Sustainable practices that lighten our environmental footprint, preserve natural resources, reduce emissions, promote a circular economy, and build a cleaner and more efficient cloud infrastructure are core to how we operate globally. The Exponential Roadmap Initiative, an accredited partner of the United Nations Race to Zero, has recognized Oracle’s targets to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 and halve our total greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, relative to a 2020 baseline.
100%renewable energy use across all operations, including Oracle Cloud
100%of key suppliers to have an environmental program in place
80%of key suppliers to have emissions reduction targets in place
33%reduction in potable water use per square foot
33%reduction in waste to landfill per square foot
25%reduction in employee air travel emissions
100%of OCI data centers in Europe are supported by renewable energy
100%of OCI data centers in Latin America are supported by renewable energy
86%of OCI global energy use was renewable in 2023
Our multifaceted renewable energy strategy defines a range of contract mechanisms and technologies we are exploring or implementing, including renewable power purchase agreements, both direct and virtual, onsite renewable and carbon-free generation, use of renewable energy credits and diversification of energy sources. We also work closely with our colocation suppliers to improve data transparency and drive renewable energy adoption. These considerations are part of our selection process for new suppliers and factor into our engagements with existing suppliers.
Efficient and dynamic
OCI offers a more sustainable alternative for companies looking to minimize their environmental impact by providing a high-density computing environment that yields enormous economies of scale and optimizes energy usage. OCI provides an elastic computing platform that can grow dynamically with an organization, eliminating the need to build excess capacity to meet future demand. And our data centers follow best practices for cooling and energy management.
Oracle Cloud promotes a circular economy by decoupling physical assets from the services they provide. We design for the environment, assessing product characteristics including energy efficiency, dematerialization, serviceability, and recyclability. We also effectively repurpose equipment, harvest spare parts, and extract resources. The inherent nature of the cloud allows us to optimize new hardware delivery, spare parts management, and the processing of end-of-life hardware for reuse or recycling.
99.8%of all processed hardware recycled or reused
10.9Mpounds of retired customer hardware assets collected for recycling or reuse
100%of technology recycling partners ISO 14001 certified
OCI services help NIBIO improve sustainable forest management
The Norwegian forestry research organization is using Oracle Autonomous Database and AI on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure to better understand the forest value chain and improve long-term sustainability.
Keep Sea Blue tackles marine plastic pollution with Oracle Blockchain
Keep Sea Blue relies on Oracle Blockchain Platform to help it track the journey of plastic waste recovered from areas around the Mediterranean. Once plastic is collected, it’s tracked and traced as it moves to recycling facilities and is eventually remade into new packaging products.
SailGP lowers its carbon footprint with OCI
SailGP is striving to have all its race operations run on clean energy by 2025. The league relies on OCI to help it track energy use and to let technologists operate systems remotely so fewer people need to travel to competitions.
Woolworths South Africa manages ethical product sourcing with Oracle Retail
Woolworths South Africa uses Oracle Retail Brand Compliance Management to help facilitate eco-friendly modifications to its packaging materials, leading to wins such as the introduction of 100% recyclable packaging for avocados and the elimination of single-use plastic shopping bags.
100%renewable energy use at 92 offices globally
33Oracle-owned buildings globally are ENERGY STAR certified
8Oracle-owned buildings are LEED certified
28Oracle-owned buildings received BOMA certifications
Water and waste
As a global company, how we manage our use of natural resources can have a huge impact. We deploy a variety of water-saving strategies across our facilities and data centers, including rainwater harvesting, xeriscape gardening, and condensate reclamation to reduce our potable water use. Our robust waste management program includes recycling and composting at our offices, raising employee awareness about responsible waste management, and education on minimizing waste to landfill.
These efforts extend to our hardware design and production process. Our Design for the Environment program enables engineers to take environmental impacts into consideration during the hardware design stage. The program demonstrates our commitment to building a circular economy while helping ensure that we meet functional requirements.
88%of our key direct suppliers have an environmental program in place
82%of our key direct suppliers have emission reduction targets in place
74Responsible Business Alliance audits in FY24
Strategic supplier engagement
We engage with indirect and direct suppliers to report data on their carbon, water, and waste footprints, and we work with our key suppliers to ensure alignment and identify new opportunities to reduce our environmental impact.
We educate our suppliers about our goals and expectations as we transition to a low-carbon economy as part of our net-zero goal.
Assessing and minimizing risk
We use standard platforms to better understand potential risk within our supply chain and improve procurement practices.
Monitoring and compliance
We manage, monitor, and audit our direct hardware supply chain internationally as part of our Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) membership. In fiscal year 2024, 74 audits based on the RBA Code of Conduct were completed at direct hardware supplier factory locations to ensure compliance.
Green logistics and eco-friendly travel
We work closely with our logistics partners to minimize shipments, maximize consolidation, and select sustainable modes of transportation, including lower-emission options such as bio-liquefied natural gas.
We collaborate with our travel partners to reduce emissions from flights, encourage the use of public transportation, and promote lodging venues that integrate sustainability into their operations.
We redeploy used laptops to help maximize the life of assets. The returned laptops are either redeployed internally or retired and recycled via a third-party vendor.
Environmental Steering Committee
Launched in 2008, the Environmental Steering Committee (ESC) is chaired by the chief sustainability officer and comprises senior directors and executives across several Oracle lines of business (LOBs), including finance, risk management, social impact, procurement, operations, and manufacturing. The committee is responsible for the implementation and oversight of our environmental policy. Representatives of the committee provide regular updates and reports to the Oracle Board of Directors. Members of the ESC define strategy, monitor progress against our goals, and act on the front line in addressing climate-related issues across the company.
Risk management and resiliency
Our Risk Management Resiliency Program (RMRP) defines the requirements for all Oracle LOBs to plan for and respond to potential business disruption events such as natural disasters. It also specifies the functional roles and responsibilities required to create, maintain, test, and evaluate business continuity capabilities across LOBs and geographies. Business Continuity is a key subprogram of the RMRP. Corporate business continuity policies, standards, and LOB practices are overseen by the RMRP Program Management Office (PMO). This centralized office guides LOB risk managers to help them fulfill their responsibilities as defined in the Oracle Risk Management Resiliency Policy. As part of this guidance, the RMRP PMO develops planning materials and tools to aid LOB risk managers in defining and maintaining their business continuity plans, performing plan testing, and training.
CDP climate change questionnaire
Our response to the annual CDP climate change questionnaire contains detailed information about our climate change strategy, governance, and management of climate-related risks and opportunities.
We know that caring for our planet is key to creating a healthy present and future for all. Through our philanthropy, we protect the land and water on which all life depends. We fund wildlife conservation, help advance ocean protection and research, invest in a zero-waste future, and sponsor environmental science education for young people.
30 years of gorilla conservation
For more than 30 years, we’ve been proud to support the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund (DFGF) and its work to protect gorillas, their habitats, and the surrounding human communities. In fiscal year 2024, our grant provided on-the-ground protection for gorilla groups in Volcanoes National Park, 500 anti-poaching patrols, and community education programs reaching close to 30,000 people. And since 2014, Oracle Cloud has hosted all DFGF data—the world’s largest, most comprehensive longitudinal collection of data on any wild gorilla population.
Protecting the ocean’s wild places
In 2009, we began funding National Geographic’s Pristine Seas, a global project that works to establish marine reserves—areas free of extractive and damaging activities—where marine life thrives and produces benefits for local communities and the world. To date, the Pristine Seas team has conducted 44 expeditions that have helped inspire the creation of 28 marine protected areas, covering more than 6.6 million square kilometers. The expeditions deepen partnerships with local scientists, nongovernmental organizations, and government officials, building momentum for the future protection and management of these critical marine ecosystems.
Restoring California’s ancient forests
Since 2009, our support for Save the Redwoods League has helped restore 70,000 acres of degraded redwood forest in Redwood National and State Parks. The restoration interventions, including forest thinning and road removal, stimulate the growth of young trees, allow the forest to regain resilience against drought and fire, expand wildlife habitats, and improve waterway health. The project spans 30 years, revitalizing the redwood forest from Oregon to Big Sur, California, and partners with the Yurok and Tolowa Tribes—whose ancestral territory includes the entirety of both project watersheds—to achieve shared restoration objectives.
Connecting youth with nature
Our support of NatureBridge helps provide national park–based environmental science education to 30,000 K–12 students and teachers annually—inspiring environmental stewardship as well as self-discovery. Students spend seven hours in the field each day, learning scientific principles, conducting research, and participating in stewardship projects that benefit the local habitat. Each year, we provide scholarship support to more than 1,000 underserved students. We also support organizations such as Keep Austin Beautiful, a community-based initiative that helps beautify green spaces, clean waterways, and reduce waste. Our support enables the organization to lead beautification and restoration projects and deliver educational resources to the community.
Solving the waste crisis
Globally, an estimated 300,000 cetaceans—whales, dolphins, and porpoises—die every year from entanglement in ocean trash and fishing gear that’s largely made of plastic. Our grant to The Marine Mammal Center helps the organization respond to entangled whales, seals, and sea lions along the California coast, provides training and technical assistance to global stranding organizations around the world, and engages stakeholders and conducts research to prevent future entanglements and ship strikes. In Nigeria, we’re helping to drive social change and get plastic out of the environment through our support for Wecyclers. The organization enables low-income communities to capture value from waste through recycling. Since 2014, our grants have funded local kiosks for recycling and exchange. These increase collection capacity in densely populated areas, create jobs, reduce operational costs, and raise public awareness about recycling and environmental sustainability.
Earth is our home, and we all play a part in caring for it. Oracle Volunteers work year-round to restore native habitats, plant trees, sow seeds, remove plastic and debris from beaches and waterways, maintain trails and preserves, and advance eco-friendly educational projects. They lead by example and inspire others to take action for our planet.
Bringing eco-education to the classroom
In Santiago, Chile, Oracle Volunteers worked alongside Manos a la Tierra to teach students how to identify and map local waterfowl habitats in Ejido. They learned about the causes of environmental degradation, the importance of biodiversity, and the impact of targeted interventions such as providing nesting material, shelter, and food. In Banten, Indonesia, Oracle Volunteers joined Yayasan Pemimpin Anak Bangsa to teach waste management design in classrooms. Students used science, math, social, civic education, and even computing to create their program. Once home, they separate, reduce, reuse, and recycle their own waste, then measure the results all year long.
Illuminating lives with sustainable solutions
In Bangalore, India, Oracle Volunteers teamed up with Way of Life to build solar lamps for tribal communities in the Kabani and Yellapura forests. The lamps are eco-friendly and reduce the community's reliance on nonrenewable energy sources. But the benefits don’t end there: Children can study in the evenings by lamplight, medical clinics can stay open later, and the entire community benefits from enhanced safety and security after sundown.
Helping our pollinators survive and thrive
Working with the National Geographic Society, Oracle Volunteers across the United States built native plant gardens to help restore natural habitats for declining monarch butterfly populations. With 75% of the world's plant species dependent on pollinators, these efforts go a long way toward protecting biodiversity and promoting a healthy ecosystem. Through their work with iNaturalist, Oracle Volunteers participated in and led public education sessions about local flora and fauna and the importance of biodiversity to our climate, our economies, and our everyday lives.
Driving toward a zero-waste economy
Across the globe, Oracle Volunteers mobilize to clean up coastlines, divert waste from landfills, and repurpose used items to promote a circular economy. In Mexico, they transformed old materials into new items—crafting dolls for underserved children with BRED Guadalajara, as well as toys, clothing, and more for those in need. In the United States, they protected watersheds by building storm drains and providing education about water pollution, and through their work with Keep Austin Beautiful, they cleaned up local creeks. And, globally, Oracle Volunteers spent more than 1,000 hours with Ocean Conservancy to remove trash, pollutants, and debris from our coastlines.
Photo credits: Oracle Giving hero image: NatureBridge; Environmental grants: 1. Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund; 2. National Geographic Pristine Seas; 3. Save the Redwoods League; 4. NatureBridge; 5. The Marine Mammal Center