Mickey Mouse Aims For Zero Emissions

The Walt Disney Company revealed its short and long-term targets for environmental issues in a first wide-ranging corporate accountability report.

It is aiming to reduce CO2 emissions by fifty percent by 2012, and to eventually have zero emissions at its retail and office centres, cruise ships and theme parks.

It will also cut solid waste for landfill by half by 2013, compared with 2006.

Disney’s parks and resorts sector produced 298,000 tons of solid waste during 2006, and delivered 170,000 tons for landfill.

It plans to cut energy use by ten percent by 2013, compared with 2006 at 2,006 million kilowatt hours, the report says.

Also, it will reduce emissions from fuels by fifty percent by 2012, through efficiencies, cuts and offsets.

Carbon emissions from fuel and leaks in refrigerants produced 566,042 metric tons equivalent of carbon dioxide in 2006.

Disney will increase the amount of purchases of recycled products by 2013.

The company also wants to purchase clean electricity and put money in clean electricity schemes.

In addition, the support by the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund will be higher each year for the coming five years.

The fund donated over $1.8 million to 72 nonprofit schemes in 43 countries in 2008.

The report examines the company’s operations from the nutritional value of children’s food in the theme parks to ecological standards for employees, working conditions and labour regulations applied by the makers of Disney products.

The environmental project was made public the day before Disney’s annual shareholder meeting.

Disney cooperated with Conservation International on goals for emission cuts, and expects to be scrutinised by an outside group during its progress and yearly audits.