dcently

About us

An independent industry network for sustainable data centres.

dcently is an independent, non-profit industry network bringing together the data centre ecosystem to advance sustainability. We connect operators, suppliers, customers, investors, researchers and other stakeholders to share knowledge, generate industry intelligence and identify what works – and what still needs to change.

Our ambition is to collectively raise the bar for sustainable data centres and build a shared sustainability playbook, created by the industry, for the industry.

What we do

Sustainability is bigger than PUE.

The data centre industry is growing fast – and so are the expectations on its sustainability performance. But sustainability is bigger than PUE, energy and carbon. It is also about water, materials, biodiversity, circularity, working conditions, communities, responsible supply chains, governance and the value digital infrastructure creates for society.

And many of these challenges cannot be solved by one company alone.

  1. 01

    Connect the ecosystem

    Sustainability challenges rarely stop at company boundaries. We bring together data centre operators, suppliers, customers, investors, researchers, policymakers and other stakeholders to exchange knowledge and perspectives across the value chain. Through industry meet-ups, digital sessions, thematic deep-dives and workshops, dcently creates a neutral space for conversations that are difficult to have within individual companies or parts of the value chain.

  2. 02

    Take the pulse of the industry

    What does the industry consider its biggest sustainability challenges? Where do operators, investors, customers, policymakers and communities see things differently? Where are we making progress – and where are we not? The dcently Pulse regularly captures perspectives from across the data centre ecosystem. By repeating the Pulse over time, we track how priorities, challenges and maturity evolve – while generating insights that can challenge assumptions, create discussion and guide our future work.

  3. 03

    Build the dcently ESG Playbook

    Insights from the dcently Pulse, our network, research, projects and thematic work gradually contribute to the dcently ESG Playbook. The ambition is practical, industry-informed guidance on what good sustainability practice looks like across the data centre ecosystem – moving beyond individual metrics towards a broader understanding of environmental, social and governance performance. The Playbook will not be a finished answer. It will evolve as the industry, technology, regulation and our collective knowledge evolve.

  4. 04

    Turn gaps into collaboration and innovation

    When we identify an important sustainability challenge without a good solution, we want to do something about it. dcently brings together companies, researchers and other organisations to develop collaborative projects and focused workstreams around challenges that require further research, innovation or testing. This means moving from sharing today's best practice to developing tomorrow's better practice.

  5. 05

    Recognise leadership

    As the Playbook develops, we also aim to establish the dcently Sustainability Award – recognising organisations, initiatives and solutions that demonstrate leadership and help move the industry forward. The ambition is not simply to reward good stories, but to highlight approaches that others can learn from.

The ecosystem

The full value chain defines what “good” looks like.

dcently works by bringing together the full value chain — from operators and engineers to buyers, scientists, and policy voices.

  • The Guardians — Sustainability and ESG leaders

    Driving compliance, benchmarking, and accountability.

  • The Architects — Product and technical leaders

    Designing for circularity, efficiency, and heat reuse.

  • The Anchors — Academia and research institutions

    Validating methodologies and ensuring scientific integrity.

  • The Enablers — Hardware and infrastructure providers

    Shaping the technologies that will define the next generation of data centres.

  • The Drivers — Hyperscalers and enterprise customers

    Setting requirements and influencing demand at scale.

Founders

“We saw a need in the industry.”

dcently was founded by Cecilia Hjertzell and Johanna Flood after realising the data centre industry was missing something important: a collaborative space for sustainability professionals to connect, share best practices, openly discuss challenges, and drive real progress together.

Cecilia Hjertzell, founder of dcently

Founder, dcently

Cecilia Hjertzell

Cecilia Hjertzell has worked with sustainability, branding, and communication within the IT and telecom industry for decades. Her background includes brand strategy at Telia Nordic, sustainable IT initiatives, and stakeholder engagement across the technology sector.

She was also part of founding the CIOCO2 Network, is a trained Climate Reality Leader, and currently serves as Chair of Ocean Community Nordic. Through her work, Cecilia has seen the growing need for stronger collaboration, transparency, and shared sustainability standards within the rapidly expanding data centre industry.

Johanna Flood, founder of dcently

Founder, dcently

Johanna Flood

Johanna Flood has a background in sustainability and environmental leadership within the industrial, energy, and data centre sectors, including roles at ABB and Hitachi Energy.

Over the past several years, she has worked as a senior sustainability consultant in Sustainabler in the data centre industry, supporting companies such as EcoDataCenter and atNorth with ESG strategy and sustainability initiatives. Through her work across the data centre value chain, she identified a growing need for greater collaboration and shared sustainability standards within digital infrastructure.

The ESG Playbook

How will the dcently ESG Playbook work?

Inside-out

Companies assess their own operations on data centre level against the dcently ESG Playbook, gaining a clear view of their performance and identifying where to improve. They commit to measurable improvement plans and share their progress transparently.

Outside-in

An independent, AI-assisted layer analyses publicly available data and disclosures to evaluate how organisations perform and communicate in practice compared to the dcently ESG Playbook. Together, these perspectives create a more complete and trustworthy picture — combining internal insight with external validation to drive transparency and continuous improvement across the industry.

And this is just the beginning

Connect the industry. Take its pulse. Share what works. Identify what is missing. And work together to make it better.

dcently is an independent non-profit organisation registered in Sweden. It is not a fixed programme with an end date, but a platform that will evolve with the industry and continue for as long as it creates value.

Work with usExplore the Pulse