An Update on Xbox Sustainability Efforts

S consoles, empowering players with energy saver mode, and more|S consoles, empowering players with energy saver mode, and more

At Microsoft – and, by extension, at Xbox – we’ve set ambitious commitments to meaningfully reduce the company’s environmental impact and operate as a carbon negative, water positive and zero waste company by 2030.

Team Xbox has one mission: To bring joy and community to gamers all over the world. Gaming brings pleasure to gamers, but we recognize the impact that it has on the environment. Our commitment to our players and the industry is to work tirelessly to reduce that impact in a responsible way and consistent with Microsoft’s corporate commitments.

Microsoft’s 2021 Environmental Sustainability Report

Today, Microsoft released its 2021 Environmental Sustainability report that provides an update on our sustainability journey – from pledge to progress – for the whole business.

Products and services can have an environmental impact due to how they are designed, manufactured, delivered, used, and recycled at their end. Microsoft President Brad Smith spoke today to the effect of Xbox sales on Scope 3 emissions. This was due in part to the pandemic.

Progress isn’t always linear; it fluctuates based on a variety of factors. It will not be a straight path to 2030, but we’re committed to reducing our environmental impact across all business areas to achieve our ambitious commitments.

Today, I’d like to share an update on what we’re doing.

Making the transition to being more sustainably

To reduce the Xbox carbon footprint and help Microsoft achieve its commitment of being 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 the environmental impact of cloud gaming through hardware and software updates.

Updates to hardware

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

• A small number of consoles were equipped with an enhanced power monitoring device to enable anonymous, expanded in-field telemetry collection. It is important because we can use accurate, per-unit data to find the most promising opportunities for future power savings.
• The Xbox Series S console was our first to include Post-Consumer Recycled Resins (PCR) in its manufacturing process. This happened late in 2021. The updated Series S console contains at least 28% post-consumer recycling (PCR) resin.

These are just a few of the changes that have been made by Xbox.

Software enhancements

Software upgrades are an effective way to boost energy efficiency of consoles currently in our hands.

• Last year, we made improvements to the console’s Energy Saver sleep mode. When the console isn’t being used, or updating itself with updates, Energy Saver mode uses 20 percent less power than Standby.  Energy Saver mode also allows for the downloading of system and gaming updates. This further reduces energy.
• Energy Saver mode was also the default setting when console owners first set them up. This offers significant energy savings opportunities across the whole Xbox ecosystem.

Cloud gaming

We’re exploring how we can reduce the environmental impact of our Xbox Cloud Gaming offering.

• Since most power usage occurs during game play, cloud gaming can take advantage of Azure’s significant renewable energy investments. Azure will have a 100% renewable energy supply by 2025. This means cloud gaming can take advantage of this clean energy transition.
• The Xbox server hardware we have designed is the exact same powerful architecture as our consoles. This hardware can be used in the cloud to allow us to reach hundreds of more users per server during its life.

Reduce our waste

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

Zero waste by 2030

Microsoft pledged to be zero waste in its direct business by 2020. Here’s what we’re doing:

• Our goal is to design Xbox accessories by 2030 and make 100% of all Microsoft packaging recyclable in OECD nations by 2030.
• Xbox Series X|S consoles were recently assessed to be 97% recyclable in OECD countries based on UL 2789 Environmental Claim Validation (ECV) Procedure, which is standardized metric for measuring electronic product recyclability by material type.
• We’ll continue innovating and assessing our consoles against emerging industry standards and benchmarks to continuously improve our efforts to reduce waste.

Our Xbox gift cards help you to use less plastic

• The Xbox gift card has been transformed from plastic to paperboard. We are able to reduce more than 500,000kg of plastic each year.

We incorporate PCR in more products

We’ve also revisited the materials we use in our products.

• While we have maintained the highest performance and durability of our controllers, we began to include PCR resins.
• The Daystrike Camo was the first controller, then Electric Volt followed by numerous other controllers such as color, special-edition, and more.
• With the launch of the Xbox Design Labs, 15 additional colors made with PCR resins have been added to the mix. There will also be more in the future. The PCR content of these 15 Xbox Design Lab colors has been kept to a minimum 25%. We plan on increasing it to 28% in May 2022.

Together we can take action

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

Empowering our developers

Our goal is to be a significant publisher and developer that empowers game designers in the future. We want them to build narratives and in-game content around these themes, and help raise awareness.

• Minecraft published a series of lessons on climate and sustainability, Climate Futures. This was made available in 2021 to Minecraft: Education Edition and the Minecraft Marketplace.
• Forza Horizon 5Launched with just a few electric cars, these vehicles are some of the best, most sustainable, automobiles on the planet. The team plans to increase the number of EVs within the next year.

In partnership with the sector, we can accomplish this

Microsoft also works closely with organizations like the United Nations to help tackle the world’s climate challenges on a broader scale.

• Microsoft is a leading partner of the UN’s Playing for the Planet Alliance, representing 34 game company members and 7 associate members which have made voluntary, ambitious, specific, and time-based commitments in service of people and the planet.
• Microsoft supports environmental groups like The Nature Conservancy and World Wildlife Fund and encourages Xbox users to support them through Microsoft Rewards.

Here’s what you can do

Also, we want players to be able to make better decisions and reduce their impact. These are some ways to reduce your impact.

• Energy Saver – To enable Energy Saver mode, please go to Settings->Sleep Mode & Startup->Sleep Mode->Energy saver. This video will explain more.
• Microsoft Store Online Trade-in Program – Check to see if your used device – laptop, tablet, phone, or game console – is eligible for trade-in and to get cash back.
• Consumer Mail-back Program – If your used device is ineligible for trade-in, Microsoft offers a free mail-back program for consumers in many regions of the world to encourage responsible end-of-life management of consumer electronics products, related accessories, and packaging.
• Sustainability in Minecraft – Learn about the impacts of climate change, explore sustainable infrastructure, and build solutions in a series of Minecraft worlds.
• Xbox Wireless Controllers and Xbox Series S console – If you’re conscious about the materials used to create the products you love, look no further than our the Electric Volt and Daystrike Camo controllers and most of our Xbox Design Lab controllers, which incorporate PCR resins. The Xbox Series S is our first console that incorporates PCR resins.
• Ground Shipping with Microsoft Store – When ordering eligible products from the Microsoft Store in the US, select the free ground shipping option at checkout, which is our shipping method that typically results in the fewest carbon emissions.

We will have more!

This is only a part of a bigger story, and there’s more we’re going to do over the next year and beyond to help tackle this important issue.

Our ambitions are high, and we recognize we still have a long way to go, but we’re committed because it is critically important that we get this right for the planet. However, the journey is far from over. We’re committed to continuing to learn, improve, and grow. Your participation is crucial in this process. We’ll continue to share updates on how we’re progressing.

For more information on what we’re doing, check out our new sustainability hub for Xbox: xbox.com/sustainability.