Acknowledging the importance of climate change mitigation, Yandex is committed to exploring its corporate carbon footprint. By gauging direct and indirect emissions associated with our operations, we gain valuable insights into efficiency that inform our decisions on the way to net zero performance.
GHG Emission Data
GHG Emissions and Carbon intensity
GHG Emissions and Carbon Intensity Stacked Bar Chart and Carbon Intensity Trend.
GHG emissions are assessed in accordance with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol carbon reporting and accountable standards (a clickable link to the document). The location-based method is used to calculate Scope 2 emissions.
Total 187336 metric tons of CO2-equivalent of Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions in 2019, which breaks into 85402 metric tons of CO2-equivalent of Scope 1 emissions and 85402 metric tons of 101934 CO2-equivalent of Scope 2 emissions.
Total 210856 metric tons of CO2-equivalent of Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions in 2020, which breaks into 94633 metric tons of CO2-equivalent of Scope 1 emissions and 116223 metric tons CO2-equivalent of Scope 2 emissions.
Total 257280 metric tons of CO2-equivalent of Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions in 2021, which breaks into 110831 metric tons of CO2-equivalent of Scope 1 emissions and 146449 metric tons CO2-equivalent of Scope 2 emissions.
Carbon Intensity Trend Per 1 million Russian Rubles of revenue.
1.07 metric tons of CO2-equivalent in 2019.
0.97 metric tons of CO2-equivalent in 2020.
0.72 metric tons of CO2-equivalent in 2021.
Carbon Intensity Trend Per 1 million USD of revenue.
(Revenue values used as denominators are the result of currency conversion from Russian rubles into US dollars).
To ensure comparability of this intensity metric, we suggest factoring in purchasing power parity (PPP). Businesses in markets with higher PPP generally need to input fewer resources over a shorter period to generate an equivalent of USD 1 million of revenue.
84.2 metric tons of CO2-equivalent in 2019.
71.3 metric tons of CO2-equivalent in 2020.
53.7 metric tons of CO2-equivalent in 2021.
Carbon Intensity Trend Per 1 MWh of energy consumed.
0.27 metric tons of CO2-equivalent in 2019.
0.27 metric tons of CO2-equivalent in 2020.
0.27 metric tons of CO2-equivalent in 2021.
0.27 metric tons of CO2-equivalent in 2020.
0.27 metric tons of CO2-equivalent in 2021.
In order to mitigate climate impact of growing demand for data center services, Yandex invests in cutting-edge energy efficiency and embarks on a shift to green energy.
In 2021, Yandex introduced a green energy procurement scheme for the data center in Mäntsälä (Finland). We signed an agreement on the purchase of wind power to cover 100% of the facility’s energy needs (or approx. 20% of the energy needs of all Yandex DCs). The agreement took effect in January 2022, however, we were unable to continue this collaboration due to the change of circumstances that occurred after February 2022. We will use this experience and seek out new opportunities to decarbonize our electricity consumption. We have been holding a dialogue with members of the Russian energy market, where four of Yandex’s DCs are located.
Empowering Climate Mitigation
We want to leverage our technologies to help individuals, businesses, organizations – and even the entire metropolitan areas – become more sustainable and curb their carbon footprint. Here is a few examples of our products and services that serve this purpose.
RouteQ is a solution for businesses that helps optimize fleet management, improve logistics efficiency and reduce related carbon footprint. The service relies on advanced algorithms that plan routes and provide order optimal distribution across fleet, leading to minimized deadhead mileage and lowered risks of vehicle downtime.
According to our estimate, 4,975 metric tons of CO2 equivalent GHG emissions associated with Yandex Market logistics were avoided through optimized mileage alone that the service enabled.* This equals the carbon footprint of over 1,000 passenger vehicles in one year.
*The assessment covered the period of 12 full months between April 2021 and March 2022. The figure is calculated in accordance with the guidance in the GHG Protocol for estimating emissions from mobile sources. The volume of emissions avoided is the difference between the amount of GHG emissions from non-RouteQ mileage (scenario value) and the amount of GHG emissions from actual mileage (actual value). The scenario value was calculated by multiplying the actual value by the RouteQ efficiency ratio, derived based on the reduction in the total and empty mileage of service partners. The actual value was calculated based on the total fuel consumption being the sum of the products of vehicle kilometers traveled and the average fuel consumption per kilometer traveled.
Migrating from on-premises data centers to Yandex Cloud does not just help reduce costs of infrastructure deployment, maintenance and utilization. It also provides an opportunity to save energy and lessen carbon footprint. According to an international research conducted in 2020, migration to the cloud can lead to a significant 65% energy reduction and 84% carbon reduction.
Also, the more efficient the infrastructure that supports cloud computing, the smaller impact cloud solutions have on the environment. Thanks to our energy efficiency efforts, Yandex Cloud helps decarbonize customer operations while having reduced climate impact itself.
Yandex Cloud enables operational transformation and innovation by serving as a launchpad for the deployment of a variety of digital solutions, including AI-enabled systems and IoT. Cutting-edge digital integration brings improved efficiency and long-term productivity, lowering costs and mitigating climate impact associated with inefficiencies and idle activities.
Yandex Maps
Optimized routes and multimodal transportation are the factors that help limit carbon emissions and make travel more efficient.
Yandex Maps assist with getting directions and reducing travel time relying on precise geospatial data and wide transportation information, such as mass transit options, traffic, real-time updates on road incidents, road construction and detours, parking space availability, and many more. They also embed real-time tracking of public transit vehicles, making commuting easier than ever and time efficient.
