SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Unity (NYSE: U), the world’s leading platform for creating and operating real-time 3D (RT3D) content, today announced that it is achieving net zero carbon emissions now, starting with 2020 emissions, and every year thereafter. Employing a three-step approach, the company will immediately leverage carbon offsets to offset its 2020 emissions, redesign internal processes to lower emissions, and align with groups who are demanding better from the world in order to fight climate change, including signing on to the Science Based Targets initiative’s (SBTi) Business Ambition for 1.5°C.
According to the United Nations General Assembly, humans have fewer than 10 years left to prevent irreversible damage from climate change. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recently released the first part of the Sixth Assessment Report, Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis, which reported that climate change is here and will continue to worsen until humanity reduces its greenhouse gas pollution to zero.
“The science is clear and the time is now,” said Jessica Lindl, Vice President, Social Impact at Unity. “We know that this is just the beginning of a long, continuous effort to acknowledge and act upon the responsibility that we have as global citizens who share this planet. We recognize that Unity plays a critical role in a sustainable future - not just through our own commitment, but with the unique ability to support our customers using Unity’s technology to help decarbonize their businesses.”
In 2021, Unity conducted its 2020 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions baseline inventory, made up of direct emissions, indirect emissions from purchased electricity, and indirect emissions from business travel, purchased goods and services, events, and more. This first annual data collection resulted in a reported 38,400 metric tonnes of carbon, which is the equivalent of 8,400 passenger vehicles being driven for one year.
Unity is approaching net zero emissions in three steps:
- Offsetting: First, Unity will immediately begin neutralizing its greenhouse gas emissions through carbon offsets starting with its 2020 emissions calculation. Approximately half of a million dollars will be invested in high-quality offsets that provide co-benefits to the local communities.
- Redesigning: Second, Unity plans to reduce its carbon footprint by sourcing renewable energy for its facilities and redesigning its procurement policy, ensuring that everything purchased is as sustainable as possible. Unity will continue to implement energy efficiency projects in our facilities and procure certified IT equipment where feasible.
- Aligning: Lastly, Unity is committed to funding, aligning, and partnering with groups who are demanding better from the world and setting new industry standards.
In addition to the efforts being announced today, Unity sees the transformational potential of real-time 3D to drive real-world carbon reductions at scale. For example, Zutari, a South African engineering consultancy, is using Unity to create innovative engineering solutions that deliver real impact and enable environments, communities, and economies across Africa to thrive; Ahi Kā Rangers is an ecological mobile game, using Unity to transform a generation who have lost their connection to the world around them into stewards of the planet; and Sitowise is using Unity to create virtual twins, ultimately making cities more sustainable, safe, and healthy living environments for people and businesses.
In the past year, Unity has provided support to creators who are building content to make the physical world a healthier, more sustainable place. In collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme and Project Drawdown, Unity created the Unity for Humanity Environment and Sustainability Grant, focused on empowering creators who are using Unity’s real-time 3D technology to increase awareness and educate the world on the most critical sustainability issues. The winners of this grant were announced at today’s Unity for Humanity Summit and include:
- Powers of X: An immersive experience designed to raise awareness around humanity’s impact on global climate change.
- District 64: A virtual reality experience that shows the grave impacts of urban oil drilling on community health.
- Origen: An immersive narrative experience, where users navigate through the sacred territory of the Amazon jungle, in a journey revealing what invisibly inhabits this native land and the crisis it currently faces.
Additionally, Unity is a member of the Playing for the Planet Alliance, a group of the largest companies in video games who are harnessing their collective power to take action on climate change. Unity was also a key partner to the United Nations for the 2021 Green Game Jam, which brought together 27 studios and platforms with a collective player base of more than 1 billion gamers, to create compelling content and actionable goals for game players around the world to have an impact on climate change.
Lastly, Unity has partnered with and funded universities and non-profit organizations whose work and research will drive real world change, including Western University, Project Drawdown, and Conservation International.
To learn more about today’s commitment and Unity Social Impact’s sustainability initiatives, please visit: https://unity.com/social-impact.
About Unity
Unity (NYSE: U) is the world’s leading platform for creating and operating real-time 3D (RT3D) content. Creators, ranging from game developers to artists, architects, automotive designers, filmmakers, and others, use Unity to make their imaginations come to life. Unity’s platform provides a comprehensive set of software solutions to create, run and monetize interactive, real-time 2D and 3D content for mobile phones, tablets, PCs, consoles, and augmented and virtual reality devices. The company’s 1,800+ person research and development team keeps Unity at the forefront of development by working alongside partners to ensure optimized support for the latest releases and platforms. Apps developed by Unity creators have been downloaded more than five billion times per month in 2020. For more information, please visit www.unity.com.
