Company Profile: Walt Disney
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It is hard to think of a more ‘feel good’ company than Disney. Everyone can look back fondly on their cartoon movies from when they were growing up, but how does this good feeling translate to Disney as a global citizen concerned about climate change and their carbon footprint?
Walt Disney, the namesake of the entertainment giant said long ago:
“Conservation … is a science whose principles are written in the oldest code in the world, the laws of nature. The natural resources of our vast continent are not inexhaustible. But if we will use our riches wisely, if we will protect our wildlife and preserve our lakes and streams, these things will last us for generations to come."
Clearly a man before his own time, this bit of wisdom is equally applicable today as when it was first said.
As you can guess from the above quote, a concern for the environment has long been a staple for Disney. In 1990, they formed their Environmental Policy Division, with a mandate to focus on six key areas:
Climate protection
Energy conservation
Green purchasing
Waste minimisation
Water conservation
Wildlife conservation
At the same time, they introduced ‘Environmentality’, the Disney way of adding an environmental aspect to their everyday operations and company mindset.
In 1996, Disney became a partner of the EPA’s Energy Star Buildings program to help reduce the energy they use. Over the past decade, they have made some excellent progress in this area. They have improved energy efficiency in their building, implemented thorough recycling programs, introduced clean fuel vehicles at their parks, and promoted ridesharing for their employees. Recently, they have developed their own web-based tool that allows them to carefully monitor their energy use. The program regularly provides the information to key stakeholders within the company so they can track their improvement.
In their operations, they place a lot of emphasis on recycling and reusing waste. In 2005, the EPA estimated that they reduced their carbon emissions by over 71,000 tons through recycling alone. Disney actively recycles everything from paper and cardboard, to animal waste (almost 3000 tons of it!).
In 2006, Disney adopted a program called ‘Strive for Five’ with the goal or reducing overall energy use by 5%. To do this, they have implemented such measures as better management of thermostats in their hotel rooms, and more energy efficient lighting. This goal was achieved in the first year by some areas of the business, but not all of them.
There remains one glaring drawback to Disney’s efforts to reduce their carbon footprint. While they have a lot of good initiatives, they are not usually implemented across all their operations, making it often seem more driven by PR or profit than a genuine desire to fight climate change. Perhaps the current executives should revisit the timeless quote from their founder.
How do they stack up?
Business Strategy: 4/5 – wanting to help the environment is well ingrained into the company culture from ‘Environmentality’ to regular tracking of energy use
Products & Services: 2/5 - Disney has improved the energy efficiency in many of their parks and resorts, but have shown a reluctance to work with suppliers to improve their carbon footprint
Leading by Example: 3.5/5 – again, it is a big part of their culture, but they could probably show more of their renowned creativity
Overall: 3.2/5
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