Dive Brief:
- TikTok is betting on carbon removal to cut its soaring emissions and work toward its sustainability goals, which include a target to achieve operational carbon neutrality by 2030.
- Swiss carbon capture company Climeworks announced Wednesday it had inked a multi-year partnership with the social media company and will help remove 5,100 tons of carbon dioxide emitted by TikTok from the atmosphere by the end of the decade.
- Climeworks said it plans to achieve the removals with a diverse portfolio consisting of its own Direct Air Capture technology, as well as biochar and reforestation solutions from other market leaders. The carbon removal solutions company has previously signed deals with Morgan Stanley, British Airways and Boston Consulting Group — among others — to help them curb their carbon footprint.
Dive Insight:
The deal is reflective of the “growing demand for carbon removal solutions across different industries as companies work toward their net-zero goals and hedge against future price spikes, boosting long-term profitability,” Climeworks said in a Feb. 19 press release.
A November analysis from carbon accounting consultancy Greenly found that TikTok’s 2023 emissions (both daily and annual) across the United States, United Kingdom and France exceeded that of other rival social media platforms Instagram, Snapchat and X, formerly known as Twitter, in the same regions. This disparity in emissions exists primarily due to TikTok’s design as a video content-sharing platform, leading to higher energy consumption compared to other applications, according to Greenly. Despite the app having a lower user count compared to Instagram, Snapchat and X, Greenly said TikTok had higher emissions than those generated by each of the other platforms.
Though TikTok did note in a 2023 update it has goals to become carbon neutral by 2030 and aims to achieve part of this target by sourcing 100% renewable energy, it has not disclosed its own emissions data, nor disclosed broader plans on how it plans to achieve this.
The social media company’s main sustainability page on its website states “as climate change remains one of the most pressing challenges of our time, at TikTok, we remain committed to raising sustainability awareness and encouraging positive climate action,” but does not provide specifics on its sustainability policy. The company recently acquired a data center in Norway, which it said will only run on clean energy.
“Climeworks provided a solution that meets our highest standards and aligns perfectly with our sustainability strategy as we work toward carbon neutrality by 2030,” TikTok’s Global Head of Sustainability Ian Gill said in Wednesday’s press release.
