Taking climate & environmental action
Viaplay Group wants to promote sustainability on screen and off screen; we want to highlight environmental issues, reflect societal changes, and inspire our audiences to makes changes to reduce their impact on the environment.
Climate and environmental action are an important focus area of our work and sustainability strategy. Viaplay Group also works with industry collations to develop standardised methods for measuring the climate impact of streaming and makes disclosures following TCFD recommendations on climate-related financial risks.
Sustainable & green productions
The Group has a responsibility to minimise its impact on the environment, which is why we continuously work on improving the way we produce content. We are working to embed environmental sustainability into production processes to support our Net-Zero ambition.
The Group has developed a Sustainable Production Guide, which outlines best practices for responsible production and minimising environmental impact, such as maximising recycling and the effective use of resources, and minimising travel and energy consumption. The Group aims to fully implement the guide in all Viaplay Group's produced content, including live sports broadcasts, by end of 2026.
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Climate awareness in storytelling
Beyond taking action to ensure that our productions have a small footprint, Viaplay Group wants to go further, and use our productions as a platform through which we can communicate and normalise more sustainable ways of living.
To do this we have set out to develop the Viaplay Group people + planet storytelling test in 2022 and aim to implement it in all Viaplay Group’s scripted productions by 2026. This test will ensure that all our productions frame questions of climate and environment and diversity and inclusion in the appropriate manner, communicate the implications of these complex issues responsibly, advance the discussion surrounding them, as well as inspire constructive dialogue and positive change.
Reducing emissions in organisation & value chain
We monitor, measure, work to reduce, and regularly report on our carbon footprint by applying the industry-standard Greenhouse Gas Protocol, and have been committed to the Science Based Targets Initiative, the Business Ambition for 1,5 °C Campaign, and UN’s Race to Zero initiative since 2020.
This means that we have committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions across our business and supply chain over the coming years at levels in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement.
Our 2030 climate action goals:
• We have committed to reduce our absolute scope 1 and scope 2 GHG emissions 46,2% by 2030 from 2019 levels.
• We have committed to reduce our absolute scope 3 GHG emissions from business travel 46,2% by 2030 from 2019 levels.
Supply chain engagement for minimised environmental footprint
Viaplay Group’s Supplier Code of Conduct stipulates requirements on human rights, labour rights, the environment, anti-corruption, and data protection and is incorporated into supplier contracts. To ensure the responsible environmental management of existing and new suppliers, the Group engages with suppliers through several processes.
As part of our work to achieve our climate targets and tackle both direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions across our value chain, Viaplay Group is establishing a supplier engagement framework to support suppliers in setting climate commitments in line with the Paris agreement. We will initially focus on the suppliers with the highest emissions and offer a programme including tools and training to measure their emissions and setting emission reduction targets.
Additionally, we will continue industry-wide collaboration to engage with partners and suppliers for more energy efficient products/solutions in our streaming value chain.
- Science Based Target: Engage with 71% of our suppliers by emissions covering purchased goods and service (content production suppliers) to have science-based targets by end of 2026.
Climate impact of streaming
In 2021, Viaplay Group’s sustainability and PD&T teams took part in a pioneering research project and study together with Netflix, the BBC and the University of Bristol. The new study, commissioned by the Carbon Trust and DIMPACT, shows that in Europe, streaming one hour of video produces the same amount of average emissions as popping four bags of popcorn in the microwave – indicating that streaming has a low carbon footprint.
It also revealed that most streaming emissions come from the viewing devices, rather than distribution of content. In fact, devices such as TVs, laptops/PCs, smartphones and tablets, account for more than half of streaming’s carbon emissions, compared with other components such as data centres or internet infrastructure.
Viaplay Group has also published our second “Viaplay Group, streaming and the climate: 2021” which highlights our climate impact and work to reduce emissions in our entire streaming value chain. The two studies paint a consistent picture and reinforce our ambition to do even more in this area, in our business including content productions, as part of our new sustainability strategy. For more information how we work with the climate impact of streaming see our Annual & Sustainability report 2021.
Implementing the TCFD framework
The Financial Stability Board (FSB) created the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) to improve and increase the reporting of information on climate-related financial risks. TCFD recommendations focus on what impact climate change may have on companies’ finances. The recommendations on disclosures are structured around four topic areas: Governance, Strategy, Risk management, and Metrics and targets.
In 2021 Viaplay Group initiated the process to develop and implement the recommendations from TCFD, and provide a supplementary disclosure on climate-related financial risks during its annual reporting cycle. We used qualitative climate-related scenario analysis to assess financial risks to our own operations as well as physical risks to upstream and downstream activities. We also assessed the transition risks based on potential scenarios for legislation, technological development and market conditions.
Overall, our climate-related risks are considered low and we have an overall plan to adapt to potential physical climate risks and implement relevant adaptation measures within 5-10 years.