Australian data centre operator NextDC has announced the launch of a brand new data centre carbon neutrality programme, the ‘first of its kind’ in the country’s data centre market.

Named NEXTneutral, the programme marks the first carbon neutral colocation solution available in the local Australian market.

Under the programme, carbon footprint generated within NextDC’s data centres will be negated through the purchase of a portfolio of ecological projects in Australia, including the restoration of wetlands and rainforests, the protection of pristine Australian habitats such as the Great Barrier Reef, as well as supporting Indigenous culture and traditional sustainable land management practices such as cool fire burning.

The programme is also launched in conjunction with NextDC’s corporate offset partner Qantas, the national airline of Australia. Both have extended their partnership through Qantas Future Planet (QFP), a collaboration between Qantas and carbon offset solutions firm Tasman Environmental Markets.

“[NEXTneutral] is a testament to NEXTDC’s commitment to sustainable engineering and the important role offsets play in mitigating the environmental impact of energy use. NEXTneutral is evidence that big data can have a zero footprint,” commented David Young, Executive Manager of Sustainability & Future Planet at Qantas.

Craig Scroggie, CEO at NextDC, said that this move is in line with the company’s position as the first data centre operator in Australia to be certified as Climate Active by the Federal Government.

“The next step in our journey is to extend our own carbon offset programme to our customers. It’s with great excitement that we now invite everyone in our ecosystem to join NEXTneutral and offset 100% of their carbon footprint,” he added.