In your favorite Netflix original show or movie, the protagonist likely spends most of their time on screen bathed in the perfect lighting.
That movie magic adds a lot of drama and, unfortunately, a hefty dose of greenhouse gas emissions — the entertainment industry produces ~700k tons of CO2 equivalent a year.
But Netflix is working on changing that by implementing new practices to curb emissions on its sets, per Bloomberg:
All those changes are part of Netflix’s goal to cut emissions in half by 2030.
But progress has been slow — the company’s 2021 and 2022 emissions increased compared to 2019, with the company growing faster than its carbon-cutting can keep up.
Netflix, Walt Disney Co. and nonprofit RMI formed the Clean Mobile Power Initiative — which launched with 10 startups — to supply clean energy businesses with $100k convertible notes, investor intros, and access to sets to test their tech.
Plus, most of Hollywood is jumping on board, per The Hollywood Reporter:
While change is happening, there are challenges.
Vancouver, BC, has as many as 50 productions filming at a given time, but only seven production-ready batteries, per Bloomberg. And building a solar-powered trailer costs 50%+ more than an equivalent diesel trailer.
Plus, actors need to fly and drive to get to filming locations, adding to emissions.
Unless, of course, the locations come to them, like with Amazon MGM Studios’ virtual Stage 15.