Carbon Disclosure Project

BlackBerry has participated in the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) since 2009. Our reporting is based on the Greenhouse Gas Protocol and includes Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions, as defined by the protocol:

• Scope 1 emissions: The total global direct emissions from sources owned or controlled by the reporting organization.
• Scope 2 emissions: Indirect GHG emissions that the company has caused through its consumption of energy in the form of electricity, heat, cooling or steam.
• Scope 3 emissions: Indirect emissions that arise as a consequence of an organization's activities from sources that are owned or controlled by others.

Learn more about the CDP and find copies of the report

Climate Change

BlackBerry engages with industry and other associations regarding climate change issues. The BlackBerry solution is a proven method used by governments and agencies to assist with the response to climate disasters. BlackBerry works with leading organizations like the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) to promote sustainability. BlackBerry continues to be an active participant in the ITU group responsible for studies on methodologies for evaluating information and communication technology (ICT) effects on climate change and to address standardization issues related to ICT and climate change.

Greenhouse gas emissions

BlackBerry is in the process of developing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions tracking and data management processes. In order to limit the absolute growth and decrease the intensity of GHG emissions, BlackBerry is actively engaged in initiatives to increase the energy efficiency of our products, data centres and buildings. The GHG assessment of BlackBerry operations is used as an internal benchmark of our operations so we can measure improvements and changes from year to year. The BlackBerry solution provides individuals and companies with the ability to avoid emissions through a number of methods. Applications and services for BlackBerry allow an organization to increase the efficiency of business processes and reduce GHG emissions by mobilizing the information contained in existing field service and sales force automation systems, business intelligence solutions and a host of other enterprise applications.

ISO 14001 Utility Management program

BlackBerry is working to develop GHG emission reduction targets as a result of the ISO 14001 utility management program. For details on the utility management program please reference our discussion of ISO 14001.

Supporting a sustainable commute to work

The Eco-Commute Program supports sustainable transportation at BlackBerry by encouraging employees in Canada to make sustainable choices by carpooling, walking, biking, or taking transit to work. In fiscal 2012, BlackBerry supported the development of TravelWise, Waterloo Region’s Transportation Management Association – a service designed to reduce the number of people driving alone to work.

Earth Hour

In March 2012, many of our global BlackBerry locations observed Earth Hour. This year we were proud to have over 86 locations in 53 cities participate.

BlackBerry currently has three Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified buildings and has applied for certification at five other buildings in Canada. Design features include energy efficient fixtures and equipment, daylight and occupancy sensors, automated lighting controls and low flow fixtures in kitchens, washrooms and showers. Materials used during construction contain high levels of recycled content. The Forest Stewardship Council certifies that wood from forests is maintained and harvested according to high environmental standards. All composite wood used is urea-formaldehyde (UF) free. Products are selected with low levels of VOCs, including paint, sealants, adhesives, carpet, office furniture, and coatings. Building operations include a green housekeeping plan with EcoLogo and/or GreenGuard certified products. Landscaping is comprised of native, drought tolerant plants which eliminate the need for an irrigation system.

Our newest data center is targeting Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. The building includes many innovative design features. Energy use is the most significant environmental impact of buildings, especially in data centers where IT equipment causes the largest load. Some of the energy efficiency features in the new data center include high efficiency condensing boilers, evaporative cooling and humidification on air handlers, variable frequency drives on circulation pumps and fans, and efficient lighting design. The data center uses efficient technologies including rotary uninterrupted power systems (UPS) and direct outdoor air economizing cooling units. Due to various design features, the data center achieves 81% more water savings than a standard building that is not LEED certified.

The new data center will realize significant energy savings through the use of server virtualization, storage virtualization and increased utilization. When compared to a facility with a low virtualization ratio, this building achieves 75% more savings on virtualization, and overall 43% more energy savings when compared to Model National Energy Code for Buildings.

In fiscal 2012, BlackBerry created a Green Information Technology program focused on reducing the environmental impacts of our information technology (IT) infrastructure. Data systems virtualization has been a key focus to reduce our corporate carbon footprint. BlackBerry increased the server virtualization percentage at major data centers to greater than 65% (65% virtualization and 35% physical hardware). This resulted in approximately 80% less power consumption. BlackBerry also maintained a 30:1 ratio for virtual servers running on each physical server in the majority of the data centers.

BlackBerry increased internal data storage allocation efficiency and utilization rates by 50%, eliminating the need to purchase entire data storage arrays and the power and space they would consume. For many data storage systems, we have increased utilization efficiency from 35% to 60% and it is still increasing. BlackBerry has also implemented higher data storage efficiency technologies for new systems into our IT infrastructure. For data storage that is required to support virtual server infrastructure, BlackBerry introduced new storage technologies that have an improved efficiency of 85%, allowing the purchase of smaller, more efficient storage. The new virtual infrastructure also includes backup data protection, eliminating extra storage capacity that is traditionally required for this purpose. This change reduced the total storage needs of the virtual server environment by 90%.

BlackBerry introduced a Paper Procurement Policy in fiscal 2012 that outlines a commitment to responsible forest management and efficient paper use. Programs associated with this policy address paper efficiency, increasing recycled content in paper purchases, choosing certified, responsibly sourced fiber, supporting cleaner production practices, maintaining recycling programs and communicating with suppliers and partners.

ISO 14001 Certificate of Registration

• View the BlackBerry ISO 14001 2004 Certificate of Registration (PDF)

Waste management program

Through IS0 14001, the company’s manufacturing facility in Waterloo collects and tracks the following items as part of their diversion efforts: paper containing materials, co-mingled recyclables (plastic, metal and glass), organics, wood, metal, plastic film, production components, assembly gloves, foam and antistatic bags and e-waste recycling.

Utility management program

BlackBerry established a utility management program for our manufacturing facility according to the ISO 14001 Environmental Management system guidelines. The program aims to identify and improve utility use. Since it was established in 2007, approximately 2,907,000 KWh have been saved, which equates to 628 tonnes of CO₂ emissions. Energy savings have been achieved through scheduled shutdowns, lighting upgrades, heat load reductions, re-insulating walls and installing heat recovery units.