Achieving TRUE Zero Waste: How We’re Leading Circularity in the Data Centre Industry

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Data Centres10 Mar 2026

Understanding TRUE Zero Waste Certification 

TRUE Zero Waste Certification, administered by Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI), is a rigorous program dedicated to advancing resource efficiency, waste reduction, and circularity across business operations. It promotes redesigning resource life cycles so that all products are reused, supporting systems that reduce pollution and enhance public and environmental health. 

TRUE takes a whole systems approach, ensuring that facilities document and continually improve their waste management practices. To be certified, a site must divert at least 90% of non hazardous solid waste from landfill, incineration, and the environment over a 12 month period. 
 
Unlike other sustainable frameworks, TRUE focuses on how materials move through a facility, prioritising waste reduction and circular practices. Its aim is not just to manage waste but to ensure materials remain in productive use for as long as possible.

Why TRUE Zero Waste Matters to the Data Centre Industry

Data centres are the backbone of today’s digital economy, powering everything from cloud platforms to advanced AI systems. But alongside this rapid growth comes an increasingly complex array of waste streams. As the sector grows, so does the responsibility to minimise environmental impacts. 

This is why the TRUE Zero Waste Certification is becoming a critical benchmark for leading data centre operators, as it demonstrates ESG leadership, operational efficiency, supply chain resilience, and stronger circularity practices across global portfolios.
Zero Waste

Celebrating Major Milestones: London North, Osaka Keihanna and Inzai

At Colt DCS, we’re thrilled to announce three major milestones in our journey toward zero waste. 

Our London North Data Centre in the UK has achieved TRUE Zero Waste Certification at the Gold level, and our Osaka Keihanna and Inzai Data Centres in Japan have earned TRUE Certification at the Certified level. 

These achievements are a testament to the dedication and perseverance of our operations teams, who continually champion sustainable practices and demonstrate what’s possible when we work together. 

These certifications also align with Colt DCS’ ambition to certify all operational sites with TRUE by 2030, reinforcing our commitment to circularity and long‑term environmental stewardship.

 

London North Data Centre TRUE Gold Certification 

Achieving Gold certification requires a facility to maintain a 90%+ diversion rate for 12 consecutive months. This facility reached this milestone by: 

  • Mapping all waste streams across the data centre 
  • Identifying opportunities for reduction, reuse, and recycling
  • Embedding a culture of sustainable practices across the team 

A significant contributor to this success was our close collaboration with a hyperscale customer, who provided downstream waste data. This partnership enabled more precise waste characterisation, improved diversion strategies, and strengthened our overall TRUE application. 

Osaka Keihanna and Inzai Data Centres TRUE Certified 

From the launch of its operations, the Osaka Keihanna team embraced Zero Waste principles within every aspect of its workflow and processes. The Inzai Campus was already fully operational which made it more challenging for the team to achieve the 90% diversion rate. The journey to certification included: 

  • Conducting in‑depth waste audits 
  • Educating and engaging colleagues and contractors 
  • Overcoming challenges unique to the Japanese regulatory environment, including complex waste sorting rules and limited recycling infrastructure 

Despite these hurdles, the data centres successfully achieved a 90% diversion rate for 12 consecutive months, a remarkable accomplishment and a powerful example of how sustainability can be embedded from the ground up. 
 
To learn more about our sustainable practices at Colt DCS, link here.