Sky

With a desire to build its brand and reputation and use its media presence to campaign for the environment, Sky became CarbonNeutral® in 2006 which it has maintained ever since. It was the world’s first CarbonNeutral media company and built the world's first TV to be certified as a CarbonNeutral® product in 2021.

Since 2006 Sky has used its carbon neutral programme to engage internal teams and to align with external campaigns such as Rainforest Rescue and Ocean Rescue.

From 2019, Sky made all its original productions CarbonNeutral, including its hit show Chernobyl, using CarbonNeutral production certification and, in 2021, made its “Sky Glass” streaming TV a CarbonNeutral product.

Today Sky has 24 million subscribers and more than 30,000 employees and has committed to be net zero by 2030.

It’s important to show leadership around climate change issues, demonstrating our commitment to reducing our impact on the environment and being a responsible business. Our staff and customers continue to be proud that we are a CarbonNeutral® company and are proud of the work we do to support environmental and sustainable development around the world.
Fiona Ball, Group Director of Bigger Picture, Sky

Define

When it first became a CarbonNeutral® company Sky was mainly a UK-based operation. Since then, as the business has expanded, it has continued to make its operations CarbonNeutral, including European businesses such as Sky Deutschland and Sky Italia.

With its production and product certifications, Sky’s carbon neutrality was extended to cover the lifecycle emissions of its original productions from inception to broadcast, and the entire lifecycle emissions of the television (including extraction and processing of raw materials, manufacturing, packaging, distribution, use in customer homes for seven years, and end of life disposal).

Measure

An independent third-party conducts the greenhouse gas emissions assessment on behalf of Sky and the results are published in its ‘Bigger Picture’ Impact Report.

Most emissions from the company’s operations are from electricity and vehicle fuel.

Target

When Sky first became CarbonNeutral, in 2006, it was a unique, leading position to take on the environment.

It has maintained carbon neutrality ever since, while continually extending its Group targets to reduce its carbon footprint.

In 2020 Sky announced a new target to become net zero by 2030, and in 2021 set a Science Based Target to deliver absolute emission reductions across its value chain of 50% by 2030 from a 2018 base year.

Reduce

Sky is a CarbonNeutral company through a combination of efficiency measures, product innovation, renewable energy generation and procurement, and offsetting through external emission reduction projects.

Sky has delivered a 55% reduction in its carbon intensity (carbon emissions per unit of revenue) by reducing energy consumption, travel, waste and water use, improving fuel efficiency across its vehicle fleet, and infrastructure updates to improve energy efficiency. It has also cut business travel emissions by over 30% for the UK & Ireland over the past decade
It achieved 100% renewable electricity in 2016 as part of its commitment to RE100, through on-site wind, combined heat and power, multiple green tariffs, and working with Natural Capital Partners to procure renewable electricity through Energy Attribute Certificates.
Sky has also offset through more than 30 emissions reductions or removals projects that build low carbon sustainable development around the world. These include renewable energy projects in India and China, forest conservation projects in Brazil and Indonesia, reforestation in Mexico and a water infrastructure project in Kenya. In addition, Sky is supporting a reforestation project in Scotland that will plant around 200,000 native trees delivering biodiversity, landscape and community benefits.
Sky also works with its suppliers and customers to reduce their upstream and downstream emissions. Currently, 78% of its top 50 suppliers have integrated climate change initiatives into their strategies. To support the reduction of emissions by customers using Sky services, Sky produced the world’s first automatic standby mode for its set-top boxes.

Communicate

CarbonNeutral certification is an integrated part of Sky’s campaigns to build consumer awareness and action on climate change and the environment.

2006 – The Bigger Picture campaign which included a ‘Cool as a cat’ advert and communications on its van fleet about the company’s CarbonNeutral certification.

2009 – Sky Rainforest Rescue, a campaign which successfully saved one billion trees and brought deforestation to the attention of more than seven million viewers through programmes such as Battle for the Amazon. Sky worked with Natural Capital Partners to deliver emission reductions through forestry projects, including Acre in Brazil and Rimba Raya in Indonesia.

2017 – Sky Ocean Rescue and campaigns to eliminate plastic waste. Sky worked with Natural Capital Partners to set up a new project to prevent 8,000kg of plastic waste entering the Seruyan River in Indonesia on the site of Rimba Raya, one of the offsetting projects it supports. Five lead waste collectors in each of the 14 main villages along the river were supported through the project, while key transport links have been established to carry the plastic to recycling facilities.

2020 – Sky set a new target to reach net zero by 2030. On the path towards that, it continues to be a CarbonNeutral company and all productions in the UK are CarbonNeutral from 2019.

2021 – Sky Glass’s CarbonNeutral product certification was a central pillar of the communications around its launch in September. This came just ahead of when Sky’s climate action took to the global stage, as it was principal partner and media partner to the UNFCCC’s COP26 in Glasgow.

Sky communicates the Sky Glass's CarbonNeutral product certification to customers and the wider public.