Xbox Celebrates Earth Day with a Sustainability Update, Special Edition Products, and Events

We wanted to share with our community the opportunities to join us in celebrating Earth Day just days before it.

Microsoft has committed to operating as a zero-waste, carbon-negative, and water-positive company by 2030.  Microsoft is committed to empowering the world and encouraging positive change. This requires that we think outside of traditional boundaries. A gaming platform can be used to create a cultural shift on a large scale. EncouragementThe players can experiment and explore new connections to the world. Sustainability is a team sport—and we are excited to see how far we can go when everyone plays together.

The Latest on Our Sustainable Efforts

We shared an update last year on our efforts to promote sustainability. What have we been doing since then?

Reduce Waste

The Xbox Wireless Controller – Remix Special Edition takes us one step further in our journey towards our zero-waste commitment, featuring recovered plastics with one-third of it made from regrind and reclaimed materials. By incorporating regrind materials, post-consumer recycled resins, and including the Xbox Rechargeable Battery Pack – Xbox is exploring ways to use less new plastic and reduce waste.  Unboxing the Xbox Rechargeable Battery Pack will reveal more.

Microsoft’s goal to become a zero waste business by the year 2030 is being achieved through a number of initiatives.

• Incorporating recovered plastics in our controllers is becoming a more common practice.  After the Electric Volt and Daystrike Camo controllers, we have gradually transitioned some controllers that are already on the market into containing more Post Consumer Recycled Resins (PCR), such as our Shock Blue or Pulse Red Controllers. Xbox Sustainability Hub contains a list of controllers containing 20% or more post-consumer recycled resins.
• Xbox Design Lab launched 15 new colors containing Post-Consumer Plastic. We have since changed the majority of color options on the platform.
• In the Nordic region (Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland), we partnered with retail partner Elkjøp to launch the Urban Miner campaign, where we invited all Nordic households to collect old electronics in their households and return them to an Elkjøp store for recycling. The consumers were given Minecoins to use on the Minecraft Marketplace. More than 11000 items were returned in the campaign, which equates to approximately 17 tonnes of electronic waste.
• Microsoft is transitioning from polystyrene to paperboard for new Point-of-Sale Activation Cards (such as gift cards). Our plastic bags that we previously used to package our POSA card bundles have been replaced with paper bands across most of our markets. This will save us the equivalent of 2 million bags of plastic over the next couple of years.  

Carbon reduction:

Xbox announced this year at Game Developer Conference that it is the world’s first console to offer dedicated carbon and energy emissions measurement tools, designed with (and for) game designers. These tools have allowed studios to reduce their carbon footprint while still providing a great gaming experience. Watch the video to learn more about Xbox’s sustainability toolkit!

At Xbox, we hold ourselves accountable to the emissions created by our products in our players’ homes—here are some additional things we are doing to reduce those emissions.

• We announced in January that Xbox was the first Carbon Aware Console.  If your console is connected to the Internet, is plugged into the wall, and the regional data on carbon intensity is available, Xbox can schedule updates of your game, apps, and OS at certain times in the evening maintenance window. This may lead to lower emissions, as a greater proportion of the electricity coming from low-carbon sources.
• We have also begun experimenting to automatically update consoles into the Shutdown power saving mode. These updates will be rolled out to additional consoles over the course of the year.
• We also provided the “Active Hours” option for those that want to use the more energy intensive Sleep power option. It allows users to set the time they would like to be able to access Sleep mode functions such as remote wake. It will shutdown completely outside those hours. (Using up to 20x the power when switched off as opposed to Sleep). The console can be set to schedule its active hours automatically, manually or always.

Collective Action 

To make the gaming industry better for the environment, we are constantly looking for new opportunities to work with external groups and industry partners. For more information on these partnerships, please watch the below video:

• Minecraft Education and BBC Earth have teamed up with each other to bring you an amazing Frozen Planet II Experience. Five Minecraft Worlds Inspired by the Iconic Series. You can also play the game Minecraft online. Play as eight different animal species, experiencing Earth’s cold habitats and learning about the Climate change impacts. More than 110 nations have students playing the Frozen Planet II Minecraft Worlds. The maps are also available for download by millions.The languages of 29The educational resource is available for both teachers and their families.
• Minecraft Education, in collaboration with C40 Cities, has developed Schools Reinventing Cities. This program gives students from around the globe the chance to create climate solutions and to present them to leaders of their cities. Students learn more about the climate in cities through city-wide challenges. Students then use Minecraft Education to build climate solutions. Minecraft Education is a popular game-based educational platform that has been used by thousands of students and teachers.  
• Last year, Xbox had the opportunity to educate a wide range of audiences through learning events like the United Nation’s 50th anniversary congress on sustainability, and directly to valued partners in bespoke workshop events with external industry players.
• In May of 2022, for the first-ever time, we invited the public to experience a selection of the talks from Xfest 2022, one of which is ‘A Deeper Look at Gaming Sustainability and How Everyone Can Play Their Part’. The talk explores the ways in which game publishers, in partnership with Xbox, can have a positive impact on environmental issues by integrating them into games, reducing their emissions and supporting global environmental goals.  
• Xbox is a founding partner of the Playing for the Planet Alliance. Playing for the Planet released the 2022 Annual Impact Report, which shows that decarbonization has made significant progress across the entire industry.

Engage  

Xbox Plays, the Seattle Aquarium and Twitch are collaborating to teach you about ocean conservation on Earth Day.

Please join Team Xbox on our Twitch livestream channel on April 22nd at 8:00am Pacific Time as the team shares a behind the scenes tour of the Seattle Aquarium, a conservation organization working to regenerate the health of our one ocean. You’ll meet special guests like Barney the harbor seal, get an inside look at the Aquarium’s work to save endangered species, and see a demonstration of a remotely operated vehicle steered via Xbox controller that is being used to research the depths of Puget Sound. Marine conservationists and experts will join us live to answer your questions about the species you’ll find in the Sound and beyond, as well as the steps you can take to help protect our world’s one ocean.

New Xbox Gear products features recycled content as well, check out the latest collection featuring colors and topographical lines pulled straight from the Xbox Wireless Controller — Remix Special Edition

Check out the latest Xbox Gear featuring colors and topographical lines pulled straight from the Xbox Wireless Controller – Remix Special Edition. The collection includes a variety of premium ECOLIFE Cotton garments. The garments are made of 50% recycled yarn and 50% BCI (Better Cotton Initiative– the world’s leading sustainability initiative for cotton). The raw materials are cut & sewn in Los Angeles, garment dyed to match the special edition Xbox controllers, printed with eco-friendly inks and packaged with biodegradable poly bags. The ECOLIFE cotton clothing is available in t-shirt and pullover hoodie styles, as well as sweat shorts.

Gaming and Impact with Microsoft Rewards: World Wildlife Fund, Water.org, and The Nature Conservancy

Microsoft Rewards US members can donate and earn points for selected environmental organizations. The following organizations will appear on the consoles throughout April.

• The Nature Conservancy – The Nature Conservancy is a global environmental nonprofit working to create a world where people and nature can thrive. They have a mission to protect the land and water that all life relies on.
  • Additionally, for every two dollars that Microsoft Rewards donates in April, The Nature Conservancy will plant a tree as part of their Plant A Billion Trees program. Learn more about this program here and plant your tree today!
• Water.org – Every living thing requires water to survive and thrive. Yet 771 million people around the world don’t have access to safe water. Water.org aims to help change that by providing safe, long-lasting water solutions in the homes of people who live in poverty. Water.org works to increase access to this vital resource, which is important for our planet and all who live on it.
• World Wildlife Fund ​– As the world’s leading conservation organization, WWF works in nearly 100 countries. The WWF collaborates with communities and people all over the world at every level to deliver and develop innovative solutions which protect wildlife, local environments, and community members. They have a mission to reduce threats and conserve the biodiversity of Earth’s life.  

Xbox gamers can earn Microsoft Rewards in many ways. They can play or purchase games, for example, after downloading the Microsoft Rewards application on Xbox. You can redeem your points for rewards. Join us today and donate through Xbox. 

Visit the Xbox Sustainability Hub to learn more about Xbox’s ongoing sustainability efforts.

Microsoft’s Earth Day celebrations are a variety of ways that you can explore by visiting aka.ms/EarthDay.

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