Xilam Animation, academy Award-nominated French animation studio, has announced the results of its first carbon footprint assessment, for the year 2022. The initiative underscores the Group’s determination to actively protect the environment and embodies its commitment to corporate social responsibility.
This first carbon footprint strengthens the climate strategy of the Xilam Group, which has identified new levers to actively reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and has taken effective steps to mitigate its environmental impact. In 2023, as part of this sustainable development strategy, the Group committed to a responsible purchasing policy, invested in more environmentally friendly technologies, improved its production processes, reduced and streamlined its data and storage volume, extended the life of its equipment, and implemented awareness initiatives among its teams. Xilam now intends to build on this momentum to pursue a significant near-term reduction in its carbon footprint.
This approach underpins Xilam’s complete commitment to the environmental transition, reflecting a desire to preserve the planet for future generations, promote the well-being of its employees, and make a positive contribution to society. Each of these issues is an essential pillar of the Group’s long-term success.
Marc du Pontavice, Chairman & CEO of Xilam: “Xilam set out to conduct a comprehensive assessment of its carbon footprint to identify ways to spur action and take a very proactive stance on the matter. The results prove that the company is already very ‘green’ compared to the audiovisual services sector. However, they also show that it still has significant room for manoeuvre to continue reducing its footprint. This is an important step for the Group in terms of its social and environmental responsibility.”
3.9 tCO2 per employee in 2022, a reduction of 7% compared with 2021, and half the sector median
The Group’s carbon footprint for 2022 encompasses all of its business operations and covers Scopes 1, 2, and 31, in accordance with the GHG Protocol methodology. Xilam compiled the assessment by painstakingly collecting and categorising fifteen thousand pieces of monetary and physical data, backed by an environmental impact survey conducted among employees, to provide a complete and accurate picture of the Group’s carbon footprint.
For the year 2022, the Group’s GHG emissions totalled 1,673 tonnes of CO2 equivalent (tCO2e), or 3.9 tCO2 per employee, a reduction of 7% compared with 2021. This reduction largely stems from a 7% decrease in service purchasing and a 12% reduction in travel.
According to Greenly, the service provider with whom Xilam conducted its carbon footprint assessment, the Group’s carbon footprint per employee is half (-49%) the median for referenced companies in the cultural and creative industries: 3.93 tCO2e per employee at Xilam versus 8.02 tCO2e per employee for the sector median. This trend is borne out by the carbon footprint reports published by other players in the sector, including video game developers, audiovisual production and distribution companies, and broadcasters.
– Service Purchasing is by far the highest source of GHG emissions: this alone represents 40% of the Group’s GHG emissions. Within this category, animation outsourcing studios account for 61% of emissions, followed by Intellectual Services and Sound Recordings.
– Energy represents 13% of total emissions, with 85% coming from electricity and 13% from the heating network.
– Food & Beverage represents 12% of total emissions, with more than 91% related to employee meals.
– Digital (excl. PP&E and service purchasing) represents 11% of total emissions; more than 82% of these emissions are related to Web Services, SaaS, licences and cloud servers. However, when the Digital category is grouped with digital capital assets and IT purchasing, the resulting category represents 16% of the Group’s carbon footprint, making it the second-largest source of emissions.