China’s e-commerce and omni channel retail giant JD.Com has made sustainability a core value of the way it operates. Company officials say that every step of procuring, handling, packaging, selling and distributing products must be done with taking into account the carbon footprint of each activity.
In a company that has grown as vast and complex as JD.Com, integrating eco-friendly practices into every facet of the company requires highly focused attention to detail. One might describe it as a kind of industrial mindfulness. That is, whenever an action is taken or a function performed at any point within the supply chain and logistics network, that activity must be evaluated for energy efficiency. That includes other values as well, such are the critically important element of waste reduction.
To make itself one of the most sustainably operating companies in the world, JD.Com has implemented numerous initiatives. One of them is the construction of “green data centers.”
Zhou Xiaobin is in charge of data center construction at JD Technology. He speaks of something called PUE design. PUE stands for “power usage effectiveness.” Zhou said PUE starts at the very beginning of a data center construction process and is carried over into operations. He explained further that PUE is the ratio of the total amount of energy used by the computers of a data center to the energy that is used by the actual computing equipment itself.
This ratio is measured by a numbered scale in which the most efficient system is as close to the value of 1 as possible. For example, the recent data center completed and located in Suqian is rated at the lowest PUE value of any system operating in east China. The Suqian facility has a PUE rating of 1.28.
Helping to achieve that goal involves the use of machine learning and experience technology. This enables Zhou’s tram to monitor relevant data points such as the temperature and humidity of the equipment. When all data is gathered, a power management strategy can be applied with accuracy because the maintenance team has the vital information it needs to execute the most effective efficiency plan.
The Suqian facility went online in 2016. It represents a milestone for JD, according to the JD news sources. That’s because it’s the company’s first self-built data center. An average temperature of 14.2 Celsius is recorded in the area. This level can be cooled almost entirely using outdoor sources of air for about five months of each year. Using Mother Nature’s natural source of cooling means that it does not have to be generated artificially with air conditioners. That’s a good way to keep the carbon footprint small.
Other ways the Suqian facility saves energy are through recycling and the addition of solar panels. The latter is now supplying power to office buildings and other support facilities.
JD.Com is embracing solar energy in a large way throughout its buildings, warehouses and facilities across the vast landscape of China. JD news reports that the company is partnering with global partners to create the largest ecosystem of rooftop photovoltaic power generation systems in the world. It plans to have this infrastructure in place by 2030. When all is said and done, JD’s solar array will comprise an impressive 200 million square meters.
For any company, the vehicles it uses for delivery and other transportation needs are a nexus point for reducing its carbon footprint. To that end, JD has recently deployed 3,000 new energy-efficient vehicles in several cities. The company plans to upgrade all its national fleet of direct-sale delivery trucks to energy-efficient models.
JD officials say that each 4.2-meter energy van will reduce carbon emissions by 20 tons per year. For more business articles from Bbeing Cool, click here!
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