What are some under the radar ways to improve sustainability? What's involved in a Head of Sustainability role? And is there a vibe shift in data centre sustainability?
9 months of so into the job of Head of Sustainability EcoStruxure IT at Schneider Electric, Alison Matte talks to Capacity Media's Ben Wodecki about what her role involves, what techniques she is focusing on, how extending product lifespan can make a big difference, and much more - watch the full interview here!
Full interview transcript (lightly condensed and edited for clarity)
Ben Wodecki:
Now, you were recently appointed — I’d say recently, a few months ago — Head of Sustainability at Schneider. Can you talk to us about your role and some of your wider responsibilities?
Alison Matte:
Sure. I head up sustainability for our data center software division. My role is to create a strategy and direction for how we can help customers face sustainability challenges through software. We're looking at how our software can evolve to support new and incoming challenges, and how software really plays a role in addressing those issues when it comes to managing IT infrastructure and data centers.
Ben Wodecki:
There are a lot of challenges at the moment in the industry — a lot of scale, a lot going on. You must be very busy. Would you mind talking about some of the things you're dealing with right now and how you’re navigating that?
Alison Matte:
Definitely. Data centers are getting a bit of a bad press right now, especially with the rise of AI — a very overused term, but a real driver of demand. At the end of the day, we need data centers to live, to work, and for comfort. We're seeing increasing regulations, particularly in Europe, with the European Commission focusing on energy consumption and environmental impact. Customers are facing challenges in reporting and compliance, as well as with operational costs and environmental performance. We're helping them approach this holistically: focusing on infrastructure resiliency, sustainability of operations, and of course, security — which is central to any data center.
Ben Wodecki:
So how do you go about approaching all of that? I’ve seen operators looking at things like Scope 3 emissions — which is big in terms of the supply chain. What are the Schneider techniques that apply across the board, both specific and holistic?
Alison Matte:
There are three key pillars we guide customers through: first, strategize — create a roadmap; then digitize — collect the right data; and finally, decarbonize — act on that data. There's a wealth of environmental data that's key to making decisions, especially when it comes to Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions. That’s why we launched our environmental data program last year — it supports the full product lifecycle and brings greater transparency to our customers about Schneider Electric products.
Ben Wodecki:
I want to ask you more about that. A lot of operators seem to jump straight to decarbonization — switch to renewables — but skip steps. How does that environmental data program help them make better, more logical decisions?
Alison Matte:
It starts with a simple question: do you know what assets you have under management? Many don’t. Research shows around 43% don’t even know the carbon footprint of their IT infrastructure. So it starts with understanding: what do I have? What’s the impact? Are my assets recyclable? Can I extend their life or use them more efficiently? Then: what do I do with that infrastructure at end-of-life? That’s a huge part of the sustainability journey.
Ben Wodecki:
So that’s one way you’re helping. But there’s a lot that goes under the radar. I’m a big fan of the increased use of biogases, but not a lot of operators are doing that yet. Are there things you think are being overlooked?
Alison Matte:
Yes — visibility is everything. What kind of power is coming into the data center? Is it clean? What’s your energy mix? How much water are you using for cooling? Is it potable? What do you do with the water after? What are your physical hardware assets? What’s their environmental impact? What happens at end-of-life? All of this can be managed through software. And that’s really key — software is becoming central to making all of this visible and actionable.
Ben Wodecki:
I hadn’t even thought about that from an end-of-life perspective. There are so many decommissioned jobs happening. How does new hardware tie into that?
Alison Matte:
With software like DCIM, you can create digital twins of your infrastructure. That means you can simulate changes — like removing or replacing racks — and see the impact on your power and cooling capacity before making physical changes. You can also set up take-back services for hardware disposal. So software really helps with modeling, decision-making, and circularity.
Ben Wodecki:
That leads into my next question on retrofitting. We're trying to make better use of space and extend the life of existing infrastructure. How does retrofitting factor into your sustainability work?
Alison Matte:
A big question we ask is: “Why do I need to change my hardware?” Why not extend its life? We've been working for over 20 years to eco-design products so they can be updated via firmware, or have components replaced. That way, you don’t need to replace the entire unit. We support reuse, repair, and even remanufacturing to put assets back into the supply chain. Why should you have to replace your UPS every two years?
Ben Wodecki:
Exactly. And extending product life makes sense — especially if you can monitor it with software and predict failures, like with battery wear models.
Alison Matte:
Exactly — predictive analytics through machine learning and AI lets us extend asset lifetimes and avoid unplanned downtime.
Ben Wodecki:
Let’s end with a question on sustainability outlook. You mentioned earlier the industry’s been getting a bit of a bad rep. Is there a mindset shift coming? Or will it be more of the same scaling and criticism?
Alison Matte:
It’s hard to say definitively, but the market is fluctuating — we see it in the news and analyst research. But one thing’s for sure: regulations aren’t going away. I think this year is a reality check for many operators. They’re being asked: what data do you have to report to regulators, to your CFO, or even to customers? I think in the next 18 months, we’ll see a mindset shift. There’s a growing recognition of the obligation to do better — to reduce environmental impact. Even if you don’t have the data now, you need a plan to get it. Sustainable operations will become the focus, rather than building unconsciously without considering the bigger picture.
Ben Wodecki:
That makes sense — it’s about being more conscious of our impact, not just building for the sake of it.
Alison Matte:
Exactly. We need to consider all aspects of ESG, not just carbon reduction. It’s a busy time — and there’s a lot of work ahead.