The plan is called Net Zero + Nature.
It is Netflix’s pledge to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by the end of 2022, and every year thereafter.
Netflix’s first-ever Chief Sustainability Officer Emma Stewart said the company would begin by reducing their internal emissions, aligning with the Paris Agreement’s goal to limit global warming to 1.5°C. They will also reduce Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 45% by 2030, based on the Science-Based Targets Initiative Guidance.
Humanity is at a Crossroads
As English broadcaster, writer, and naturalist Sir David Frederick Attenborough has said, “We need to learn how to work with nature, rather than against it. If we act now, we can yet put it right.”
English broadcaster, writer, and naturalist Sir David Frederick Attenborough
Netlflix will first start by fully neutralizing emissions by investing in projects that prevent carbon from entering the atmosphere. They will start by conserving at-risk natural areas like tropical forests that are critical to meeting global climate goals.
By year-end 2022, Netflix will incorporate investment in the regeneration of critical natural ecosystems to achieve net zero. These projects, such as restoring grasslands, mangroves, and healthy soils, capture and store carbon, in addition to other benefits.
Understanding Netflix’s footprint
- Their 2020 carbon footprint was 1,100,000 metric tons.
- Roughly half (50%) of that footprint was generated by the physical production of Netflix-branded films and series.
- The remainder (45%) comes from their corporate operations (like the offices they lease) and purchased goods (like their marketing spend).
- 5% of their footprint include service from cloud providers like Amazon Web Services and the Open Connect content delivery network to stream our service.
- Netflix has joined a research effort called DIMPACT that is establishing consensus on how to measure the footprint of streaming and other internet uses.
- It’s led by the University of Bristol, where researchers have built a calculator tool Netflix used to validate their own estimates, concluding that one hour of streaming on Netflix in 2020 to be well under 100gCO2e, equivalent to driving a gas-powered passenger vehicle a quarter mile (or 400 meters).
