Disney’s move toward cleaner energy comes when brand image for global giants

goes far beyond, say, merely a ride on Space Mountain — particularly among free-
spending but environmentally sensitive millennials. Indeed, some 79 percent of
consumers say they seek out products that are socially or environmentally
responsible, according to a 2017 study by Cone communications.
“Our guests tell us the environment is important, so it’s a big deal for us,” said Mark
Penning, vice president of Disney’s Animals, Science and Environment. Since it’s a
big deal to guests, it is also a huge deal to Bob Iger, chief executive of Disney, who
has repeatedly said that he wants Disney to be the most admired company in the
world, “Not just for creating incredible content, but for being a responsible citizen of
the world,” says Dr. Penning, who is a veterinarian.

1. In 2009, Disney created a separate long-term goals for “direct” greenhouse gas emissions and
“indirect” greenhouse gas emissions. As Disney discussed the new targets, they came to the
conclusion that it is better to have a common goal and associated targets for the two types of
emissions. Disney believe this treats both types of emissions equally while simplifying the structure of
their goals. Thus, they arrived at a common long-term goal for greenhouse gas emissions.

2. In 2009, Disney announced an explicit goal related to ecosystem impacts. This work focused on two
key areas: research on measuring and valuing ecosystem functions, and philanthropy. During their
review in 2013, they felt that having a separate ecosystem goal created internal confusion, because
everything they were doing with emissions, waste and water was meant to have a positive ecosystem
impact. Therefore, while they will continue to conduct research on ecosystem impacts and support
ecosystem conservation worldwide, they will no longer have an explicit goal related to these types of
impacts.

3. In 2009, we announced a goal related to minimizing the environmental footprint of their products.
Disney began by developing a paper sourcing policy, and an Environmental Responsibility Index that
requests information on key environmental impacts from strategic suppliers to open up a dialogue on
environmental performance. The target setting exercise addressed here is designed around assets that
we directly own or operate, and therefore, does not address consumer products directly. Goals and
targets for environmental impacts in the supply chain are being handled separately in a holistic view of
impacts including social issues, such as labor standards and upstream sourcing.