A climate promise that Netflix made in 2021 will become reality this year on the set of ‘Stranger Things’ in Georgia.
The fifth and final season of one of Netflix’s most-watched original series uses solar batteries, solar trailers, non-diesel generators and electric vehicles to reduce the company’s emissions without sacrificing the film or production quality.
“Netflix has committed to cutting emissions in half between 2030 and 2019,” said Shannon Bart, senior manager of sustainability and productions at Netflix, during a panel discussion at the Climate Film Fest in New York in September. Bart said more than half of the company’s emissions come from TV and film production.
Of production emissions, 70% come from vehicles and 30% from diesel generators.
Since season five began filming in and around Atlanta in January, the film set has reduced generator fuel consumption by 40%, Netflix Communications Lead Adrian Zamora said in an email.
In 2019, Netflix emitted 77,803 tons of carbon dioxide emissions, according to the company’s latest environmental, social and governance report. That’s roughly the equivalent of the electricity used by 13,000 homes in the US. The streaming company has a target of 42,000 mtCO2 emissions by 2030. The company plans to continue increasing renewables, electric and clean mobile energy to achieve that goal.
While manufacturing produces the most emissions, the second largest driver of emissions is something the company calls “corporate.” Streaming produces a single-digit percentage of the company’s emissions. In 2023, emissions were lower due to production strikes. Numbers were expected to rise again this year.
“’Stranger Things’ is an exciting use case for us because it is the first production to use solar trailers and solar batteries on set,” said Zamora.
‘Stranger Things’ isn’t the first and won’t be the last
Zamora told the Ledger-Enquirer that all productions managed directly by Netflix include some form of clean mobile power solutions or electric, plug-in hybrid vehicles.
“Over the past two years (2022-2023), 60% of our self-managed productions used clean mobile energy, while 50% used some form of electric or hybrid vehicle,” Zamora said in an email.
The Netflix original series “Virgin River” and “Bridgerton” have both embraced and experimented with electric generators.
“During Bridgerton Season 3, production embraced a series of clean technical solutions, including using a hydrogen power source to power the base camp and trucks during filming,” Zamora said in an email.
‘Virgin River’, filmed in Vancouver, did not opt for solar power in an area with less sunlight, but instead used batteries. During the series’ third season, the batteries were tested, and by the current sixth season, they have completely replaced two diesel generators.
“It’s a technology that’s used season after season,” Zamora said.
The battery-operated electric generators are quieter, which is a welcome change/factor for people in and around manufacturing.
Reduced air and noise pollution is a regular feedback companies receive when diesel generators are replaced with electric ones, according to Netflix communications.
Barriers for 100%: education, equipment
Integrating new technologies into a 130-year-old film industry comes with challenges, from equipment availability to training production staff.
The technology is not yet widely available. And much of the production equipment is shared among the film industry, leased and not owned, Netflix officials said.
“The entertainment industry is in a unique position because we don’t own any equipment that we use for production,” Zamora said. “All electric vehicles and clean mobile energy are all leased, we share equipment with others in Hollywood. So there is a supply problem,” said Zamora.
Netflix is launching an accelerator with Disney+, the Clean Mobile Power Initiative, to find startups that can help find solutions to the problem. According to Zamora, the cohort has seven mobile batteries, two mobile hydrogen units and one nanogrid from the disaster response sector.
Recognizing the need for set and production staff to learn how to use these technologies, Netflix added a regional sustainability advisor to each production.
“They have a strong manufacturing background and know the nuance of it,” says Zamora. “It’s about building trust and education.”
