Netflix 2022 ESG Report FINAL
Netflix 2022 ESG Report FINAL
Netflix 2022 ESG Report FINAL
Social Governance
Report 2022
Introduction Environment Social Governance Appendix
Introduction
A letter from our co-CEOs Over the last 25 years, we’ve worked hard to create long term value for our
stakeholders — in particular members, shareholders and the creative
community. While we’ve made good progress, there’s still more to do. For
At Netflix, we aspire to entertain the world — and to do so sustainably and example, most of our carbon emissions come from our productions, which
responsibly. You can read the full details of how in our fourth require a lot of power — often in remote locations — and are still heavily
Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) Report published fossil fuel dependent. But we’re investing in the technology innovations
today. But we wanted to highlight three areas upfront: today that can optimize and electrify this energy use tomorrow.
We are excited about the great entertainment coming this year — from
First, the environment: The next decade is critical if we’re to manage returning favorites like our Emmy award winning series The Crown
climate change sustainably. It’s why Netflix has committed to halving our and recently released hit action sequel Extraction 2, starring Chris
emissions by 2030. We will do this by optimizing our energy use, then Hemsworth, to must-watch new films and TV shows such as Heart of
electrifying it and decarbonizing the rest. Stone, Rebel Moon, Griselda and 3 Body Problem. Our north stars remain
the variety and quality of our entertainment — and, as always, we welcome
Second, inclusion: Netflix is becoming more representative of the your feedback.
members we serve. We now have offices in over 25 countries. Almost half
of our employees are women and, in the US, 50% are from historically
excluded ethnic and/or racial backgrounds. We’re also seeing increased
representation on and off screen — with significantly more female directors
and showrunners, and more people of color in leading roles.
About Netflix
At Netflix, we aspire to entertain the world —
so whatever your taste, and wherever you live,
we’ll have something great to watch or play, all
in one subscription.
Our Progress
See below for a glimpse, or “highlights reel”, of our continued progress in 2022 on environmental, social and governance topics.2
Environment
We are on track to meet our public sustainability commitments — ● We’ve used clean technologies on over 60% of the
including to: (1) halve our emissions by 2030 from a 2019 baseline; and productions Netflix manages directly; and
(2) bring our remaining net emissions from 2022 onwards to zero.
● We’ve committed to use at least one electric vehicle (EV) on
● We upgraded our Scope 3 target to reduce these emissions 55% screen in all of our directly managed productions, and our
per million USD of value added3 by 2030. “Everybody In” partnership with GM will also help promote
their use.
● Starting in 2022, we’ve brought net Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions
to zero by investing in nature-based solutions that retain and We support creators who choose to incorporate sustainability into
capture carbon. their storytelling. 165 million households around the world — over
70% of our members — have chosen to watch one or more stories
We continue to focus on decarbonizing film and series production.
highlighting climate and/or sustainability. And we spotlight these
Over the course of 2022:
stories during moments like Earth Month.
2
All data points are for the 2022 calendar year unless otherwise noted.
3“
Value Added” is a term used by SBTi. For Netflix, this is synonymous with “Gross Profit,” derived from subtracting “Cost of Revenues” from “Total Revenue” for the
Netflix ESG Report 2022 business, per our public financial statements. 6
Introduction Environment Social Governance Appendix
Our Progress
See below for a glimpse, or “highlights reel”, of our continued progress in 2022 on environmental, social and governance topics.
Social
As our third Inclusion Report showed: In addition, we continue to invest in the Netflix Fund for Creative
Equity, which helps increase opportunities within the
● Women have the highest gender representation at
entertainment industry.
Netflix; and
Our employee giving program provides a 2:1 match on employee
● Over 50% of our US employees are from one
donations. In 2022, Netflix and our employees donated $34
or more historically excluded ethnic and/or racial backgrounds.
million to over 5,000 charities worldwide.
In April 2023, the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative published their
We have now added disclosures about product accessibility to our
latest study into representation behind and in front of the camera for
ESG Report given the importance of ensuring that all of our
Netflix’s US films and series. It showed notable improvements for
members — regardless of language, device, connectivity or ability
women and people from historically underrepresented racial and
— can enjoy our entertainment.
ethnic groups4 between 2020 and 2021.
Our Progress
See below for a glimpse, or “highlights reel”, of our continued progress in 2022 on environmental, social and governance topics.
Governance
At our 2022 annual meeting, stockholders approved a board We’ve also adopted a majority voting standard in uncontested
proposal to make significant changes to our corporate director elections and evolved our co-CEO compensation
governance, including: program for 2023. This includes: a CEO salary cap;
performance-based annual cash bonus; and a minimum 50% of
● A phased declassification of our board beginning in 2023. compensation allocated to stock options with one year vesting.
From 2025, our entire board will stand for
annual elections; In the last year, Netflix executives have met shareholders
● The elimination of supermajority voting provisions in our representing around 51% of our outstanding shares to solicit
articles of incorporation and bylaws; and their feedback. Independent directors participated in a majority
of these meetings.
● The ability for shareholders to call special meetings.
Environment
To entertain the world, we need a habitable planet to
entertain. We’re working to make our operations
more sustainable, including behind the camera, and
to support creators who want to highlight
sustainability on screen.
5
Netflix previously had a science-based target to engage 70% of suppliers to set their own
science-based targets.
6
Netflix’s Intensity Scope 3 target was approved by SBTi on Feb 27, 2023 (see “Companies Taking Action”
Netflix ESG Report 2022 on the SBTi website). Our validated Scope 1 and 2 target remains unchanged from 2021. 10
7
“Value Added” is a term used by SBTi. For Netflix, this is synonymous with “Gross Profit,” derived from
subtracting “Cost of Revenues” from “Total Revenue” for the business, per our public financial statements.
Introduction Environment Social Governance Appendix
Sustainability Strategy Sustainability in Our Operations and Value Chain Netting Remaining Emissions to Zero Sustainability in Storytelling Climate Risk
Decarbonization Target
Our “Sphere of
Influence”
Scope 3 Demand Technology Educational 55% by 2030
“Value Chain”10 Signaling Accelerators Offerings Intensity reduction Intensity
(million $ value added)
Reduction Goal
8
Netflix ESG Report 2022 Scope 1: fuel consumed for our self managed productions, company-owned transportation and building heating
9
Scope 2: electricity we purchase for our Open Connect systems and in our facilities and self-managed productions
11
10
Scope 3: emissions related to value chain activities such as purchased goods & services, capital goods, business travel and others
Introduction Environment Social Governance Appendix
Sustainability Strategy Sustainability in Our Operations and Value Chain Netting Remaining Emissions to Zero Sustainability in Storytelling Climate Risk
Sustainability in We approach these four levers using an OED framework — i.e., first
optimizing energy use, then electrifying it and decarbonizing the rest.
Our Operations
● Optimize (O): We are conducting energy efficiency audits,
and Value Chain including for our stages, studios and offices, so we can optimize
vehicle fleet operations, right-size vehicles and mobile power
and give preference to more efficient equipment.
Climate Transition Plan ● Electrify (E): We are working to electrify the equipment that
uses the most fuel, like vehicles, buildings and generators.
To meet these objectives we are focused on four key levers: Where available, we use electric motors, which are more
efficient and because electricity is more easily decarbonized.
We’ve successfully piloted the use of mobile batteries and
Energy Efficiency: Identifying cost-effective efficiency hydrogen-battery powered generators in lieu of fossil-fuel
improvements for energy used in our offices and studios; powered generators in our productions. And we are also
replacing fossil-fuel vehicles with electric, plug-in hybrid and
Vehicle Electrification: Transitioning from vehicles that use fossil hybrid vehicles.
fuels to fully electric and/or hydrogen powered alternatives;
● Decarbonize (D): When optimization and electrification aren’t
possible, we decarbonize the remaining emissions by installing
Clean Mobile Power: Using alternatives to diesel generators on and purchasing renewable energy. This means matching
productions; and
renewable electricity to any grid-connected power that isn’t
carbon-free and shifting to lower-carbon or zero-carbon fuel
Renewable Energy: Using renewable electricity and fuels. options when that isn’t possible. Last year, we procured
renewable electricity to match our global electricity demand and
we’re exploring more direct investments.
Netflix ESG Report 2022 13
Introduction Environment Social Governance Appendix
Sustainability Strategy Sustainability in Our Operations and Value Chain Netting Remaining Emissions to Zero Sustainability in Storytelling Climate Risk
Maximizing the solutions available today, while accelerating the of this decade. Refer to the Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy
market for tomorrow’s solutions, is also imperative. While energy and Clean Mobile Power sections below. Each year, we continually
efficiency and renewable energy solutions are cost-effective and develop and further refine our 2030 Science-Based Target
can be deployed at scale now, clean mobile power and EVs are transition strategy. The following chart illustrates our current
more nascent technologies. As a result they will deliver most of planned path to our Scope 1 and 2 target, and the decarbonization
their respective emissions reductions for Netflix in the latter half levers that will get us there.
78,000
Science-based
target: 42,000
2019 MTCO2e 2020 MTCO2e 2021 MTCO2e 2022 MTCO2e BIOGENIC EMISSIONS
SCOPE 1 51,487 30,883 62,815 59,388
15
In addition to emissions reductions from our decarbonization efforts, external factors also influence the
Netflix ESG Report 2022 calculated emissions total, including data improvements (e.g., improved data quality, updated emissions factors)
and changes in core business activities from year to year (e.g., number of self-managed vs. partner-managed
17
productions which can shift the emissions representation between Scopes).
Introduction Environment Social Governance Appendix
Sustainability Strategy Sustainability in Our Operations and Value Chain Netting Remaining Emissions to Zero Sustainability in Storytelling Climate Risk
16
Netflix ESG Report 2022 There is no reporting guidance from the SBTi on tracking progress towards science-based targets on an annual basis, so we use standard greenhouse gas
accounting methodologies per the Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard by The Greenhouse Gas Protocol. Our Internal Audit team validates our greenhouse
18
gas accounting methodologies and we engage EY to perform limited assurance over our greenhouse gas emissions.
Introduction Environment Social Governance Appendix
Sustainability Strategy Sustainability in Our Operations and Value Chain Netting Remaining Emissions to Zero Sustainability in Storytelling Climate Risk
In 2022, as in previous years, we have matched our global We recognize that not all renewable energy supply is the same in
operations with 100% renewable electricity, covering all electricity terms of its positive impact. So we’re working to increase the
consumption in our offices and for productions we directly manage. proportion of onsite generation, utility and landlord-supplied clean
This was achieved through a range of approaches that include electricity and direct sourcing from offsite projects.
utility-supplied clean electricity, landlord-supplied clean electricity,
and renewable energy certificates (RECs).
Below are some of the highlights of our partnership with Powertrust in 2022:
Mon, Nagaland: This project has connected three villages in the state of
POWERTRUST PARTNERSHIP Nagaland to solar mini-grids. These villages are the first demonstration
sites of a larger plan to connect 40 villages across the province over the
This year we partnered with Powertrust to bring next three years.
high-impact distributed renewable energy
projects to rural areas of India for the first time.
This work is funded through distributed renewable Dr. Shroff’s Charity Eye Hospital, Uttar Pradesh: This organization operates
energy certificates (D-RECs), a market instrument multiple centers for high-quality, low-cost eye care serving the rural poor and
low-income communities across India. The combined network sees more
aligned to the International REC (I-REC) standard.
than 250,000 patients and performs nearly 30,000 surgeries every year. This
These investments bring renewable energy to branch in Uttar Pradesh experienced daily power cuts lasting multiple hours,
regions where it is needed most, thereby and relied on diesel generators to provide backup power. Now, a photovoltaic
delivering maximal social and environmental system reduces diesel consumption by up to 70%.
benefits. Many of the projects we have invested in
are bringing electricity to communities, and
enabling others to rely less on small-scale fossil Vellore Institute of Technology, Andhra Pradesh: The institute is a higher
fuel generators. educational facility in Andhra Pradesh. A 700kWp rooftop system now
spreads across several buildings on the institute’s campus, including several
student accommodation and service buildings.
Reducing Emissions in
lower emissions than conventional fuels such as diesel and Jet-A.
the Workplace (continued) In select markets, we fueled both production vehicles and mobile
generators with over 185,000 gallons of renewable diesel, an
RENEWABLE FUELS important bridge fuel as we work towards longer-term
decarbonization of these activities. Similarly, we have secured over
We strive to implement zero-emissions solutions where we can. 100,000 gallons of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (a Jet-A fuel
But we can also achieve meaningful reductions in the near-term replacement blended fuel with lower emissions) to help fuel
through the adoption of renewable fuels that have significantly Netflix aircraft.
Using diesel generators has been an entertainment Batteries: Virgin River Season 5 built on their experience from Season 4 to
expand their use of batteries to power set and ancillary power needs,
industry standard for a long time and effective reducing the season’s diesel generator fuel use by 44%. The Union, filmed
cleaner alternatives have not been available at around London, leveraged batteries to power the set and lighting, resulting
scale. Cleantech solutions are starting to emerge in generators only being needed for 5% of filming hours, saving over 1,800
and they can replace some generators, or at least gallons of fuel.
reduce the number of hours they need to run each
day — saving fuel and reducing air and noise
pollution on set.
In the past year, over 50% of the productions Hydrogen Power Units (HPUs): Hydrogen Power Units using green hydrogen
Netflix manages incorporated clean mobile power were deployed on UK productions that required supplemental power at studios
solutions including grid tie-ins, mobile batteries, or long term locations. For the filming of Damsel, two large hydrogen power
battery-hybrid generators, and hydrogen power units were used to provide supplemental power at a studio, replacing diesel
units, resulting in fuel reductions that lowered generators, saving over 4,200 gallons of fuel and reducing emissions by 44
MTCO2e. The Diplomat Season 1 employed equipment to bring clean power to
emissions by 1,179 MTCO2e. This included the
a rural location in the English countryside. We partnered with a local production
deployment of over 100 pieces of clean mobile equipment supplier to conduct the first mobile hydrogen pilot in France on
power equipment and battery-hybrid generators Lupin Part 3, while filming on location outside of Paris.
deployed for the first time. Netflix also expanded
the geographic reach of these solutions, deploying
Hybrid Generators: Bodkin Season 1 was the first ever production in
solutions in and around Atlanta, Austin, Dublin, Ireland to use a hybrid generator and to use renewable diesel. We also
Lisbon, London, Los Angeles, New York, Paris, piloted hybrid generators for the production of the films Irish Wish,
Toronto and Vancouver. Here are a few examples of Unfrosted and Rebel Moon, the latter using a hybrid generator plus
clean mobile power in our 2022 productions. solar technology to provide remote power to construction crews and
wardrobe trailers.
VEHICLE ELECTRIFICATION
Because internet infrastructure (including data centers) are so Based on globally accepted greenhouse gas accounting
widely shared by so many consumers across so many services, the standards24, internet- and device-related emissions fall outside
energy consumption of this infrastructure for individual video of the formal carbon footprint boundary for Netflix. Even so, we still
streams is relatively efficient (i.e., ~10% of total use-phase think it is important for us to contribute to industry-wide
streaming emissions). By contrast, the physical devices used by decarbonization efforts.
our members (wifi routers, streaming sticks, set top boxes, and
displays) drive the most energy consumption and emissions Through our participation in DIMPACT, we collaborate with Internet
(~89%). Even so, the total carbon footprint of streaming one hour Service Providers (ISPs), device manufacturers, and academic and
of video is approximately 55 gCO2e (grams of carbon dioxide industry experts to stay up-to-date on the latest research about
equivalents). This equates roughly22 to the emissions associated digital service emissions and contribute to cross-sector policy
with microwaving four bags of popcorn, or three boils in an suggestions that will help decarbonize video streaming globally.
electric kettle23. We’ve summarized the main takeaways here.
22
Based on UK emissions factors, because these comparisons vary by country depending on the carbon
Electric Utilities intensity of the user's national grid.
100% of this value chain relies on electricity 23
The True Climate Impact of Streaming
24
Per the Greenhouse Gas Protocol and also validated by our auditors, indirect use-phase emissions are
Netflix ESG Report 2022 optional to include. The Science Based Target Initiative (SBTi) also specifies that internet- and device-related
emissions are indirect use phase emissions for software and telecommunication services, therefore optional to
27
include in our footprint and target (Target Validation Protocol for Near-term Targets, Version 3.1, pg. 51).
Introduction Environment Social Governance Appendix
Sustainability Strategy Sustainability in Our Operations and Value Chain Netting Remaining Emissions to Zero Sustainability in Storytelling Climate Risk
25
All scenarios developed by the IPCC that limit climate change to 1.5°C rely on increasing the ghg sequestration potential of nature coupled with the avoidance of further
Netflix ESG Report 2022 damage to soils, forests, peatlands, wetlands, oceans and other critical biodiverse sinks - IPCC (2022) Climate Change 2022: Mitigation of Climate Change. 28
26
A We Mean Business coalition study showed that if the world’s 1,700 biggest emitters compensated each year for just 10% of the emissions they have not yet cut, through
investments in nature, it would mitigate nearly 30 gigatons of emissions and mobilize up to $1 trillion in climate finance by 2030.
Introduction Environment Social Governance Appendix
Sustainability Strategy Sustainability in Our Operations and Value Chain Netting Remaining Emissions to Zero Sustainability in Storytelling Climate Risk
Scott River Improved USA Removal: Fire prevention, Ecotrust Forest 31,248
Forest Management IFM biochar production, Management
watershed restoration
ICICO Community Mexico Removal: Biodiversity, local skilled jobs, Cool Effect 17,170 Chyulu Hills REDD+ Project
Based Reforestation IFM fire prevention and other
forest health benefits
Indigo Ag Soil USA Removal: Biodiversity, local skilled jobs, Indigo AG / 1,100
Carbon Project Soil Carbon soil health, fire prevention and Cool Effect
other forest health benefits
Total 1,146,221
For any electricity we weren’t able to decarbonize in 2022, we used like-for-like credits by retiring Energy
ICOCO Community Based Reforestation
Attribute Certificates (e.g., Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) in the US, Guarantees of Origin (GOs) in
Europe) to cover all non-renewable electricity use in over 150 countries.
Sustainability in
Storytelling The Sea Beast Our Great National Parks
EVs ON SCREEN
Young people like myself view Netflix as a cherished form of Netflix has committed to expanding the use of EVs in shows and
films we produce ourselves — and announced this in a 2023 Super
entertainment but also as a source of education and
Bowl ad with GM starring Will Ferrell. These titles will start to hit
inspiration. As more and more of our generation recognizes the service in 2023, including Murder Mystery 2, Virgin River
the implications of the climate crisis on our daily lives we feel Season 5 and more that will prominently feature EVs.
hopeful when shows like The Crown tackle coal pollution, or
when Zac Efron’s Down to Earth highlights new green
technologies. I’m proud of Netflix for being serious about
tackling the climate crisis both in-house and on-screen.
Xiye Bastida,
Indigenous youth climate activist and winner of
the Spirit of the UN Award
Acute Acute physical risks caused by disruption from Short Term We produce content all around the world and can be somewhat resilient
Physical wildfires, flooding and sea level rise could pose a to issues related to a particular studio or filming location. As part of our
threat to business continuity and an impact to planning for productions, we conduct risk assessments and develop
productions in areas impacted by natural disasters. detailed emergency response plans for each different potential scenario.
During production, we regularly track adverse weather events and other
situations that may impact the continuity of our productions and
implement plans as needed (e.g., halting production, moving locations,
etc.). We will also continue to monitor global physical risks as a part of our
enterprise wide risk management and business continuity programs,
which will inform additional mitigation strategies.
Emerging Regulatory impacts could impose additional costs Medium Term We partner closely with players across the industry to evaluate, develop
Regulation and limitations on how we produce content and and deploy new sustainable technologies as well as seek to operate as
operate our service. efficiently as possible with traditional energy sources.
Regulatory impacts on traditional energy sources Along with other companies, we have partnered with DIMPACT to
could pose a risk on our license to operate and help better understand and assess the impact of emerging trends in
produce content (e.g., bans on diesel generators in our industry.
desirable shooting locations) if new comparable
Read more about these efforts in the Sustainability in Our Operations
technologies aren’t introduced in sufficient supply
and Value Chain section
in time.
OPPORTUNITIES
Resource Energy efficiency in our operations. Short Term Netflix conducts energy efficiency audits across our operations
Efficiency and long term lease facilities in order to reduce energy costs and
emissions from inefficiencies in our built environment. Learn more
in our Sustainability in Our Operations and Value Chain section.
Energy Optimization and electrification of our vehicle Short Term Netflix is exploring various ways to optimize fleet use with our
Source fleet across our operations, productions and in suppliers and switching from fossil fueled transportation to EVs.
our supply chain. EVs are more efficient and many models have lower total cost of
ownership versus gas-powered vehicles. We anticipate that this
integration of these practices and technologies will result in net
cost and operational savings over the next decade. Learn more in
our Sustainability in Our Operations and Value Chain section.
Products and Supporting entertaining and Medium Term Learn more in our Sustainability in Storytelling section.
Services scientifically-informed content that raises
environmental awareness.
While the assessment was a useful exercise, the climate risks we METRICS AND TARGETS
identified were all mapped to risk mitigation strategies already in place
or underway. The output of this climate risk assessment was also used Refer to our public climate targets and Scope 1, 2 and 3
as an input into our enterprise risk management (ERM) assessment. greenhouse gas emissions data above. Measuring our performance
When evaluated using our ERM methodology, no standalone against these targets over time helps to inform our climate risk
climate-related risks were identified as significant for the company. assessment process, in particular our transition risks.
Social
We are focused on a number of areas, including
diversity and inclusion within Netflix,
representation both behind and in front of the
camera and the accessibility of our service.
51.7% 51.4%
Across gender identities, women make up 49.6% 51.2%
49.6% of our workforce and have the highest 50% 45.7% 50% 47.8%
45.0% 45.6%
representation at Netflix, compared to 51.7% in
2021. Women leadership (Directors and above)
40% 40%
remained steady at 51.4% (vs. 51.2% in 2021).
Men and additional gender identities28 remained
flat at 45% and 1.3% respectively, compared 30% 30%
to 2021.
20% 20%
SENIOR LEADERSHIP
10% 10%
Of the 23 leaders in our senior leadership team 1.3% 0.3%
in 2022, 43.5% (10) are women. 0.2%
0% 0%
Women Men Additional Women Men Additional
Gender Gender
Identities Identities
2021 2022
27
This data is based on a subset of our streaming employee population, representing approximately 9,500 streaming
employees. Due to regional laws, we are not able to collect gender data in every region. 4% of the 9,500 employees
Netflix ESG Report 2022 represented in the data collection process chose not to disclose a gender identity.
28
Netflix acknowledges and honors that gender is non-binary, so employees can self-identify from categories outside of
38
man or woman.
Introduction Environment Social Governance Appendix
Inclusion and Diversity Responsible Products
Representation Today
RACE/ETHNICITY (US)29 The number of US employees who identify as Asian
accounts for 27% of our workforce, an increase from
Over half of our US workforce (52.9%) is made up of people 25.8% in 2021— and 18.4% of our leadership (directors
from one or more historically excluded ethnic and/or racial and above), compared to 18.6% in 2021.
backgrounds, including Asian, Black, Hispanic or Latino/a/x,
Middle Eastern or North African, Native American, and The number of US Black employees accounts for 10.7%
Pacific Islander30. of our workforce, a decrease from 11.7% in 2021 — and
12.9% of our leadership (directors and above), a
decrease from 13.6% in 2021.
SENIOR LEADERSHIP
The number of US Hispanic or Latino/a/x employees
Of the 23 leaders in our senior leadership team in 2022, 34.8% (8) accounts for 11.3% of our workforce, relatively flat from
self-identify as belonging to one or more historically excluded last year (11.2%) — and 7.3% of our leadership
ethnic and/or racial backgrounds. (directors and above), an increase from 6.8% in 2021.
29
In the US — where we collect and report race and ethnicity data — we had approximately 7,000 employees.
Previously published results will differ due to changes in data collection methods that allow employees to share
multiple self-identities (e.g., Black and Asian compared to only “multi-race”); with this change, percentages can
Netflix ESG Report 2022 add up to more than 100%.
30
The Race & Ethnicity self-identification categories that Netflix uses are largely informed by US federal
39
reporting requirements.
Introduction Environment Social Governance Appendix
Inclusion and Diversity Responsible Products
US Race/Ethnicity US Race/Ethnicity
59.0%
58.5%
All Job Levels Director+
40% 40%
Benefits Highlights:
Culture and Engagement
Physical Health: Medical benefits work differently by country. No
At Netflix, we seek excellence in everything we do — our product,
matter what the case is in each location, we make sure our
our entertainment and our culture. To help us succeed, we’ve employees and their families are covered. Additionally, we focus on
created an employee culture that’s focused on continuous accommodations and workplace adjustments to enable employees
improvement so we can better serve our members and build our with one or more disabilities to be productive and successful.
business. Our publicly available Culture Memo outlines our
approach, which we update as needed to ensure we remain flexible
in our approach. And we focus on employee engagement and Mental Health: Mental health is important to overall health so we
offer various programs to support employees and their dependents.
feedback, including through regular town halls, business reviews
Globally, we provide access to mindfulness resources, as well as free
and memos (which we often share broadly, including comments). therapy and coaching sessions. In 2022, we introduced a formal
Wellbeing + Resilience strategy to manage issues related to anxiety
and workplace stress. Our primary goal is to enhance productivity by
focusing on integrating wellbeing into our operations.
Benefits and Wellbeing
Family Benefits: Netflix offers a global family forming and fertility
We offer benefits through four pillars: physical health, mental health benefit to support employees during their fertility health,
health, family and financial. On the right are a few highlights of surrogacy, adoption and family forming journey. This benefit is
our offerings: available to employees and their spouse/domestic partner,
regardless of marital status, gender identity or sexual orientation. We
also recognize that one of the most important events in many of our
employees’ lives is the birth or adoption of a child, and our parental
leave policy is “take care of your baby and yourself.”
We partner with Dr. Stacy L. Smith and the USC Annenberg More Women Behind Women of Color Behind and
Inclusion Initiative to examine several inclusion metrics (e.g., the Camera In Front of the Camera
gender, race/ethnicity, LGBTQ+, disability) in our
US-commissioned films and series. In 2021, we released our
first-ever study and committed to publicly releasing our progress
every two years through 2026 to help keep us accountable and 26.9% 11.8%
effect lasting change in our industry.
This April we shared the latest round of research looking at Netflix In 2021, 26.9% of directors on Netflix Women of color increased significantly as
US films and series from 2020 to 2021. The new findings showed films were women, compared to 12.7% series directors from 5.6% in 2018 to 11.8%
notable gains year-over-year for women and people from across top-grossing films across the in 2021, with similar growth for writer and
industry that same year. And 38% of creator roles. Nearly a third of films (27.7%)
underrepresented racial/ethnic groups. show creators in 2021 were women, and more than half of series (54.75%) in
substantially higher than 26.9% in 2018. 2021 had women of color as leads/co-leads.
However, the results also reveal that gaps persist for some specific racial/ethnic
groups, including Latinx, Middle Eastern/North African, Indigenous and Native
Netflix ESG Report 2022 Hawaiian/Pacific Islander communities, as well as characters with disabilities. 44
Read the executive summary here and the full report here.
Introduction Environment Social Governance Appendix
Inclusion and Diversity Responsible Products
From our work with USC, we have learned that more inclusion In just two years, we have committed $29 million towards these
behind the camera leads to better representation on screen. So in initiatives, supporting over 4,500 up-and-coming creatives and
2021, we established the Netflix Fund for Creative Equity, a partnering with more than 80 organizations around the world.
commitment of $100 million over five years towards building new We’ve also placed 395 creatives from our programs on Netflix
opportunities for underrepresented communities within productions in a variety of roles, ranging from line producers and
entertainment. Through the fund, Netflix supports external associate editors to casting assistants and grips. Read the latest
organizations that are committed to creating more equitable update on the Fund for Creative Equity here.
opportunities in the TV and film industries, as well as bespoke
Netflix programs that help us to identify, train and provide job
placement for up-and-coming talent globally.
Invested more than $29 million in Partnered with over 80 Established more than 100 Supported more than 4,500
programs over the past 2 years organizations across the globe programs in over 35 countries creatives including directors,
from the United Kingdom to producers, writers, visual effects
Brazil and Spain to India artists and more
“The Netflix Series Directors Development Program helped me “I learned so much from day one. It was the most tasking project
pivot my career - the team looked beyond my career as an actor, I have ever worked on, but it was also the most rewarding. I got to
and saw the potential in me to grow as an artist. The program work with some of the best talent in my country, which was an
gave us access to major talent and a front row seat to the inner amazing experience. They treated me with so much respect and I
workings of directing. Thanks to Lauren Iungerich, I directed an am grateful for the immense support I got from Netflix and my
episode on two Netflix shows as part of this. Training with Lauren mentor. I also learned a lot about how a world class production is
has been invaluable to my career. She gave me all the time, tools managed, and this is definitely something I’ll be taking into future
and encouragement to truly succeed, while testing me and work. I have grown tremendously as a filmmaker and I feel more
challenging me to grow along the way. Because of her, I’m ready to take on the world.”
prepared to tackle any opportunity that comes my way.”
"Through the NPA masterclasses and networking events, “Through the Take Ten program, I got to learn about writing a
I’ve had the opportunity to meet and discuss ideas with key screenplay, creating characters, directing actors, along with many
players in the film industry. Above all, I have had the time, other filmmaking lessons. We had the opportunity to do this
space, and tools to develop my vision as a producer. In a short under the guidance of Film Companion, and being mentored by
period of only six months, the New Producers Academy has professionals who are not only good at what they do, but also
allowed me to position myself in the Dutch film industry on my truly invested in the process of teaching, was extremely helpful.
terms. What has been most rewarding is to be in a position There aren’t any grant opportunities in India to speak of, and to
where I can work together with emerging creators that find my have a platform like Netflix to showcase your film was a huge deal
fresh approach as a producer valuable and essential." for a first time filmmaker like me. For the first time, me and my
team believed that we had a real shot at this.”
Progress in Partnerships
SUPPLIER DIVERSITY
We’re working to ensure that our suppliers and vendors come from
a diversity of backgrounds. This helps create jobs and
opportunities in communities where we do business for people
who’ve often been marginalized historically. In 2022, we spent
~$700 million with underrepresented suppliers, a 9%
year-over-year increase.
PARTNER SPOTLIGHTS
Hope Credit Union was one of the first investments in the Netflix
commitment to build economic opportunity in Black communities.
The investment in HOPE is supporting the financing of more than
2,500 entrepreneurs, homebuyers and consumers of color. To
learn more about these investments and their impact, check out the
YouTube web series “Banking On Us.”
Episode 1 Episode 2 Episode 3
PARTNER SPOTLIGHTS
Privacy
Responsible Products
Our service has always been subscription-based, and when
members sign up for any plan, we ask for very little information:
Empowering people to easily choose and experience films,
email, name and method of payment. Our Personal Information
series and games they love is critical to a member’s joy every
Handling Principles ensure our engineering and business teams
time they go to Netflix. We design our products to protect the
are aligned on our approach to privacy. Our Privacy Statement
privacy and security of our members, and to be inclusive and
provides a detailed explanation of our privacy practices to our
accessible to everyone.
members, including: the information Netflix collects or receives
from each member; information from our partners; how we use and
disclose it (including advertising that we conduct off Netflix to
promote our service); and the controls each member has in relation
to this information.
Product Accessibility
We believe incredible stories and games should be enjoyed by all of needs is continually expanding. All Netflix-owned films and series
our members, regardless of language, device, connectivity, or support SDH for the language in which they were originally
ability and that accessibility is just as important as the aesthetics, produced. We have also started expanding SDH and AD to nearly
speed and stability of our service. 20 languages, including Spanish, Portuguese, and French. Netflix
members can browse titles with English audio descriptions in the
gallery on our website, and by selecting “Audio Description” under
MAKING OUR SERVICE MORE ACCESSIBLE the Categories menu in our mobile apps. We also introduced new
badge icons for our shows and films that have AD and SDH on
We have designed features like assistive listening systems, web, TV, iOS and Android so members can more easily discover
brightness controls, keyboard shortcuts, screen readers, larger font stories suited to their needs, eliminating the inconvenient need to
size and voice commands into our products. We also conduct play a title first.
research with current and prospective members aimed at
identifying barriers to perceiving, navigating, and interacting with We partner with vendors across the globe who are dedicated to
Netflix, and design solutions to remove those barriers. We take working with the blind and low vision community in many different
advantage of device-specific assistive technologies (e.g., native capacities, from hiring blind or low vision narrators, quality
features on Apple iOS and Android platforms) as much as possible. controllers and co-author/editors to working with the community
We also create our own accessibility options, such as the ability to and local organizations to gather feedback through focus groups.
change the font, size, shadow, and background color of closed Guidelines for the creation of AD, timed text style guides, gaming
captions and subtitles on TV, and adjust playback speed on mobile. accessibility and minimizing photosensitivity issues – flashes or
patterns that could cause ill-effects in our audiences, are also
Our catalog of titles with subtitles for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing publicly available to share best practices amongst industry peers.
(SDH), and audio descriptions (AD) for our members with vision
Over the past year, we kicked off our first tour of barrier free
accessible screenings in New Orleans, Los Angeles,
London, New York City, and Seoul. Audiences came together
to experience the thrill of The Gray Man, Stranger Things S4,
and Jung_E in theaters with open AD and SDH.
Governance
From our earliest innovation of DVD-by-mail to
becoming one of the world’s leading entertainment
services, we’ve managed our business for the long
term and focused on pleasing our members. This
approach has served our members, employees and
shareholders well over the past 25 years.
Corporate Governance
Our corporate governance structure31 was built to find the world, while effectively managing risk and overseeing
right balance of rights and responsibilities among management performance. We believe that a diverse mix of skills,
shareholders, the board and management, and ensure that experience, perspectives and backgrounds contribute to an
there are appropriate checks and balances in place. With effective board. The composition of our board has evolved over
the rapid evolution of technology and the changing media the past several years, and when looking to fill board positions, we
landscape, we are continually adjusting our service to meet the will continue to evaluate potential candidates who we believe
needs and desires of our consumers. Our governance complement and augment our current board. The Nominating and
structure has been deliberately constructed to help us to Governance Committee considers a number of factors, including
do that. those depicted below, as well as characteristics such as gender,
ethnic or racial background, and national origin when evaluating
potential board candidates.
Board Composition and Structure
Our board is composed of 12 highly experienced, talented and
qualified directors with experience as board members and
executives at some of the world’s most successful companies. We Innovation Content International
believe that the board is well situated to navigate the changing Knowledge of how Experience Expertise in global
competitive terrain that Netflix operates within. The board has led to anticipate with the business cultures
consumer and entertainment and and consumer
Netflix through its evolution from a US-only DVD business to a technological media industry preferences
leading global streaming service and from a licensor of second run trends
content to one of the biggest producers of films and series in the
STRATEGY ALIGNMENT
Our board has the experience and expertise that aligns
Netflix ESG Report 2022 with these important facets of our long-term strategy 55
31
Netflix Approach to Governance
Introduction Environment Social Governance Appendix
Corporate Governance Enterprise Risk IP Protection & Data Piracy Ethics and Compliance
As of the end of 2022, women made up 33% of our independent directors and 27% of our overall board. One independent director comes from a
historically excluded ethnic and/or racial background. We maintain our current board diversity matrix on our investor relations website32.
Board Oversight
THE BOARD
The board’s role in our risk oversight process includes reviewing The board as a whole oversees matters related
and discussing with members of management areas of material to enterprise, strategic, operational, financial and
risk to the company, including overall enterprise, strategic, legal risk and the company’s ESG efforts.
operational, financial and legal risks. The board oversees the
company’s ESG efforts, which includes human capital
management, inclusion, diversity, sustainability and other matters.
The board also oversees succession planning. The board receives
regular updates from management typically in the form of an
NOMINATING AND AUDIT COMPENSATION
interactive memo, where directors ask questions to management, GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE COMMITTEE
and further discuss matters at meetings. Each of the committees COMMITTEE
oversee various ESG matters, depending on the specific issues. Oversees matters of Oversees risks related
Primary committee financial and legal to compensation issues
Committees report to the full board regarding their respective
responsible for board risk, including
considerations and actions. structure, governance and cybersecurity risk
director independence, as
well as assisting the board
in overseeing ESG matters
COMPANY MANAGEMENT
The executive team, led by our co-Chief Executive Officers,
supervises day-to-day risk management processes, including
identifying, assessing, monitoring, managing and mitigating
significant business risks. Company management reports to the board
on an annual basis, or more frequently if needed, top areas of risk.
Governance Structure
One share, one vote: We have a single class of shares with each
share entitled to one vote.
Streaming is now an established business, Netflix is self-funding
and expects sustained positive free cash flow, and we’ve
substantially scaled our revenues, operating profit and margins. As Majority voting standard: We have a majority voting standard in
such, we have recently evolved to a more standard large-cap uncontested director elections. Any incumbent director who fails to
receive a majority of votes cast in an uncontested election must tender
governance structure. At our 2022 annual meeting, the Netflix
their resignation to the board. The Nominating and Governance
Board proposed and stockholders approved significant changes to Committee would then make a recommendation to the board about
our corporate governance structure. We implemented a phased-in whether to accept or reject the resignation or take other action.
declassification of our board, with directors elected at this year’s
annual meeting serving one-year terms and the entire board
Annual director elections (fully declassified by 2025): We have
standing for annual elections beginning in 2025 and beyond. We phased-in the declassification of our board with directors elected at
also eliminated supermajority voting provisions in our Amended this year’s annual meeting serving one-year terms and the entire
and Restated Articles of Incorporation (the “Charter”) and our board standing for annual elections beginning in 2025 and beyond.
Amended and Restated Bylaws (the “Bylaws”), provided
shareholders with the ability to call special meetings, and adopted
Elimination of supermajority voting: We eliminated supermajority
a majority voting standard in uncontested director elections. We voting provisions in our Charter and Bylaws.
also adopted a market standard director resignation policy. Here is
a summary of our corporate governance best practices and
Proxy Access: A group of up to 20 stockholders, owning at least
stockholder rights:
3% of shares continuously for at least three years may nominate up
to two directors or 20% of the Board (whichever is greater) for
inclusion in our proxy statement.
Shareholder Engagement
We strive to stay in tune with our ownership base. Our board
and our management team engage directly and regularly with
our shareholders, and our board and its committees consider
shareholders’ feedback in assessing our governance structure,
including our compensation program. Since our 2022 annual
meeting, we have invited 26 shareholders, representing
approximately 57% of our shares outstanding to participate in
calls to discuss our executive compensation program and other
matters that are top of mind33. We conducted two rounds of
investor outreach – one in the summer of 2022 and one in early
2023, to ensure we fully understood shareholder feedback,
concerns and perspectives. Members of the Netflix legal and
investor relations teams met with 19 shareholders, representing
approximately 51% of our shares outstanding. Independent
directors of the board participated in a majority of these
engagements, meeting with shareholders representing
approximately 45% of our shares outstanding. We also
engaged with the proxy advisory firms, Glass Lewis and
Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS). These engagements
provide a direct opportunity to exchange information and
perspectives, and the input from our shareholders will continue
to inform our ongoing ESG programs as we evolve and grow.
Appendix
62
Introduction Environment Social Governance Appendix
About This Report ESG Data Tables SASB Index TCFD Index Resources GHG Inventory Methodology Carbon Credit Project Screening Criteria
General
Environment
Social
Social (continued)
Social (continued)
Governance5
SASB INDEX
6
Only includes Scope 2 hardware infrastructure, i.e. Netflix-operated Open Connect Appliances in colocation data centers, which represent approximately 1/10th of Scope 2 and 3 data
Netflix ESG Report 2022 center electricity use (all Open Connect and AWS combined).
7
6
While SASB only requires reporting for the “Environmental Footprint of Hardware Infrastructure,” Netflix has opted to report on its other Scope 2 energy consumption as well, which
includes electricity use in corporate offices, production studios, and billboards, in addition to colocation data center infrastructure.
Introduction Environment Social Governance Appendix
About This Report ESG Data Tables SASB Index TCFD Index Resources GHG Inventory Methodology Carbon Credit Project Screening Criteria
TCFD INDEX
Governance: Disclose the organization’s governance around climate-related risks and opportunities
Describe the board’s oversight of climate-related risks The Netflix Board oversees the Company’s ESG efforts, which includes sustainability, with
and opportunities the assistance of the Nominating and Governance Committee. They regularly receive
updates on sustainability and enterprise risk management at board meetings. Refer to the
Climate Risk section of the ESG report.
Describe management’s role in assessing and Our Chief Financial Officer (CFO) oversees management decisions related to our
managing climate related risks and opportunities sustainability programs, which are led by our Netflix Sustainability Officer. Our Internal
Audit team performs an annual company-wide enterprise risk assessment, in which
climate risks are considered, and the findings of this assessment are shared with our board
annually. Refer to the Climate Risk section of the ESG report.
Strategy: Disclose the actual and potential impacts of climate-related risks and opportunities on the organization’s businesses, strategy, and financial
planning where such information is material
Describe the climate-related risks and opportunities Refer to the risks and opportunities tables in the Climate Risk section of the ESG report.
the organization has identified over the short, medium,
and long term
Describe the impact of climate-related risks and
opportunities on the organization’s businesses,
strategy, and financial planning
Describe the resilience of the organization’s strategy,
taking into consideration different climate-related
scenarios, including a 2°C or lower scenario
TCFD INDEX
Risk Management: Disclose how the organization identifies, assesses, and manages climate-related risks
Describe the organization’s processes for identifying We conducted an initial climate risk assessment at the end of 2021. This evaluation looked
and assessing climate-related risk at a range of climate risks as defined by the Task Force on Climate-Related Disclosures,
including physical, regulatory, reputational, market, legal and transitional risks. We also
Describe the organization’s processes for managing
referenced the ESG-Specific Committee of Sponsoring Organizations’ (COSO) framework
climate-related risks
and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) research to build a climate risk
Describe how processes for identifying, assessing, and framework to assess Netflix risk. While the assessment was a useful exercise, the climate
managing climate-related risks are integrated into the risks we identified were all mapped to risk mitigation strategies already in place or underway.
organization’s overall risk management The output of this climate risk assessment was also used as an input into our enterprise risk
management (ERM) assessment. When evaluated using our ERM methodology, no
standalone climate-related risks were identified as significant for the company.
Metrics & Targets: Disclose the metrics and targets used to assess and manage relevant climate-related risks and opportunities where such
information is material
Disclose the metrics used by the organization to assess Refer to the Public Climate Targets and Carbon Footprint sections of the ESG report for
climate related risks and opportunities in line with its information on our metrics, emissions and targets. Measuring our performance against our
strategy and risk management process climate targets over time helps to inform our climate risk assessment process, in particular
our transition risks.
Disclose Scope 1, Scope 2, and, if appropriate, Scope 3
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and the related risks
Describe the targets used by the organization to
manage climate related risks and opportunities and
performance against targets
Resources
ESG REPORT ARCHIVE SOCIAL
Some of these data sets such as the average building energy use intensity
values from the DOE Commercial Building Energy Consumption Survey
(2016), are held constant to maintain consistency across years.
We also use a target-based emissions accounting method relative to our We include all Netflix-branded content productions, whether we manage the
science=based targets, which is custom to Netflix. Target-based emissions production directly (like The Sea Beast, Spirit Rangers, Don’t Look Up, Our
incorporate direct renewable energy supply (e.g., onsite generation, utility & Great National Parks), or through a third-party production company (like
landlord supply, power purchase agreements or direct investments) but do Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, The Elephant Whisperers) as well as all
not account for emissions from contractual instruments such as renewable content that we license that is Netflix-branded (like Octonauts: Above and
energy certificates (RECs). Beyond, Captain Nova, Down to Earth with Zac Efron). Activities outside of
our operational control present challenges to measuring and reducing
Scope 3: Netflix also estimates and reports relevant Scope 3 categories, emissions, but because so much of production infrastructure, crew and
which therefore includes activities outside of our operational control. Our equipment are shared across studios, we believe that holding ourselves
Scope 3 boundary was established in alignment with the GHG Protocol accountable for all emissions from Netflix-branded content (wherever it is
Corporate and Scope 3 Standards. Netflix includes all relevant and material produced) will create a positive ripple effect across our own emissions as
sources of emissions including categories 1-4, 6-8 and 11. In the future, we well as the entire industry.
aim to include category 5 (emissions related to waste in operations) by
improving our direct data collection. For now, most estimated waste-related Data Management
emissions in our footprint are captured in category 1 (purchased goods &
services) using spend-based estimates on facilities management and We maintain a Greenhouse Gas Inventory Management plan to ensure
production operations. consistency of calculating and estimating emissions from year to year, and to
provide to our 3rd party assurance providers as a basis for their audit of our
Scope 3 emissions use location-based emissions factors except where emissions. We maintain documentation as evidence to support our emissions
individual suppliers provided supplier specific emissions that are inventory and follow Netflix retention policies for these records. In 2022, we
market-based (e.g., AWS) or through application of RECs to Scope 3 began implementing a carbon accounting software solution to help
emissions where information on the specific energy consumption by location streamline and mature our data collection processes, and to help maintain
was available (e.g., for the Open Connect network) in order to match the related documentation.
contractual instrument to known energy consumption in accordance with
GHG Protocol Scope 2 Guidance. Netflix works with individual suppliers,
wherever possible, to determine that any renewable contractual instruments
applied to their emissions are appropriately attributed.
Any credits that we purchase must meet globally recognized core quality
criteria: they must be additional, verified, based on a realistic baseline, not Screen 4: Use digital tools and resources to improve visibility
double counted and issued by a credible standard that has robust
provisions in place to address permanence (the risk of reversal) and Where feasible, we use technology to enhance project validation and
leakage (the risk of displacing emissions from one location to another). verification, such as AI-powered satellite imagery, machine learning and
We only purchase credits that have been third-party verified and remote sensing analysis.
registered on a trusted registry, including – Verra, Gold Standard, Climate
Action Reserve and American Carbon Registry – or have demonstrated an
equivalent level of rigor. Screen 5: Seek additional expert advice
Netflix relies on its expert advisory group to provide additional insight and
Screen 3: Deep project- level diligence and impact screening guidance on an ongoing basis across a range of key issues, including our
carbon credit portfolio. This helps us identify things we may have missed.
Our team then conducts due diligence on the projects and holds live
interviews directly with the project developers and/or trusted project
partners. This includes research on the projects, their proponents and other
local stakeholders. Engaging directly with the project hosts enables a