Cut the carbon footprint of your stored data
The data storage carbon footprint of your organization is bigger than it looks. TerraBytes measures it, then helps you shrink it, flagging duplicate, outdated, oversized and dark files and showing the impact of each in both euros and CO₂. It is a practical way to cut emissions and build defensible evidence for CSRD reporting.
Your stored data has a carbon footprint
It is easy to think of stored files as inert: they just sit there. But every byte you keep is written to disks that draw power around the clock, housed in datacenters that must be continuously cooled, and copied again into backups, snapshots and geo-replicas that draw power of their own. Storage is never free, and it is never zero-carbon.
The problem is that a large share of what we store is dark and ROT data: redundant, obsolete and trivial files that nobody will ever open again. This data emits CO₂ every single day for no value: no insight, no compliance benefit, no business use. It is pure waste, quietly inflating both your cloud bill and your emissions.
Reducing that waste is one of the most direct levers you have on IT sustainability. Fewer useless bytes means less electricity for storage, cooling, replication and backup, and a smaller carbon footprint you can measure and report.
Why data storage carbon matters
From cleanup to CSRD evidence
One scan turns a vague sustainability goal into concrete, reportable action across your storage estate.
Measure CO₂ per finding
Every duplicate, outdated, oversized or risky file comes with an estimated euro and CO₂ impact, so the carbon cost of storage stops being abstract and becomes a number you can act on.
Remove dark & ROT data
Archive or delete the redundant, obsolete and trivial data that emits carbon for no value. Fewer bytes to store, cool, replicate and back up means a smaller footprint straight away.
Report defensibly
Keep a clear, per-finding record of what you removed and the CO₂ you avoided, the kind of documented evidence that supports sustainability and CSRD reporting on scope 3 IT emissions.
Track over time
Re-scan on a schedule to watch your data footprint shrink and stay lean, turning a one-off cleanup into an ongoing, measurable sustainability programme.
How it works
1. Connect. Point TerraBytes at your storage: SharePoint, OneDrive, NetApp, NAS or local drives. It runs serverless, is encrypted in transit and at rest, and your data never leaves your environment.
2. Scan. One pass flags duplicate, outdated, oversized and risky files across your estate, and attaches an estimated euro and CO₂ cost to each so you can see where the waste, and the emissions, really sit.
3. Act. You get a prioritized plan. Define rules to keep, archive or delete; nothing is removed without your explicit action. As you clean up, TerraBytes records the impact so you can show it to finance, security and sustainability teams.
One honest note on scope: these numbers are designed to support your sustainability and CSRD reporting, but TerraBytes is a measurement and cleanup tool, not an accredited auditor. Its estimates give you defensible evidence and a clear direction of travel. They are not a substitute for a formal, certified audit.
Go deeper on data & carbon
The datacenter carbon report →
Why unused data quietly drives up both cost and carbon, and what the numbers really look like.
Storage cleaner & optimizer →
One scan across cloud and on-prem: NetApp, NAS and local drives.
SharePoint storage cleanup →
Reclaim tenant storage by clearing duplicates, version bloat and ROT data.
GDPR & ROT data cleanup →
Find and remediate risky, personal and unencrypted files across your estate.
Data carbon & CSRD questions
Yes. Every byte you keep is stored on disks that draw power, sit in datacenters that must be cooled, and is copied into backups and replicas that draw power too. Datacenters account for roughly 2.5% of global emissions and use around 205 TWh of electricity a year. Data you never use still carries a real, ongoing carbon footprint.
Deleting or archiving duplicate, outdated, oversized and dark data means fewer bytes to store, cool, replicate and back up. That directly lowers the electricity your storage draws, which lowers its associated CO₂. TerraBytes shows the estimated euro and CO₂ impact of each finding so you can act on the biggest wins first.
TerraBytes gives you a defensible, per-finding record of the data you removed and the estimated CO₂ avoided, which you can feed into sustainability and CSRD reporting on IT and scope 3 emissions. TerraBytes is a measurement and cleanup tool, not an accredited auditor, so its figures support your reporting rather than replace an official audit.
Dark data is information you store but never use again: forgotten files, old versions, orphaned copies and content from departed employees. Research suggests around 52% of enterprise data is dark. It emits CO₂ and costs money every day it sits there while adding no business value.