While technological and industrial progress are good, too much, especially over a short period of time, is detrimental to the environment. This is exactly why it’s also important for companies, especially larger ones, to also consider how their development can impact the natural world. This is something that Snapchat has been working on, as the company has announced that it aims to achieve net negative carbon emissions by 2030.
‘Net Negative’ means to remove more carbon than is emitted and to achieve such a feat means to greatly contribute to ongoing efforts that fight climate change. Snapchat seems to have decided to ‘fight for the greater good’ and is also bringing itself to be more in-line with it’s audience expectations. In no way is this a bad thing. In fact, such a move does wonders for both Snap’s PR and overall image as a brand.
They explain:
“Last Spring we announced our first-ever climate strategy, with commitments to carbon neutrality, science-based reduction targets, and 100% renewable electricity. Today we’re proud to take that strategy a big step further by committing to achieve Net Zero – removing from the environment as much carbon as we emit each year – and then going beyond Net Zero to make Snap net negative by 2030, meaning we will remove more carbon than we are emitting.”
Snap is aware of the science behind carbon removal and knows that it may have to revise its approach in due time, however the important factor to take note of here is the commitment to play their part in tackling the climate crisis and, in doing so, address key societal impacts that hinder real growth.
Taking such a stance speaks of Snapchat’s awareness of current events and that it operates by looking at things from a broader perspective – an organization cannot grow beyond the capacities of the environment that sustain it. Snapchat also knows that as a platform with a broader reach among the youth, it must share more information about climate change and its impacts on its platform, seeing as how this is a key element of focus for the majority of its audience.
Part of an audience-focused collaboration, Snap announced:
“We’re announcing a new Snap Original, “Planet Rewild,” produced by Re:wild and Underknown. This series was developed as part of a larger multi-year partnership between Snap and Re:wild, focused on bringing Re:wild’s mission to “protect the wild that’s left and restore the rest” in-app, allowing Snapchatters to learn, explore and uncover some of the most pressing threats to nature and our own survival.”
The Wrap
Besides its own initiatives, Snapchat is set to also continue its partnership with the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) to create AR lenses to mark World Environment Day and Earth Day in hopes of raising more awareness among its audience. Not only does this help boost the efforts of the UNEP, but also exhibits an ideal scenario where technology is used to address concerns regarding nature and the environment.
It may be regarded as somewhat ‘light’ news, but the overarching ideas make it very significant, especially when given the fact that Snapchat reaches over 90% of the US Gen Z population, of which many regularly consume its Discover shows and connect to critical news. This also illustrates a very good example of how an entire company becomes one big call to action.
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