Snap Inc. claims to have achieved carbon neutrality
Snap Inc. on Monday announced a strategy to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. Addressing the environmental impact of its operations and steps it has taken to address them, the company declared that it has become carbon neutral. Its annual Citizen Snap report details its plans to minimize its gas emissions and how it intends to combat climate change by mitigating its carbon footprint.
Detailing the process of its climate strategy, Snap aims to mitigate its carbon footprint by purchasing renewable energy to power its data centers. Tech companies don't generate greenhouse gases through conventional means of manufacturing, but Snap's data centers use up significant amount of electricity for processing images and videos shared on the app. Using renewable energy for powering data centers makes a huge difference.
Snap claims that it is not just carbon neutral for its current scope of operations, but it is retroactively so. Meaning, it has calculated and offset its emissions dating back to its inception in 2011. It has achieved this feat by investing in forestry projects.
Forests are considered carbon sinks, meaning they absorb more carbon than they emit. Forests across the globe are estimated to absorb 2.6 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide annually. Forestry projects offset the destruction of green cover occurring at an increasingly rapid pace.
Like some of its Big Tech counterparts, Snap also manufactures its Spectacles brand of camera sunglasses. The company will rethink product design, material selection, components, and assembly to reduce environmental impact. As brands such as Apple and Nike come under fire for dealing with questionable suppliers, Snap has promised to ensure that its supply chain partners will also be in compliance with green policies.
Admitting compliance of third-party suppliers is notoriously hard to implement and monitor, Snap plans to counter that by getting its partners to agree with "stringent Supplier Code of Conduct," with the company promising third-party audits to enforce compliance. Taking a page from the recent controversy regarding Apple's use of Chinese slave labor, Snap emphasizes that it will take steps to ensure workers' well-being.
"We also feel a moral imperative because we know climate change disproportionately impacts people of color. We are proud to be making our first big climate commitments and share what we are doing in our operations and on our platform to take action," wrote Snap.
Snap also promises to overhaul its facilities to target a 25 percent reduction in emissions by 2025. Additional steps include reducing emissions from business travels, vendors, and purchased goods as well as services by embracing climate-friendly options. These green metrics have been arrived in conjunction with the Science Based Targets initiative - a group helping companies meet Paris Climate treaty goals.
