Netflix outlines commitment to the environment with Net Zero + Nature plan

Emma Stewart, Ph. D, and Netflix sustainability officer, has announced a plan for the streaming giants to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by the end of 2022, and every year thereafter with Net Zero + Nature.

The plan is triple-pronged and first involves reducing emissions, before retaining their existing carbon storage, in order to eventually remove carbon from the atmosphere.

Netflix’s strategy is in accordance with the latest guidance from Oxford University and the Science-Based Targets Initiative’s (SBTi) criteria, where their program will achieve 10 out of 10 of SBTi’s recommended guidelines. Netlfix joined the UN’s Business Ambition for 1.5°C group of companies, as well as America is All In, a consortium committed to execute against the Paris Agreement’s goal to limit global warming to 1.5ºC.

When it comes to the content on the streaming platform, sustainability is an alarming, vital story creators are already telling. In 2020, 160 million households around the world chose to watch at least one film or show on Netflix that helped viewers better understand these issues. A staggering example being the 100 million households who tuned in to Our Planet since its release in April 2019. 

Christiana Figueres, co-architect of the UN Paris Agreement and co-founder of Global Optimism said: “Netflix’s sustainability strategy is music to our ears. We are delighted to see Netflix apply the same positive disruption to sustainability that they’ve applied in their business, upping the ambition for achieving near-term net zero targets and harnessing its superpower of storytelling to educate and entertain citizens.”

Dr. Katharine Hayhoe, chief scientist, The Nature Conservancy commented: “The film industry needs a leader when it comes to climate action. Changing the world begins with one company stepping up and inspiring others to join them. I’m thrilled at how Netflix is taking on this leadership role, informed by both the physical science that explains how our choices affect our world and the social science that explains how we can make change happen.”