Sustainability is a fundamental value at Trail Systems Ltd. This document outlines the environmental impact of our company’s operations and highlights the ongoing measures we are taking to continuously enhance our sustainability practices. We are committed to reducing our footprint while fostering long-term positive change.
The primary source of carbon emissions in SaaS service production comes from the servers operating in data centers, which consume significant energy both to function and to maintain optimal cooling.
What are the environmental impact of the operations?
The primary source of CO₂ emissions in our SaaS operations comes from the energy consumption of servers required to deliver our services. These servers are housed in data centers, which not only require significant electricity to operate but also demand substantial cooling systems, further increasing energy usage.
Additional environmental impacts arise from office operations, including heating, electricity usage, and the electronic devices used in daily work. Moreover, the production and transportation of physical devices, when applicable, contribute to our overall carbon footprint.
How are the CO₂ emissions measured?
Accurately measuring CO₂ emissions remains challenging due to the absence of standardized methodologies and universally accepted guidelines for SaaS operations. Given these limitations, we prioritize measuring the most significant contributors to our carbon footprint— primarily data center energy consumption. Our calculations aim to provide a reasonable estimate rather than an exact measurement.
What is the current estimation for CO2 emissions produced in the operations?
Our service currently runs on 10 to 15 servers. A typical server operating at full load consumes approximately 150 to 300 watts of power, which translates to 0.15 to 0.3 kWh per hour per
Using the global average carbon intensity of electricity generation (0.475 kg CO₂ per kWh), the estimated CO₂ emissions from our server operations range between:
These estimates do not yet account for additional emissions from office operations, employee devices, or potential hardware production and logistics. However, we continuously strive to improve our sustainability efforts by optimising server efficiency, exploring renewable energy options, and reducing unnecessary resource consumption.
Identifying the sources of CO₂ emissions is essential for developing effective strategies to reduce them, making it a cornerstone of sustainable operations. While direct emissions are relatively limited, indirect emissions—arising from energy consumption, supply chains, and operational activities—can be significant.
In this section, we will primarily focus on the direct sources of CO₂ emissions, as they offer the most immediate opportunities for measurement and reduction.
Understanding these sources enables us to implement targeted solutions that improve sustainability without compromising operational efficiency.
to impact the CO₂ emissions from operating on servers
Reducing the number of servers required to operate our services is a key factor in minimising our carbon footprint. Several elements influence this effort, from selecting eco-conscious data center providers to optimising our own infrastructure and software efficiency.
One of our primary considerations is choosing data center providers that align with our sustainability values. We prioritise partners who are committed to energy efficiency, renewable energy usage, and reducing overall environmental impact. By collaborating with providers that actively work on optimising their premises and infrastructure for sustainability, we ensure that our operations are built on an environmentally responsible foundation.
Beyond selecting sustainable service providers, we have direct control over how efficiently our own systems operate. By making strategic infrastructure and programming choices, we can reduce the overall server load while maintaining high performance.
As the physical Helsinki office contributes to our overall carbon emissions, it is essential to ensure that the space we use is appropriately sized to meet our operational needs without excess energy consumption. Optimising office space helps reduce emissions from heating, electricity, and daily operations.
To minimise CO₂ emissions from physical deliveries, we follow a strict need-based approach, ensuring that shipments are only made when necessary. This reduces transportation-related emissions and optimizes logistical efficiency, contributing to our broader sustainability efforts.
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The most significant positive sustainability impact of Trail Systems comes from the widespread adoption of our service by a growing number of customers. While this is an indirect impact, it plays a crucial role in reducing overall CO₂ emissions, which customers can account for in their own sustainability reporting.
Trail enables businesses to operate more efficiently and sustainably, creating a ripple effect that extends far beyond what a single company could achieve alone. By helping our customers reduce their environmental footprint, the scale of impact grows exponentially.
At the same time, as a responsible company, Trail Systems is committed to continuously improving its own operational processes. We actively integrate sustainability into our decision-making, ensuring that we minimise our environmental impact wherever possible.
How does adoption of Trail support customers operating more sustainably?
By using Trail, customers gain better control over their assets, enabling them to utilise resources more efficiently. This improved oversight allows organisations to extend the lifecycle of their physical assets, optimise usage, and facilitate better planning for future investments based on real usage data rather than estimates. As a result, unnecessary purchases and waste are minimised, directly reducing environmental impact.