The United Nations has a new initiative called “Playing for The Planet.” The goal of this project is to transform the gaming industry into one that is more sustainable. Amongst the companies that have pledged to give their cooperation for that project, Microsoft has taken the role of becoming the first manufacturer that produces carbon-neutral gaming consoles.
Aside from Microsoft, other famous companies in the industry, including Google Stadia and Sony, have joined hands under the program called “Playing for the Planet Alliance.” The alliance represents a group of major players in the game industry such as game developers, manufacturers, and publishers, all of which aim to take positive actions for a greener and better planet.
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It is anticipated that the combined substantial actions of this group will reduce the CO2 generation by an estimated amount of up to 30 million tonnes by the year 2030. Additionally, this group will bring other positive environmental effects, including the planting of new trees, more sustainable packaging, and better operation for device recycling.
The UN Environment Programme’s Executive Director, Inger Andersen, stated that the industry of video games have a powerful impact on billions of people globally; it is capable of inspiring, engaging, and enchanting people’s imaginations. Hence, this industry is an excellent partner to deal with the increasing climate crisis.
Anderson further added that they are motivated by these gaming companies’ dedication, which indicates that everyone must play their role in the effort to create a greener world with reduced carbon emissions and increased sustainability.
Microsoft’s Executive VP of the gaming department, Phil Spencer, stated that technology plays a crucial role in empowering the response to climate change which has affected every industry and sector. He further added that the company’s initiatives, such as Minecraft’s campaign “Build a Better World,” and the current carbon-reducing consoles offer a vast opportunity to get into and make a difference to the company’s sustainable technology and the gaming community.
Microsoft will be producing around 825,000 carbon-neutral Xbox consoles to help tackle the global impact that its console empire has made. These figures are comparable to almost two months worth of shipments for the Xbox One. However, no details have been revealed with regard to the specific Xbox model that will be used in this test program.
The company is gearing up for the launch of its upcoming Xbox Project Scarlett, which is announced to be released next year. Users are hopeful that the company’s effort on lowering carbon generation would be carried over to its latest device. Perhaps, the upcoming Xbox will be the test device for this pilot program.
