Microsoft has announced it’s joining the “Playing for the Planet Alliance” and plans to make 825,000 new Xbox consoles carbon neutral. Other partners in the initiative include 13 other companies, including Sony Interactive Entertainment.
“Some of the biggest names in the video games industry, with a combined audience of 970 million players, have today formally committed to harness the power of their platforms to take action in response to the climate crisis,” the UN stated. “Combined, these commitments from 21 companies will result in a 30 million tonne reduction of CO2 emissions by 2030, will see millions of trees planted, new “green nudges” in game design and improvements to energy management, packaging, and device recycling.”
Microsoft’s new Xbox units will be the first carbon neutral consoles ever, according to a statement from the company. Microsoft did not state if these carbon neutral consoles would specifically be Xbox One, Xbox One X, or Xbox Scarlett.
“Climate change is impacting each industry and every sector, and we believe technology can play a critical role in enabling and empowering the response to this challenge,” said Phil Spencer, executive vice president of gaming at Microsoft. “Initiatives like our Minecraft Build a Better World Campaign and CarbonNeutral Xbox pilot provide a great opportunity to tap into Microsoft’s technology sustainability and gaming community to make a difference in this key area of our business.” Microsoft’s other commitments to carbon emission reduction includes a plan to reduce its supply chain emission by 30% by 2030.
