Whether greening business practices, setting ambitious climate goals or shining the light on pressing environmental issues, the cable industry is driving progress on environmental sustainability.
In offices and facilities, companies are transitioning to renewable energy and expanding efforts to reduce waste and increase recycling. Creators are embedding environmental sustainability in front of and behind the camera — reducing carbon emissions and minimizing waste during production, while creating content that raises awareness and drives broader environmental action.
And throughout network infrastructure — from data centers to cables, home internet equipment to set-top boxes — providers are improving energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions while designing products and packaging to minimize waste and increase recyclability.
High-speed broadband makes remote work successful with fewer vehicles on the roads, leading to both tremendous savings in gasoline purchased and significant reduction in CO2 emissions.
For years, the cable industry has worked with device manufacturers and industry groups like the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)® and CableLabs® to voluntarily set high standards for the energy efficiency of video devices and small network equipment. The agreements have saved consumers billions on their energy bills and prevented millions of tons of CO2 from being released into Earth’s atmosphere.
Environmental sustainability is a core value that impacts design, development, and business execution.
Disney aims to achieve Net Zero by 2030, Cox is aiming for 2034 for their carbon neutrality goal, and Charter and Comcast have each set a target to achieve carbon neutrality by 2035. Paramount has committed to reduce emissions by 50% by 2030.
Industry-led voluntary energy efficiency agreements for set-top boxes have eliminated 78 M metric tons of CO2emissions, the equivalent of removing 17.5 million cars from the road for a year. In 2022 alone, this industry-wide effort has saved consumers $3 billion in annual energy costs.
More than 98% of new modems, routers and other internet equipment purchased and sold in 2021 met targeted energy efficiency levels, with energy usage held steady even as average broadband speeds increased by 27%.
The NBCUniversal Sustainable Production Program uses lower-emission fuels and electric vehicles, and reduces waste through reuse, recycling, and composting. Disney and Paramount productions reduce emissions by replacing the diesel generators and instead tying into the grid or using battery electric while on location.
Cable providers are improving their fleet efficiency through technology both in vehicles and in routing. Comcast reduced fleet emissions by nearly 9.5 million gallons of fuel since 2019, avoiding 81,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions. Charter’s 2022 fleet efficiency efforts equated to a reduction of approximately 6,000 metric tons of CO2. Cox is replacing conventional vehicles with electric vehicles in each of its divisions.
Cox Communications has achieved its zero-waste-to-landfill goal by 2024, two years ahead of schedule, with 580 million pounds of landfill waste avoided since 2013.
Environmental stewardship has been a priority for the cable industry for years, having voluntarily set energy-efficiency standards for equipment over a decade ago. Today, from industry-wide agreements to individual company initiatives, cable providers are… 
NCTA – The Internet & Television Association
25 Massachusetts Avenue, NW – Suite 100 | Washington, DC 20001
Phone: (202) 222-2300 | Email: [email protected]