Cutting Film and TV Production Costs and Emissions through Energy Efficiency and Electrification

Netflix is implementing a three-step 'optimize, electrify and decarbonize' strategy to reduce the environmental impact of its productions, which account for over half of its Scope 1 and 2 emissions. The company is upgrading facilities like Longcross Studios in the U.K. with energy-efficient insulation, LED lighting, and renewable electricity, while replacing diesel generators on location with grid tie-ins, batteries, and hydrogen power units. These efforts, combined with the use of solar-powered trailers and electric vehicles, have led to significant fuel reductions in specific productions, such as The Witcher and The Boroughs, and serve as pilots for wider industry adoption of clean mobile power.

• Netflix has established a decarbonization target to reduce its emissions by approximately 50% by 2030, using a 2019 baseline, noting that its productions typically represent more than half of its Scope 1 and 2 emissions.
• The company utilizes an 'optimize, electrify and decarbonize' (OED) framework, exemplified at Longcross Studios in Surrey, U.K., where it implemented insulation, high-performance window glazing, LED lighting, and a multi-year agreement for 100% renewable electricity.
• To reduce reliance on diesel generators for location shoots, Netflix uses grid tie-ins, which were deployed in 80% of its own productions in 2025, and high-efficiency solar-powered trailers, which were used in over 45% of directly managed productions in 2025 and can reduce electricity demand by up to five times compared to legacy trailers.
• The adoption of batteries and hydrogen power units allowed nearly one-third of Netflix productions to cut more than half of their mobile generator fuel usage in 2025. Specific examples include the final season of The Witcher in the U.K., which reduced UK generator fuel usage by nearly 90% (saving over 130,000 gallons of diesel), and The Boroughs in Albuquerque, New Mexico, which reduced diesel generator fuel usage by over 75%.
• Netflix is transitioning production transport to low-carbon options; in 2025, 100% of its directly managed scripted productions used at least one low-carbon vehicle, and 85% used at least one all-electric vehicle.

APA

Atari, B. (2026). Cutting Film and TV Production Costs and Emissions through Energy Efficiency and Electrification. We Mean Business Coalition. https://www.wemeanbusinesscoalition.org/blog/netflix-cutting-film-and-tv-production-costs-and-emissions/

Chicago

Atari, Basil. Cutting Film and TV Production Costs and Emissions through Energy Efficiency and Electrification. We Mean Business Coalition, 2026. https://www.wemeanbusinesscoalition.org/blog/netflix-cutting-film-and-tv-production-costs-and-emissions/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Atari |first1=Basil |title=Cutting Film and TV Production Costs and Emissions through Energy Efficiency and Electrification |publisher=We Mean Business Coalition |date=26 June 2026 |url=https://www.wemeanbusinesscoalition.org/blog/netflix-cutting-film-and-tv-production-costs-and-emissions/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{atari2026cutting, author = {Atari, Basil}, title = {{Cutting Film and TV Production Costs and Emissions through Energy Efficiency and Electrification}}, institution = {We Mean Business Coalition}, year = {2026}, month = jun, url = {https://www.wemeanbusinesscoalition.org/blog/netflix-cutting-film-and-tv-production-costs-and-emissions/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }