LCL has successfully completed an audit by Bureau Veritas for compliance with the EU Code of Conduct for Data Centres and has been awarded a Certificate of Conformity. This recognises their commitment to energy-efficient operations. But what does this mean in practice? We spoke with Abdellah Mahlous, Chief Operations Officer at LCL, about the impact of this certificate and the road ahead.
The EU Code of Conduct for Data Centers is an initiative by the European Commission that encourages data centers to adopt energy-efficient operations. While not mandatory, it provides concrete guidelines to reduce energy consumption without compromising business continuity. “At LCL, we have highly visible energy projects like our recent installation of three wind turbines, but this certification is really about the operational details,” Abdellah explains. “It’s about sometimes less visible optimisations that significantly impact energy efficiency in our data centers. Think of how racks are arranged, ensuring cold aisles are sealed properly, and optimising airflow separation.”
The certification process has helped LCL refocus on the fundamentals. “This was an opportunity to take a fresh look at the things we have always valued but not always consciously acknowledged,” Abdellah admits. “This has been an insightful exercise in reassessing every detail.” One concrete outcome is the optimisation of operational checklists. “We’ve updated our weekly, monthly, and quarterly reviews. We already have strong compliance processes in place, and this assessment helped finetune them.”
The certification is the result of a joint effort by all the technical departments at LCL. In the first phase, each subsite completed a questionnaire with 106 questions for Bureau Veritas, the independent audit firm. The answers were then further substantiated with the necessary documentation. This was followed by on-site audits, where LCL’s experts and engineers were interviewed. "It was an intensive process in which all our technical colleagues played a role," says Abdellah. "Some provided input for the questionnaires, while others were interviewed on site during the audit."
LCL believes it is important to involve their customers in this effort. “We share our expertise with our customers through short videos and articles, and share a sustainability tip in our newsletter each month,” Abdellah notes. “For example, we are looking to increase the temperature in our cold corridors. This allows us to be more energy-efficient by making greater use of free cooling. But to maximise impact, we need to bring customers along, encouraging them to keep their equipment up to date and optimise their rack layouts. So, we share these tips and actively involve our customers in our sustainability journey.”
“The certification is valid for three years, but that doesn’t mean we’ll pause our efforts,” Abdellah states. “We are already implementing the feedback we received, continuously refining our approach.” One key initiative is waste heat recovery. “We will integrate heat reuse systems into our new building designs and are actively seeking partners who can put this recovered energy to good use,” Abdellah explains. Additionally, we have introduced a dedicated Energy Coordinator role in our IT department to enhance energy management. “This will help us track our energy sources, optimise efficiency, and provide our customers with clearer insights.”
“The EU Code of Conduct is voluntary, and so far, we haven’t heard of any other data centers in Belgium achieving this certification,” Abdellah says. “We are grateful for this recognition, and motivated to keep moving forward.”
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