Sony Pictures Entertainment To Eliminate Single-Use Plastic

As part of the Sony Road to Zero initiative, Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) announced new aggressive targets to net zero carbon emissions by 2050. The new targets include:

1. Eliminating single-use plastic across business functions by 2025
2. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions by an additional 25% by 2025
3. An international expansion of the Sustainable Production program

Launched in 2010, Road to Zero is the Sony Group’s plan to reach a zero environmental footprint by 2050 across the life cycle of Sony’s operations and products.

“A decade ago, Sony Pictures Entertainment set ambitious climate targets to mark its commitment to Sony’s Road to Zero, in which we have made progress through a series of company-wide sustainability initiatives and enthusiastic employee engagement,” said John Rego, Vice President of Sustainability for Sony Pictures Entertainment. “Now we’re setting an even higher bar for the next five years, building on our progress and expanding our efforts to reduce the impact of content creation internationally while eliminating single use plastics.”

ELIMINATING SINGLE-USE PLASTIC
A cornerstone of the new effort will be the elimination of single-use plastic across business functions.  The initiative will begin with the elimination of single-use plastic water bottles across global facilities starting in Fall 2020. Alternatives to plastic water bottles, such as recyclable aluminum cans, will be used as a safe and hygienic replacement when reusable options are infeasible. 

REDUCING GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS
Over the next 5 years, SPE commits to reducing emissions by 25% by doubling down on the use of renewable energy. In its two previous periods, SPE reduced emissions by 22% from 2012-2018, and by 25% from 2006-2012. The studio is accelerating the speed of reduction by investing in solar energy and efficient battery storage systems (details below). In addition, future emission reduction in areas such as content creation is expected to be driven by the use of renewable fuels, batteries, procuring less carbon-intensive products and equipment, and continuing to increase digital delivery of content. 

“We recognize the footprint created by our global facilities plays a role,” says Craig Schwartz, Executive Vice President, Global Real Estate, Facilities, & SEHS at Sony Pictures Entertainment.  “At Sony Pictures we are proud to now power our stages with onsite solar electricity. Over the next 5 years, we will continue to invest in renewable energy, provide sustainable workspaces to attract and retain talent, and further reduce our environmental impact.”

Solar Energy
Sony Pictures recently activated its latest array of solar panels on stage roofs 15, 23-26 and 28-30. By implementing SunPower’s 1.6 megawatts array, the studio generates more electricity than consumed by all the movie, TV, and advertisement production activity in the sound stages each year.  Added to its previous solar capacity, the Studio Lot has 1.8 megawatts equaling approximately 10% of its electrical usage.   

Battery Storage
Over the past 5 years SPE has reduced energy consumption on the Studio Lot by 35%. SPE continues to innovate in energy management. The lot activated a new 2.5 megawatt battery storage system in early 2020.  This system helps clean up the grid by reducing reliance on fossil fuel plants to meet demand spikes.

Brunel Building  - London (BREEAM)  
The commitment to creating efficient green workspaces continues with the opening of the latest environmentally certified (BREEAM) building, the Brunel Building in London.   SPE’s EMEA Headquarters has relocated to the Brunel Building in Paddington. Both the building and the SPE fit-out are targeting a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ for the design and construction of the new space. BREEAM is an independent third-party certification of the sustainability performance of construction projects.  

SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION PROGRAM EXPANSION
Content creation accounts for approximately 25% of Sony Pictures’ carbon footprint. Although every production varies, our footprint for TV production is approximately 600 tons of CO2-e and feature film production averages approximately 1,000 tons of CO2-e.  Specific emissions amounts vary greatly from production to production, but fuel use remains the largest direct source of emissions for both TV and Feature Films. 

SPE will expand its Sustainable Production program internationally to include productions originating in North America, South America, and Europe. SPE’s Motion Picture and TV productions originating in the US achieved 100% Sustainable Production status in the fiscal year 2019, and averaged 80% since 2015. Sustainable Production status is granted by third party organizations, such as the Environmental Media Association (EMA) in the US. As part of this expansion, SPE productions will partner with similar regional initiatives globally.

“Since the EMA Green Seal for Production was created in 2003, Sony Pictures has been an extraordinary partner in leading the global industry towards sustainable production practices,” said Debbie Levin, CEO of the Environmental Media Association, a nonprofit that works with the entertainment industry to encourage green production. “As we experience an unprecedented global health crisis, understanding the relationship with our natural resources and honoring preservation through our conscious practices is now more essential than ever. We support Sony Pictures’ 5-year goals and are honored to be side by side as they are achieved.”  

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ABOUT ROAD TO ZERO 
 Road to Zero is the Sony Group’s plan to reach a zero environmental footprint by 2050 across the life cycle of Sony’s operations and products.  Sony Pictures environmental activities began in the 1990’s and the Sony Picture Studio and Animation campus in Culver City remains the only major studio certified under the ISO 14001 environmental management system.    

ABOUT SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT 
Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE’s global operations encompass motion picture production, acquisition, and distribution; television production, acquisition, and distribution; television networks; digital content creation and distribution; operation of studio facilities; and development of new entertainment products, services and technologies. Sony Pictures Television operates dozens of wholly-owned or joint-venture production companies around the world. SPE’s Motion Picture Group production organizations include Columbia Pictures, Screen Gems, TriStar Pictures, 3000 Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation, Stage 6 Films, AFFIRM Films, and Sony Pictures Classics. For additional information, visit http://www.sonypictures.com/corp/divisions.html