Greenpeace recently released a report  on how well tech companies are acting as global citizens by reviewing their current carbon footprint. It’s report states that companies such as Google, Facebook and Apple are taking the greatest initiative to move towards renewable energy. It has also stated that large tech companies such as Netflix, Amazon and Samsung continue to languish behind when it comes to adopting an attitude of carbon footprint reduction.

Greenpeace Senior IT Analyst Gary Cook states “Like Apple, Facebook, and Google, Netflix is one of the biggest drivers of the online world and has a critical say in how it is powered. Netflix must embrace the responsibility to make sure its growth is powered by renewables, not fossil fuels and it must show its leadership here”. Out of the 70 companies profiled, Netflix has one of the largest data footprints and accounts for a third of internet traffic just in North America. As it continues to grow within other markets, it’s data needs will continue to grow and how it powers these data centres is critical to its carbon footprint. Netflix has yet to commit to renewable energy.

The energy performance of the tech sector has been monitored by Greenpeace since 2009 and is making a call to all the leaders in the industry to make a commitment to renewable energy. The industry itself accounts for 7% of electricity use and as the continued use of online services such as streaming grow, so will its carbon footprint. Greenpeace has urged the likes of Netflix to become transparent on their energy consumption and to put forward their strategies for transitioning their electricity needs to renewable energy.

This news does leave the many environmentally conscious binge watching people out there with quite the predicament. It also demonstrates that when looking at our own carbon footprint that we need to account for the services that we use. What does such information serve for the everyday person, though? Well hopefully the next time you are lazing about and binge watching the next season of House of Cards or Stranger Things, you consider its impact on the environment. We all might just go and plant a tree for every season we watch.

Source: Greenpeace