Fortinet has taken a decisive step by publishing the first Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) in the cybersecurity sector, at a time when sustainability has become a strategic axis for digital transformation. This advance reinforces a trend that is redefining the technology industry, where it is no longer enough to offer performance and safety, and that is that companies must demonstrate their environmental commitment with verifiable data.
Sustainability, a new requirement in the technology market
The transition towards a low-carbon economy does not only affect sectors such as energy or transport. Technology companies, responsible for a growing share of global emissions, are under the scrutiny of new regulations such as the European Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the future Digital Product Passport (DPP). These regulations require manufacturers and suppliers to transparently report the environmental impact of their solutions throughout their entire life cycle.
In this scenario, Environmental Product Declarations are consolidated as an essential tool. Based on Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) and regulated by the ISO 14025 standard, EPDs allow the ecological footprint of technological products to be measured and compared from the obtaining of raw materials to their removal or recycling.
Fortinet leads with its FortiGate-40F firewall
Fortinet becomes the first cybersecurity company in the world to have a verified EPD, corresponding to its new generation firewall FortiGate-40F. The document has been validated according to the most recent product category standards (PCR 2024:06), which represents official recognition of compliance with the most demanding sustainability criteria.
Fortinet has taken a decisive step by publishing the first Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) in the cybersecurity sector, at a time when sustainability has become a strategic axis for digital transformation
“Cybersecurity is essential for digital resilience, but it must also be integrated into a sustainable ecosystem. With the publication of the Environmental Product Declaration, we not only advance our transparency and sustainability policy, but it also provides us with a competitive advantage in a market that demands transparency and verifiable data,” explains Acacio MartÃn, vice president of Fortinet Iberia.
With this action, Fortinet demonstrates that digital protection and environmental responsibility can coexist and strengthen each other. EPD not only reinforces your corporate commitment, but also helps your customers and partners meet their own sustainability goals.
EPD, a new currency in the green economy
More and more organizations, both public and private, demand detailed information on the environmental impact of the solutions they acquire. The publication of verified EPDs is becoming a key requirement to participate in tenders or agreements with large corporations, especially in regulated environments or with climate neutrality objectives.
In the technological field, the demand is even greater. Cybersecurity hardware (routers, firewalls, servers and network devices) is part of the critical infrastructure of data centers and corporate networks. Its production and operation involve energy consumption, emissions and use of natural resources that until now had gone unnoticed in the global measurement of the environmental impact of the sector.
Last year, giants such as AWS, Google, Meta and Microsoft urged data center providers to adopt EPD, highlighting the importance of reliable emissions data, especially Scope 3 emissions, which include the supply chain and product usage.
Transparency as a competitive advantage
Fortinet’s decision is not limited to a regulatory compliance issue. In a market that is increasingly aware of sustainability, environmental transparency is becoming a factor of differentiation and trust. By offering verifiable data on the environmental footprint of its products, the company not only responds to regulation, but also anticipates the expectations of customers who are looking for technological allies aligned with their climate commitments.
The FortiGate-40F EPD will serve as the basis for future environmental certifications in Fortinet’s product line, which plans to expand this initiative to other devices in its catalog. With this, the company not only reinforces its leadership in innovation and safety, but also positions itself at the forefront of a new generation of technological manufacturers aware of their role in the ecological transition.
