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Define and Achieve Your Sustainability Goals

Use this topic to understand how to create quarterly sustainability goals, track progress against those goals, identify deviations from targets early, and take corrective action.

The Sustainability Planning dashboard allows organizations to do intent-based sustainability planning by defining desired sustainability outcomes for energy consumption, carbon emissions, and energy costs.

Examples of sustainability intents include reducing energy consumption by 10% during a quarter, reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 20%, or reducing energy costs by 15%.

The Sustainability Planning feature helps you translate your sustainability intents into measurable targets, tracks progress against them, identifies deviations, and recommends actions to help achieve your sustainability goals.

Use the dashboard to:

  • Define quarterly sustainability intents aligned with your organization's business and environmental objectives.

  • Establish measurable targets for energy consumption, emissions, and costs based on desired sustainability outcomes.

  • Compare actual and forecasted performance against defined targets across quarters and throughout the calendar year.

  • Identify potential deviations from sustainability targets early and review recommended energy optimization opportunities to stay on track.

  • Measure progress toward long term sustainability objectives using a structured, quarter-based planning approach.

Note:

In the context of Sustainability Planning, a goal or target represents the sustainability intent defined for a quarter. For the rest of this topic, the terms goal and target are used to refer to the defined sustainability intent.

You can access the Sustainability Planning dashboard both at the organization and the individual site levels.

To access the organization-level dashboard, navigate to Organization-level Sustainability Dashboard > Sustainability Planning.

To access the site-level dashboard, navigate to Site-level Sustainability Dashboard > Sustainability Planning.

Note:

Site-level sustainability goals are defined at the organization level.

The organization-level goal is equally distributed across all sites. The site-level dashboards display the inherited goal and the selected site's progress toward that goal. Modifying individual site goals or defining site-specific sustainability goals is currently not supported.

Define Your Quarterly Sustainability Goals

Create sustainability goals to establish quarterly targets for energy consumption, carbon emissions, and energy costs.

Defining sustainability goals helps you set measurable targets, track progress throughout the quarter, and identify deviations from targets early.

Note:

When no goal is defined, the dashboard displays an estimated savings opportunity.

For past quarters, the value is shown as Missed Savings, representing the savings that could have been achieved had a goal been established and acted upon. For current and upcoming quarters, the value is shown as Plan Ahead Savings, representing the potential savings opportunity available for planning and goal setting.

To create a quarterly sustainability goal:

  1. Click the Create (+) icon on the quarterly goal card.
    The Create Sustainability Goal window appears.
    Note: You can only create goals for the active and upcoming quarters.
  2. Review the system-recommended target values for energy consumption, carbon emissions, and energy cost.

    Targets define the desired outcome for each metric and serve as benchmarks against which actual and forecasted values are measured throughout the quarter. For metrics descriptions, see Table 1.

    The target values are pre-populated based on the forecasted consumption for the quarter and identified energy optimization opportunities at the beginning of the quarter. If the quarter has already started, the target values are calculated based on both actual and forecasted consumption.

    By default, the slider is positioned at 0% savings, representing the current baseline before applying any available recommendations.

    The recommended target provides a realistic starting point for meeting your organization's sustainability goals. You can accept the recommended values or adjust them to align with your organization's sustainability objectives.

    The value above the slider indicates the estimated savings percentage relative to the forecast for the quarter, while the value below the slider indicates the system-recommended target value.

    The Goal Value field displays the corresponding target value for the selected metric. You can accept the recommended target or adjust it by entering a value directly in the field.

    As you adjust the slider or enter a new value in the field, the target value, savings percentage, and goal classification are updated accordingly.

    Table 1: Goal Metrics
    Metric Description
    Energy Target energy consumption for the quarter, measured in Wh.
    Emissions Target carbon emissions for the quarter, measured in tCO₂e.
    Costs Target energy costs for the quarter, measured in configured currency
  3. Review the goal classification displayed for each metric.

    As you adjust the target value, the dashboard categorizes the goal as one of the following:

    • Achievable Goal—The target falls within the savings potential identified by available energy optimization opportunities. This represents a target that is expected to be achievable using the recommendations identified by the system.
    • Stretch Goal—The target exceeds the savings potential identified by the system. While the target may still be achievable through additional operational changes or optimization initiatives outside the recommended actions, it goes beyond the savings currently estimated by the system.

    • Buffer Added to Goal—The target is less aggressive than the recommended savings target and includes additional allowance above the estimated achievable savings.

  4. Review the organization's individual site level target breakdowns.

    The values displayed are derived from the organization-level targets and are currently read-only.

  5. After reviewing or modifying the pre-populated values, click Apply to save the goals for the selected quarter.
    Your sustainability goal for the quarter is created.

    The goals are displayed in the Sustainability Planning dashboard, where you can track actual and forecasted performance against the defined targets.

    You can modify the target values as needed to align with your organization's sustainability objectives.
    Note:

    Once a goal is set for an active quarter, it cannot be deleted.

Review Quarterly Progress Against Sustainability Goals

The Quarterly Goals widget provides a quarter-by-quarter view of sustainability targets and performance.

You can compare actual and forecasted performance against defined targets across quarters and throughout the calendar year.

Note:

When no goal is defined, the dashboard displays an estimated savings opportunity.

For past quarters, the value is shown as Missed Savings, representing the savings that could have been achieved had a goal been established and acted upon. For current and upcoming quarters, the value is shown as Plan Ahead Savings, representing the potential savings opportunity available for planning and goal setting.

Understand the Quarterly Goal Card

Each quarterly goal card provides a summary of sustainability targets and performance for a specific quarter.

The card includes the following information:

Table 2: Chart Element Description
Element Description
Quarter The quarter for which sustainability targets and performance are displayed.
Goal State Indicates whether the quarterly goal is Active, Upcoming, or Past.
Energy Displays the target and actual and forecasted energy consumption values for the quarter.
Emissions Displays the target and actual and forecasted carbon emissions values for the quarter.
Costs Displays the target and actual and forecasted energy cost values for the quarter.
Actual (Grey Bar) Represents the actual value recorded for the metric.
Forecast (Blue Bar) Represents the forecast value for the remaining quarter recorded for the metric.
Target (Green Bar) Represents the current goal status compared to the sustainability target defined for the metric.

Hover over the bar to view additional details about the metric's goal status.

The popover displays the metric's defined target value and the goal status relative to the target. The current goal status is determined based on the system-computed projected value. The projected value includes actual consumption and forecasted consumption for the remainder of the quarter.

The goal states are:

  • Healthy—Performance is on track to meet the target.
  • At Risk—Performance is trending slightly away from the defined quarterly target and may require corrective action.
  • Missed—As of today, the projected performance has already exceeded the defined goal. However, days remain in the quarter to achieve the overall goal.

For example, the Energy target may display 29.53 MWh Missed, indicating that the projected energy consumption has exceeded the defined quarterly goal and that the goal is currently considered missed.
Missed Savings / Plan Ahead Savings Displays the estimated savings opportunity when no goal is defined for the quarter.

Use these charts to:

  • Track progress toward sustainability goals.
  • Compare actual and forecasted performance against targets.
  • Identify potential deviations before the end of the quarter and take corrective action.

Monitor Daily Consumption Trends for the Active Quarter

The Daily Consumption chart helps you monitor progress toward sustainability targets for the active quarter by comparing actual and forecasted consumption against the defined goal.

The chart displays:

  • Goal (Dotted Green)—The target value defined for the active quarter.
  • Actual (Grey)—The actual consumption recorded to date.
  • Forecast (Blue)—The projected consumption for the remainder of the quarter based on current trends.

A Now marker indicates the current day within the quarter and separates actual consumption from forecasted consumption.

Use the metric selector to view trends for energy, emissions, and cost. By default, the chart displays energy trends.

Use the Daily Consumption chart to:

  • Determine whether current consumption trends align with quarter's targets.
  • Assess whether current performance trends are on track to meet sustainability goals.
  • Identify potential deviations form the target before the end of the quarter.
  • Monitor the effectiveness of sustainability initiatives throughout the quarter.

Hover over a data point to view the actual, forecasted, and goal values for that date. This helps you understand how consumption is trending throughout the quarter and whether performance is expected to meet the defined target by the end of the quarter.

Review Energy Optimization Recommendations and Potential Savings Achievable for the Active Quarter

The Quarterly Savings table lists energy optimization opportunities that can help you achieve your sustainability targets for the active quarter. Recommendations are ranked by their potential savings and include estimated energy, emissions, and cost savings.

Each recommendation contains:

Table 3: Field Description
Field Description
Recommendation Type Optimization action that can be applied.

For example:

  • Shutdown of Unused Ports
  • Shutdown of Unused PFE Slots
  • Shutdown of Unused Linecards
  • Shutdown of Low Traffic Ports
Power Savings Estimated energy savings achieved by applying the recommendation.
CO₂ Reduction Estimated reduction in carbon emissions resulting from applying the recommendation.
Cost Savings Estimated financial savings that can be achieved by applying the recommendation.

Apply Energy Optimization Recommendations

To apply energy optimization recommendations:

  1. Select a recommendation type and click Apply.

    The Confirm Apply Recommendation dialog box appears.

    Note:
    • Use the Apply Recommendation feature to deploy supported recommendations with a single click. This feature is available only for greenfield deployments.
    • Currently, single-click deployment is supported for recommendations to disable unused ports, line cards, and PFEs.
    • For unsupported recommendation types, apply the recommendation manually through Apstra Data Center Director. See Configlets.

  2. Review the following information:

    • Sites within the organization and associated devices on which the recommendation will be applied.

    • Components (ports, PFEs, and linecards) on the devices identified as unused and eligible to disable.

    • Estimated energy reduction that can be achieved by disabling the selected unused component. You can view the estimated savings at the organization, sites, device, and component levels.

    • Summary of the action that will be performed.

    • Cautionary information describing the implications of disabling the selected ports.

    • The hierarchical view shows how the estimated savings are distributed across the organization and helps you compare the potential savings at each level and prioritize the components with the highest potential impact and your sustainability goals.

    You can drill down and selectively apply the recommendation to specific sites, devices, or ports, or apply it organization-wide to all applicable components.

  3. Click Confirm & Apply to deploy the selected recommendation.

    Applying recommendations helps reduce energy consumption, emissions, and operational costs while contributing toward your quarterly sustainability goals.

    A job is initiated to deploy the preconfigured configlet on the device through Apstra Data Center Director.

  4. Click View to monitor deployment progress, verify successful execution, and review the history of previously applied recommendations.

    Note: The Recommendation Actions table tracks only system-initiated deployment jobs that result from applying recommendations from the Recommendation tab. Configlets deployed manually through Apstra Data Center Director are not tracked in the table.

Sample Scenario: Using Sustainability Planning to Achieve a Sustainability Intent

Suppose your organization's sustainability intent is to reduce energy consumption by 10% during Q4 2026.

  1. In the Create Sustainability Goal window, define the desired outcome for the quarter by setting an energy reduction target.
  2. The dashboard uses projected energy consumption and the identified energy optimization opportunities at the beginning of the quarter to recommend a target value and classify it as an Achievable Goal, Stretch Goal, or Buffer Added to Goal.
  3. Throughout the quarter, use the Quarterly Goals and Daily Consumption widgets to compare actual and forecasted energy consumption against the defined target.
  4. If the forecast indicates that the target may not be achieved, review the Quarterly Savings table to identify available energy optimization recommendations, such as disabling unused ports, PFEs, or line cards.
  5. Review the estimated energy, emissions, and cost savings for each recommendation and apply the recommendations that best support your sustainability intent.
  6. Continue monitoring actual and forecasted performance throughout the quarter to determine whether the organization is on track to achieve the defined sustainability outcome.

Manage Sustainability Planning Using Marvis AI Assistant

You can manage Sustainability Planning through the Marvis AI Assistant (Marvis) using natural-language.

Use Marvis to create, view, and delete sustainability goals, and track goal progress.

You can use the following sustainability planning prompts:

  • Create a goal with recommended values

  • Create a goal with a custom target

  • View projected consumption for a quarter

  • View potential savings from all recommendations

  • View potential savings from a specific recommendation