Regional priorities shape sustainability between US, European broadcasters

From evolving carbon policies to public accountability standards, broadcasters on either side of the Atlantic are approaching sustainability from strikingly different starting points.

While European broadcasters are building formal systems to track and improve their environmental footprint, their United States counterparts are more likely to focus on operational efficiency and high-visibility projects, often with less emphasis on comprehensive carbon data or long-term climate strategy.

“The thinking is a million miles apart,” said Kristan Bullett, CEO of Humans Not Robots. “In the U.S., the focus on energy independence and fossil fuel extraction has grown… Meanwhile, European broadcasters and telcos are prioritizing sustainability, emphasizing ‘measure, measure, measure’ as they assess their carbon footprint.”

Policy pressure vs. voluntary programs

Europe’s approach has been shaped in part by public mandates and regulatory expectations. According to Erling Hedkvist of Arkona and Manifold, sustainability requirements in vendor contracts are standard among major European broadcasters.

“All of the ones from public entities and large European broadcasters include sustainability provisions,” Hedkvist said. “It’s not common among smaller and private broadcasters, especially in the U.S.”

Indeed, several U.K. networks have gone a step further. In late 2024, the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, Sky and UKTV announced a joint effort to implement standardized sustainability reporting for all content. This year, each network will issue on-screen sustainability tracking forms during post-production to measure the presence and impact of climate-related themes in programming.

The initiative, supported by BAFTA Albert, will generate annual aggregated data across the industry.

“This universal measurement process is a breakthrough that will allow the industry to deliver on its pledge to create more and better climate content,” said Catherine Ellis, BAFTA Albert’s head of climate content.

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While U.S.-based operations have no equivalent initiative, some companies have rolled out voluntary internal programs.

For example, NBCUniversal has the Sustainable Production Program, which deployed electric vehicles, solar trailers and hybrid power units on sets. The company’s operations strategy also includes building new facilities with LEED-certified methods and a growing electric vehicle fleet.

Still, most of these efforts are opt-in rather than industry-wide requirements, and typically emphasize facility performance or production logistics, not full-scope emissions data.

Scope 3 and supplier accountability

Bullett pointed out another critical gap in the U.S. sustainability strategy: limited reporting on Scope 3 emissions, which come from indirect sources like travel, accommodations, and third-party services.

“Scope 3 emissions account for more than 90% of a cloud provider’s carbon footprint, and some of them are not reporting these numbers,” he said. “There are mixed feelings about the stories major cloud providers are sharing regarding their green initiatives.”

These limitations stand in contrast to efforts in Europe to integrate sustainability into procurement, vendor selection and even content strategy. The European mindset tends to view sustainability not only as a compliance issue, but as an organizational value.

“It’s embedded at a strategic level,” said Bullett. “Whereas in the U.S., it’s often viewed as a facility or operations issue, rather than a system-wide priority.”

Shifting perceptions and long-term stakes

That said, the U.S. is not without progress or pressure.

“Sustainability still holds importance in the U.S.,” Bullett acknowledged. “It’s just a different framework – driven more by business efficiency than policy.”

Industry culture plays a role, too.

A 2024 report by Sony Europe found that while 73% of media professionals say their employers have made sustainability changes, many cited “industry culture and behavior” as a top barrier to wider adoption. Nearly half of the respondents also pointed to cost as a constraint.

“Sustainability can both be good for the planet and the pocketbook at the same time so it’s more than just marketing,” said Hedkvist.

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That framing may evolve as audiences, investors and advertisers increasingly scrutinize environmental practices. 

As emissions from video streaming continue to rise, broadcast organizations on both continents face growing pressure to act. But the routes they take remain as divergent as their regulatory landscapes.