Reed MIDEM, a member of the SDG Global Media Compact, is giving the MIP SDG Award each year to a media company whose actions contribute to delivering the United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The first Award, dedicated to the Climate Action and Protection of the Oceans SDG, will be presented to Sky’s Jeremy Darroch by Melissa Fleming, United Nations under-secretary general for global communications.
“All 32,000 Sky employees across Europe have played their part in this Award and each of them should be proud of where we are on this journey and where we’re headed,” Darroch said. Sky became the first carbon-neutral media company some 13 years ago; in 2017 it launched Sky Ocean Rescue, and for the last three years has campaigned for ocean health, reaching more than 47 million people with its message to give up single-use plastics.
All businesses have the opportunity to accelerate progress and become part of the solution – Darroch
“That’s why we’ve recently launched our strategy to be net-zero-carbon by 2030. Over the next 10 years we will halve the emissions from our own business operations, our supply chain and the emissions from the use of our products in customer homes. ” Sky set its Fewer, Bigger, Better environmental goals in 2012, and Darroch said these have all been met.
The company also works with other broadcasters and production companies to measure and reduce the carbon footprint associated with production. “For example, Endemol Shine — who produced MasterChef in Germany — measured and reduced the carbon footprint of the programme and incorporated this work into their content,” Darroch said.
We all need to take action, because the world can’t wait – Garroch
And COVID-19 is an example of how the health of the planet and its people must be treated as global. “The battle for the environmental health of the planet is the thing that’s going to define our generation,” he said. “The environmental imperative is not going away. COVID-19 is a real reminder to us all of the outcome of what can happen when the infrastructure of the planet gets out of balance and things go wrong.”
Jeremy Darroch’s keynote presentation is available as part of MIPCOM Online+, until November 17.
This is an extract from the MIPCOM One Book; full version online here!
