Western Digital details sustainability gains amid AI demand

Western Digital has released its FY2025 sustainability report, outlining progress on emissions, energy use and materials recovery as demand for AI-related data storage rises.

The company said emissions intensity from customer use of its products has fallen 31% since FY2020 on an emissions-per-petabyte basis. Five sites now run on 100% carbon-free energy, and renewable sources account for 66% of energy use across its global operations.

The update comes as technology groups face closer scrutiny over the environmental cost of AI infrastructure, particularly in data centres, where electricity demand is rising with growing computing and storage needs. Storage hardware is drawing increasing attention as operators look for ways to limit energy use and manage emissions linked to expanding data volumes.

Western Digital also reported progress on recycled materials in its enterprise hard disk drive business, introducing targets to reach 43% recycled content in enterprise HDD products and 72% in enterprise HDD packaging by FY2030.

In FY2025, recycled content in enterprise HDD products reached 36% to 38%, while packaging reached 74%, surpassing the target ahead of schedule.

Supply chain

Alongside operational measures, Western Digital expanded its Scope 3 plans with a target to cut direct materials emissions 20% by FY2030 from a FY2024 baseline. It is also working on supplier engagement and training to support emissions reductions across its supply chain.

The report also highlighted external assessments of its environmental and governance work. Western Digital received an A- rating from CDP for climate disclosure, was named one of America's Greenest Companies by Newsweek, and was recognised by Ethisphere as one of the World's Most Ethical Companies for the eighth consecutive year.

Materials recovery

One of the report's more detailed developments was a US pilot programme aimed at recovering rare earth materials from obsolete hard drives. Run with Microsoft, Critical Materials Recycling and PedalPoint, the initiative achieved a 90% capture rate for rare earth materials during its pilot phase.

Western Digital described the programme as the first of its kind in the US, focused on recovering materials that would otherwise be lost through electronic waste or landfill disposal. The project also received an Environment + Energy Leader Award in the Environmental Impact category.

The company also published a climate risk report outlining climate-related risks and opportunities, including findings from scenario analysis and how those issues are managed within its enterprise risk management framework.

The sustainability update comes as Western Digital seeks to position storage as a central part of efforts to curb the environmental impact of AI growth. As AI models generate and retain larger datasets, storage systems are becoming a more significant part of the resource demands of digital infrastructure.

That shift has prompted hardware suppliers and cloud operators to focus not only on processing power, but also on the energy use, material inputs and lifecycle impacts of the equipment needed to store data over time.

Jackie Jung, chief sustainability officer at Western Digital, said the company was addressing those pressures through changes to products, operations and sourcing.

"As AI drives unprecedented growth in data, the challenge isn't just storing more - it's doing so efficiently at scale. At WD, we're focused on delivering storage infrastructure that enables that growth while minimising environmental impact and improving long-term efficiency," Jung said.

"From recovering rare earth materials that would otherwise be lost, to driving accountability across our supply chain and operating with the highest ethical standards, every action we take reflects our commitment to being a trusted partner for our customers, our communities, and our planet. We are proud of this year's progress and remain determined to raise the bar as we progress in our journey to help make AI more sustainable and efficient."