ITV commits to 46% reduction in emissions through 1.5C science-based targets

ITV has committed to Albert certification for programmes across all of its channels

Reaching more than 40 million viewers in the UK every week and with a global footprint spanning 12 countries, ITV outlined its intentions to set science-based targets back in August 2019.

The company has now confirmed that it will aim to reduce scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions by 46.2% by 2030 and scope 3 emissions by 28% by 2030, both against a 2019 baseline. The targets will be approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).

ITV will also join the RE100 later this year, as part of a commitment to power the business with 100% renewable energy by 2025. ITV’s owned buildings in the UK are already powered completely by renewables, accounting for 55.4% of its global electricity consumption.

In 2018, the organisation became a carbon neutral business, having reduced emissions by more than 52% over a five-year period and offsetting all direct emissions from business operations, travel and energy use.

ITV’s director of social purpose Clare Phillips said: “The next 10 years are key in averting irreversible and catastrophic climate change. It’s why we have aligned ITV’s 2030 environmental targets to the reductions that science is telling us we need to do.

“I’m proud of the work we’ve done so far, and look forward to the solutions we’ll find to continue to create programmes that have the biggest impact on the audience and the smallest impact on the planet.”

As part of the Social Purpose Strategy, ITV will also aim to improve the sustainability of its supply chain. All of ITV’s suppliers with the highest environmental risk will meet the company’s best practice guidelines by 2025. By 2030, ITV will work with its other suppliers to help reduce their environmental impact.

ITV has also pledged to become a zero-waste business by 2030, with an interim target of 75% reused and recycled waste by 2025, and will eliminate single-use plastic items across its operations, productions and supply chain by 2025.

The company, which is also a signatory to the Taskforce on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD), is also taking steps to explore and embed climate-related risk and opportunity across its governance practices.

In related news, ITV also confirmed that its Regional News has become the first newsroom in the UK to achieve Albert certification.

BAFTA’s Albert initiative provides businesses and individuals across the broadcasting sector with resources to help them not only minimise the environmental impacts of their operations, but change the narrative around sustainability issues.

The organisation is striving to ensure that all programmes produced in its studios, including regional news and sports, are Albert certified for reducing environmental impacts. ITV has committed to Albert certification for programmes across all of its channels, and aims to achieve this by the end of 2021.

edie spoke to ITV’s senior manager of Social Purpose Julia Giannini last year to discuss how sustainability had been embedded at the organisation via a top down approach supported by chief executive Carolyn McCall, DBE. Read the interview here.

Matt Mace