By Gina Keating
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The Walt Disney Co said on Monday that it planned to cut carbon emissions from fuels by half by 2012, and ultimately to achieve net zero direct greenhouse gas emissions at its office and retail complexes, theme parks and cruise lines.
Disney also set a long-term goal to cut to zero the nearly 300,000 tons of waste it sends to landfills, much of it from construction, through diverting some to recycling centers, composting and buying more post-consumer recycled materials.
The company pledged to reduce water use as well as emissions and waste associated with the manufacture, transport, use and disposal of Disney products.
The environmental plan was released a day ahead of the company's annual shareholder meeting in its "corporate responsibility" report. The entertainment conglomerate is joining a growing number of U.S. corporations that have pledged to improve carbon and ecological footprints by a certain date, or have already done so.
"Current scientific conclusions indicate that urgent reductions in greenhouse gas emissions are required to avert accelerated climate change," the report said. "A successful response to these challenges demands fundamental changes in the way society, including businesses, use natural resources, and Disney is no exception."
The company said it worked with Conservation International to measure its actual electricity consumption and carbon emissions in 2006 to establish a baseline.
By 2013, Disney plans to reduce electricity consumption by 10 percent compared with its 2006 baseline at existing assets, and to develop a plan to "aggressively" pursue renewable electricity sources, the report said.
To get to zero net direct emissions, Disney plans to find efficiencies to cut emissions and to replace high-carbon fuels with low-carbon alternatives, then use "high-quality offsets" for what is left.
Disney also plans to buy clean electricity from utilities and invest in clean electricity projects, in addition to taking steps to conserve, the report said.
The company set 2013 as its goal for cutting solid waste to landfills by half of its 2006 baseline.
(Reporting by Gina Keating; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)
