-carbon mixes may gain strength more slowly, while slag and fly ash supply varies by location. Recycled aggregate can affect water demand and consistency. If schedule pressure leads to extra cement or energy-intensive acceleration, the intended benefit may shrink. Carbon-cured concrete also may not be available at the required scale.
Choose steel with production and accounting in view
Steel appears throughout a facility: in structural frames and reinforcement, equipment supports, racks, cable trays, busways, switchgear, generators, and connections. Electric-arc-furnace (EAF) steel commonly uses scrap and can have lower emissions than basic-oxygen-furnace (BOF) steel, but the difference depends on the electricity mix, scrap supply, allocation method, and product data.
AWS reports that EAF steel used in its data-center projects commonly has about half the embodied carbon of BOF steel and can reach about one-fifth in some cases. These are company-reported comparisons, not universal factors. Ask suppliers which production route was used, what the recycled content is, what electricity mix underlies the declaration, and whether the claim describes the physical product or a market-based accounting instrument.
Higher-strength steel can reduce tonnage when the whole design is optimized; a higher grade alone does not prove a lower project impact. Near-zero-carbon steel made using approaches such as hydrogen-based direct reduction is an emerging option, but volumes, location, certification, price, and delivery dates may constrain a project. Microsoft cites Swedish producer Stegra’s claimed potential reduction of up to 95% versus traditional steelmaking in its discussion of developing production pathways; that is a producer-specific claim, not a verified outcome for all commercial steel. See Microsoft’s account of low-carbon materials.
- Request a product-specific EPD where available, with GWP and lifecycle modules identified.
- Ask whether the steel is EAF, BOF, or produced by a hybrid route, and request recycled-content and electricity-mix disclosures.
- Clarify whether environmental attributes are tied to supplied steel or rely on book-and-claim accounting.
- Verify structural, fire, seismic, corrosion, fabrication, volume, and delivery requirements.
Use mass timber selectively, often in a hybrid structure
Mass timber products include cross-laminated timber (CLT), glued-laminated timber, and laminated veneer lumber. They can reduce structural mass and may reduce embodied carbon; factory fabrication and lower weight can also help construction. Carbon stored in wood must be evaluated with forestry, transport, adhesives and treatments, maintenance, and end-of-life assumptions in view.
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Hybrid design is more realistic than assuming timber replaces every conventional material. Foundations, connections, fire protection, and mechanical and electrical infrastructure may still require concrete and steel. Data halls with high-density equipment may have substantial load, vibration-control, and fire-separation needs.
Microsoft estimates that its two Northern Virginia hybrid mass-timber data centers will have 35% lower embodied carbon than conventional steel construction and 65% lower than typical precast concrete. These are company estimates for specific projects, not guaranteed savings for other sites or structural designs. Microsoft describes its project’s use of CLT, steel, and concrete in its May 2025 account. Vertiv markets a TimberMod variant of its prefabricated systems using mass timber as a structural component; prospective buyers should request project-specific engineering and certification documents rather than treating a product claim as universal proof of suitability. See Vertiv TimberMod.
- Confirm building-code, structural, fire, seismic, moisture, and insurance requirements with the project team and local authority.
- Protect timber during transport and construction, and verify regional manufacturing capacity and sourcing.
- Compare full assemblies, including foundations, connections, fire protection, and finishes—not only the timber product.
- Review how the LCA treats forestry, biogenic carbon, transport, maintenance, and end of life.
Compare prefabrication over the full lifecycle
Prefabrication is a construction method, not a material. Factory assembly can improve repeatability, reduce site work and waste, and make expansion more predictable. Its environmental result depends on what is built, what is displaced, freight, installation, replacement, and what happens to modules at end of life.
Schneider Electric’s July 8, 2026 white paper modeled approximately 80% lower deployment-stage carbon for a representative prefabricated core-and-shell electrical-room scenario than for a stick-built comparison. The model reported more than 50% lower cumulative embodied carbon after 60 years, including module replacement every 20 years. These are modeled results for the scenario and assumptions in the white paper, not industry-wide performance figures.
Large modules can require extra freight, cranes, specialized roads, and staging space. Factory production may shift impacts rather than remove them; standardization can constrain design flexibility, and repeated module replacements can add embodied carbon. Compare the same functional capacity across four options: conventional construction, prefabrication, reusable or relocatable modular systems, and refurbishment or expansion of an existing facility. Include transport, foundations, service life, replacement intervals, decommissioning, and component recovery.
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Safety certification and environmental performance answer different questions. UL Solutions identifies UL 2755:2025 as an outline of investigation for prefabricated modular data-center systems and related units; confirm the applicable edition and authority requirements for the project. Certification does not establish low carbon or circularity. See UL Solutions’ modular data-center service.
Keep building components and IT equipment in use
Circularity means preserving value through repair, reuse, refurbishment, and recycling—not just specifying recycled content. For the building, consider reused structural members, reclaimed raised-floor components, reusable formwork, modular walls and ceilings, repairable cable trays, replaceable batteries, design-for-disassembly connections, material passports, and take-back agreements.
For IT and electrical equipment, evaluate longer server refresh cycles, refurbished servers, reusable racks and packaging, repairable power supplies, component harvesting, recovered copper and aluminum, and certified electronics recycling. These measures can avoid new manufacturing, but must still meet performance, security, warranty, and support needs.
Google’s March 2026 report, “Bridging the Gap: Operationalizing Circularity in Data Centers,” describes its efforts to keep data-center components in use longer. Microsoft describes construction and demolition waste reuse and recycling, operational-waste diversion, circular cloud hardware, and circular packaging in its data-center sustainability program. These are company programs, not a single industry standard.
Recycled content alone is not proof of lower total impact. Check local availability, processing energy, durability, contamination or downcycling, whether the product can be recovered again, and whether the claim is based on physical content or market accounting.
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Include electrical and mechanical products in the review
Environmental decisions extend beyond the shell. Specify and evaluate switchgear, cooling equipment, refrigerants, UPS batteries, copper and aluminum, cable insulation, liquid-cooling distribution, racks, and containment. Ask about repairability, replacement parts, product-specific environmental data, hazardous substances, and end-of-life recovery alongside carbon.
SF₆-free switchgear and lower-GWP cooling systems may reduce impacts associated with potent greenhouse gases, while the complete system still needs to meet electrical, safety, efficiency, and code requirements. Battery options also involve trade-offs in chemistry, service life, reliability, recovery, and support. Schneider Electric highlights SF₆-free AirSeT switchgear and product environmental information, including embedded-carbon data and RoHS/REACH compliance, in its sustainability resources. This is an example of product-level disclosure, not evidence that an entire vendor portfolio is environmentally superior. See Schneider Electric’s data-center sustainability resources.
Use EPDs and lifecycle assessment to test claims
An Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) discloses environmental impacts under defined rules and lifecycle boundaries. It is not, by itself, a sustainability certification or evidence that a product has low impact. Compare equivalent products using the same functional unit, product category, geography, performance, service-life assumptions, and lifecycle stages.
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- Cradle-to-gate: raw materials through the factory gate.
- Cradle-to-site: includes transport to the project.
- Cradle-to-grave: includes use, maintenance, replacement, and disposal.
- Cradle-to-cradle: attempts to account for recovery and reuse in a circular system.
For a data center, a product comparison may be incomplete if it ignores installation, maintenance, replacement, transport, or end-of-life recovery. A lower-embodied-carbon option also needs to be assessed alongside potential effects on cooling and electrical efficiency, operating life, and water use—particularly where water is scarce. A small, persistent efficiency penalty can matter over a facility’s long operating life.
Watch for declarations that are not independently verified, are outdated, use generic industry-average data while being presented as product-specific, or omit transport and installation. Other warning signs include different functional units or service lives, unclear biogenic-carbon accounting for timber, carbon offsets described as product reductions, and book-and-claim attributes presented as physical changes to supplied material. Schneider Electric describes EPDs as a tool for assessing embedded carbon and comparing products in its environmental-data resources.
Match the option to the project
| Material or method | Main opportunity | Key risks | Evidence to request |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portland-Limestone Cement, slag, or other supplementary cementitious materials | Reduce ordinary cement content and associated emissions. | Local availability, curing time, early strength, and mix variability. | Mix design, mix-specific EPD or GWP data, and trial-batch results. |
| EAF steel | Potentially lower production emissions and use of scrap. | Electricity mix, scrap supply, allocation, and unclear accounting. | Product EPD, production route, recycled-content disclosure, and electricity data. |
| Higher-strength steel | Potential to reduce tonnage for equivalent structural function. | Design, fabrication, and connection requirements may affect the result. | Structural calculations and comparable EPDs. |
| Mass timber or CLT | Lower structural mass and potential embodied-carbon reduction. | Fire, moisture, code, sourcing, and regional supply constraints. | Structural and fire documentation, responsible-sourcing evidence, and EPD. |
| Prefabricated modules | Potentially less site work, waste, and deployment impact. | Freight, cranes, replacement carbon, and vendor lock-in. | Project lifecycle comparison, logistics model, replacement assumptions, and certification documents. |
| Reused building components | Avoid manufacturing new components and extend asset life. | Condition, warranty, testing, and code acceptance. | Inspection and test records, chain of custody, and approval documentation. |
| Refurbished servers and equipment | Extend useful life and avoid some new manufacturing. | Reliability, security, warranty, and support limitations. | Refurbisher qualifications, support terms, and relevant reliability records. |
| SF₆-free switchgear or lower-GWP cooling systems | Reduce impacts associated with potent greenhouse gases. | Technical fit, efficiency, safety, availability, and code requirements. | Product environmental data, refrigerant information where relevant, and compliance documentation. |
Build the requirements into procurement
Set the environmental target before bids arrive, then make it verifiable. For each major material or system, specify the functional requirement, acceptable evidence, and a method for comparing like with like.
- Establish a project baseline for embodied carbon, operational energy, water, and major replacements using a consistent boundary.
- Identify material hotspots in the structure, envelope, electrical plant, cooling systems, and IT equipment.
- Reduce quantities through right-sizing, design coordination, and adaptive reuse before substituting products.
- Compare alternatives that deliver equivalent structural, fire, electrical, cooling, service-life, and uptime performance.
- Require product-specific EPDs where available, or clearly identified verified industry-average data; request GWP per functional unit and lifecycle modules included.
- For steel, request the production route, recycled content, electricity mix, and disclosure of physical versus market-based claims.
- For concrete, require proposed mix data and trial-batch confirmation of strength, curing, shrinkage, and schedule compatibility.
- For timber, modular systems, and reused components, verify code, fire, structural, insurance, transport, maintenance, replacement, and end-of-life assumptions.
- Ask for take-back, repair, reuse, or recycling plans for equipment and building systems, and track installed quantities and substitutions during construction.
Unavailability matters: a material that cannot be delivered on time or at the required volume can prompt redesign, expedited freight, or emergency substitution that erodes the intended benefit. Confirm supply and schedule before locking a specification.
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