Hitachi Vantara's Sustainability Roadmap for Construction
As construction companies face increasing pressure to deliver sustainable building projects and meet environmental targets, Hitachi Vantara demonstrates how embedding sustainability into facility design and operations offers a roadmap for the sector.
The company has published its 2025 Sustainability Report, Looking Ahead to the Future, which explores its progress and reveals insights valuable for construction firms designing the next generation of sustainable facilities.
Carbon neutrality in the built environment
Hitachi Vantara aims to achieve carbon neutrality throughout its value chain by FY2050, with a near-term target to become carbon neutral in scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions by FY2030. These timeframes align with industry-wide net zero commitments and demonstrate practical implementation of carbon reduction strategies in built assets.
In FY2025, the company reduced its emissions by 43% in Scope 1 and 2, largely driven by renewable energy integration within its facilities. This showcases what can be achieved when sustainable design principles are embedded from the outset.
The company offers dashboards and analytics for customers, including construction firms, to optimise environmental performance across building portfolios. This involves a CO₂ Estimator tool for organisations to measure the carbon footprint of data centres or storage solutions, helping reduce energy consumption during construction and operational phases.
Akinobu Shimada, CEO of Hitachi Vantara, says in the report: "At Hitachi Vantara, our purpose is clear: to help our customers and partners succeed by delivering innovative, high-performing solutions that are designed for a more resilient and responsible future. Sustainability is integral to how Hitachi Vantara operates and supports long-term growth for customers and the business. This sustainability report highlights how we continue to embed sustainability across our operations and solutions, with a clear focus on practical progress and customer outcomes."
Designing facilities with sustainability embedded
In FY2025, Hitachi Vantara published an Environmental Policy committing to climate action and stewardship across operations and services. For construction companies, this demonstrates how sustainability commitments translate into tangible facility design requirements.
The company's facilities have been designed with efficient operations to minimise environmental impact. Its distribution centres are certified to ISO standards for quality, environmental and occupational health and safety management, including ISO 14001 and ISO 45001, representing benchmarks that construction companies increasingly incorporate into project specifications.
These certifications provide a framework for construction professionals to follow when developing sustainable facilities. By adhering to internationally recognised standards, projects can demonstrate measurable environmental performance and operational excellence that meets client expectations and regulatory requirements.
The integration of sustainability standards from the design phase ensures that environmental considerations are not retrofitted but built into the core infrastructure. This approach reduces long-term operational costs and enhances the resilience of facilities against evolving environmental regulations.
Courtney Hadden, Sustainability Director at Hitachi Vantara, says in the report: "Our commitment to people, the planet and our communities is a reflection of our values and part of our DNA at Hitachi Vantara. We seek to turn the principles of sustainability and responsible business practices into meaningful action and we focus on the ESG elements that are most relevant to our long-term business success. We practice these principles in all aspects of our business, from how we innovate our products and solutions to meet evolving customer needs to how we power our facilities and ensure data quality in our reporting."
Building infrastructure with renewable integration
Hitachi Vantara generates and procures renewable energy across its energy-intensive business sites. This approach offers lessons for construction professionals delivering commercial and industrial projects.
In its European Distribution Centre in the Netherlands, solar panels supply approximately one-third of the facility's annual electricity demand. The remaining consumption is covered through renewable grid electricity. This demonstrates how projects can be designed to maximise sustainable energy integration from day one.
Hitachi Vantara reached 50% of its total energy from renewable sources in FY2025, a milestone that could inform renewable energy targets for construction firms developing facilities or advising clients on sustainable building strategies.
Simon Ninan, Senior Vice President, Business Strategy at Hitachi Vantara, says in the report: "At Hitachi Vantara, we see innovation and building sustainability-focused products and solutions as an imperative for competitiveness, financial performance and long-term business adaptability.
"With the growth of AI usage, we're seeing the market search for opportunities to manage energy use in data centres and infrastructure through higher efficiency and lower energy solutions.
"With AI data centre needs for power growing exponentially, we recognise an opportunity to create innovative products that minimise environmental impact without sacrificing performance."
