Atlassian has become the first Australian tech company to join RE100, a global corporate initiative bringing together businesses committed to 100 percent renewable electricity.
The enterprise software company, which developed tools such as Jira, Trello and Confluence, already sources 100 percent renewable energy for its Mountain View office in California. Its new goal is to do the same for the rest of its operations by 2025.
“This is a massive commitment. And it's a super-complex goal to meet,” Atlassian co-CEO Mike Cannon-Brookes said.
“We have 3000 Atlassians, across ten locations, in seven countries around the world. In a company of this size, action like this is not easy. But we’re doing this because it’s the right thing to do.”
To meet its target, the company will purchase renewables directly from energy providers. Where this is not possible, it will purchase Energy Attribute Certificates or Renewable Energy Certificates equivalent to 100 percent of energy consumption.
Atlassian will also focus on reducing energy consumption in its buildings, both via design changes, such as minimising the need for artificial lighting; as well as behavioral shifts, such as encouraging its employees to reduce waste.
Atlassian co-founder and co-CEO, Mike Cannon-Brookes
Cannon-Brookes is a known advocate for natural, renewable energy. In late 2018, he took to Twitter to launch the “fair dinkum power” campaign, which was inspired by a video Prime Minister Scott Morrison had posted.
In the video, the PM said: “renewables are great, but we're also needing the reliable power when the sun isn't shining and the wind isn't blowing. That's what keeps the lights on.”
The tech investor was also a driving force behind Australia getting the world’s biggest lithium ion battery by Tesla—thanks, again, to Twitter.
The RE100 initiative was launched in 2014 by The Climate Group in partnership with CDP, and seeks to accelerate change towards zero carbon grids at a global scale.
Companies that join the initiative not only set a public goal for 100% renewable energy by a specified year, but must also disclose their electricity data annually.
Atlassian is the third Australian company to join the RE100 initiative, behind Bank Australia and Commonwealth Bank.
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