An update on Xbox sustainability efforts

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Carbon negative, water positive and zero waste by 2030, sustainability updates for our Xbox Series X|S consoles, gamers with low power modes and more

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At Microsoft – and by extension Xbox – we have made ambitious commitments to significantly reduce the company’s environmental impact and to operate as a carbon negative, water friendly and zero waste company by 2030.

Our mission as Team Xbox is to bring the joy and community of gaming to everyone in the world. While gaming brings joy to gamers, we also recognize that gaming impacts our environment. Our commitment to our players and the industry is to work tirelessly to reduce that impact in a responsible manner and in line with Microsoft’s corporate commitments.

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Microsoft’s 2021 Environmental Sustainability Report

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Microsoft today brought out its Environmental Sustainability Report 2021, which provides an update on our sustainability journey – from promise to progress – for the entire company.

Our products and services have an impact on the environment because of the choices we make about recycling and reuse options when designing, manufacturing and delivering hardware, during its use and at end-of-life. As Microsoft President Brad Smith announced todaythe impact of Xbox sales and usage on ours Scope 3 emissions increased year after year because of the pandemic.

Progress is not always linear; it fluctuates based on a variety of factors. It won’t be a straight line to 2030, but we’re committed to reducing our environmental impact across all of our businesses to meet our ambitious commitments.

Today I want to give an update on what we are doing.

On the way to more sustainability

To reduce Xbox’s carbon footprint and help Microsoft meet its commitment to be carbon negative by 2030, we’re working on improvements to our console hardware, introducing more ways to improve energy efficiency through software updates, and reducing energy consumption Environmental impact of cloud gaming due to hardware and software updates.

hardware updates

We’ve made updates to both Xbox Series X and Series S with sustainability in mind, without sacrificing performance or experience.

• We’ve embedded an improved energy monitoring system into a small subset of consoles for advanced, anonymous on-site telemetry collection. This is critical as accurate per-unit telemetry will help us identify the best opportunities to introduce future improvements that will help us save energy.
• As of late 2021, the Xbox Series S was our first console to incorporate recycled plastics (PCR) into the manufacture of the chassis and various internal components. At least 28% of the weight of the plastic mechanical components in the updated Series S console are post-consumer recycled (PCR) resins.

In addition to these changes, the Xbox team will continue to drive energy efficiency and innovation.

software improvements

Software updates provide an important opportunity to improve the power efficiency of consoles already in the hands of our players.

• Last year we improved the console’s power saving mode. Sleep mode uses approximately 20 times less power than standby mode when the console is not in use or receiving updates. Now system and game updates can be downloaded in sleep mode, saving even more energy.
• We’ve also made Low Power Mode the default option when gamers first set up their consoles, providing a significant opportunity to enable power savings across the Xbox ecosystem

cloud gaming

We’re investigating how to reduce the environmental impact of our Xbox cloud gaming offering.

• Because most power consumption occurs during gaming, cloud gaming can take advantage of Azure’s significant investment in renewable energy. By 2025, Azure data centers shift 100% renewable energy supply so cloud gaming can take advantage of this clean energy transition.
• Our custom Xbox server hardware is built on the same energy-efficient architecture as our consoles. Also, by using this hardware in the cloud environment, we can reach hundreds of players per server over its lifetime.

reducing our waste

To help us meet Microsoft’s commitment to be zero waste by 2030, we’re rethinking the materials we use to design, build, and package our products.

Zero waste by 2030

In 2020 Microsoft be committed Be zero waste across our direct business by 2030. Here’s what we do:

• By 2030, we will design Xbox products and accessories, and all Microsoft product packaging, to be 100% recyclable in OECD countries by 2030.
• The Xbox Series X|S consoles were recently rated 97% recyclable in OECD countries based on the UL 2789 Environmental Claim Validation (ECV) method, a standardized metric used to measure the recyclability of electronic products by material type.
• We will continue to innovate and benchmark our consoles against new industry standards and benchmarks to continually improve our efforts to reduce waste.

Use less plastic with our Xbox gift cards

• We’ve switched our Xbox gift cards from plastic to cardboard, saving over 500,000kg of plastic annually.

Integrate PCR into more of our products

We have also revised the materials we use in our products.

• Last year we started incorporating PCR resins into our controllers while maintaining durability and performance quality.
• This started with Daystrike Camo and Electric Volt, followed by many more controllers including color and special edition series.
• The relaunch of our Xbox Design Labs has pushed the boundaries even further by adding 15 new colors that use PCR resins, with more to come. Our total PCR content in these 15 Xbox Design Lab colors is at least 25% and we plan to increase the PCR content to 28% by May 2022.

Act together

We can’t do this alone. We must work with our fans, developers, studios and the industry if we are to help reduce the impact of games on the environment. We’re committed to working with our developers, collaborating with organizations, and empowering players to make more informed decisions.

Empowering our developers

As a major publisher and developer, we want to empower the game designers of the future to create in-game content and narratives around these topics to help raise awareness and enlighten.

• Minecraft has released a free series of lessons on sustainability and climate, Climate futuresin 2021, available for Minecraft: Education Edition players and via the Minecraft Marketplace on the Bedrock Edition.
• ForzaHorizon 5 launched with a handful of EVs representing some of the most exciting and sustainable automobiles in the world, and the team will be increasing the number of EVs in the game over the coming year.

We can do this in partnership with industry

Microsoft also works closely with organizations like the United Nations to address the world’s climate challenges more broadly.

• Microsoft is a Lead Partner of the UN’s Playing for the Planet Alliance, representing 34 gaming company members and 7 associate members who have made voluntary, ambitious, specific and time-based commitments to serving people and the planet.
• Microsoft also supports and works with environmental organizations such as The conservationand World Wildlife Fund, and encourages the Xbox community to get involved and support this effort through incentives like earning Microsoft Rewards on Xbox and more.

What you can do

We also want to give players the ability to make more informed decisions that will help reduce your impact. Here are some tips that will help you reduce your impact:

• Power Saving Mode – To enable Power Saving Mode, please go to Settings->Sleep & Startup->Sleep Mode->Power Saving Mode. Watch this video to learn more.
• Microsoft Store Online trade-in program – Check if your used device – laptop, tablet, phone or gaming console – is eligible for a trade-in and refund.
• Mailback program for consumers – If your used device is not eligible for trade-in, Microsoft offers a free returns program for consumers in many regions of the world to promote responsible ending of consumer electronics products, related accessories and packaging.
• Sustainability in Minecraft – Learn about the impacts of climate change, explore sustainable infrastructure, and build solutions across a range of Minecraft worlds.
• Xbox Wireless Controller and Xbox Series S Console – If you’re aware of the materials used to make your favorite products, our Electric Volt and Daystrike Camo controllers, and most of our Xbox Design Lab controllers, are PCR resins included, just right for you. As does the Xbox Series S, our first console to feature PCR resins.
• Ground shipping with Microsoft Store – When ordering eligible products from the US Microsoft Store, select the free ground shipping option at checkout. This is our shipping method that usually results in the lowest carbon emissions.

There’s more to come

This is just part of a larger story, and we will do more to address this important issue over the next year and beyond.

Our ambitions are high and we know we still have a long way to go, but we’re committed because it’s vital that we do this right for the planet. But the work is never finished. We are committed to continue learning, improving and growing. You are an important part of this journey. We will continue to provide updates on our progress.

For more information on what we do, visit our new Xbox Sustainability Hub: xbox.com/sustainability.