Jeremy Darroch's speech at BlueInvest Day 2020

Check against delivery

It’s been two years since I last spoke at Blue Invest. In that time, this agenda has gone from an upstart issue fighting for attention, to the centre of debate – not just in the political sphere, but in business and for consumers across Europe.

I’m delighted that we have made significant progress at Sky. We have used our platform to drive consumer awareness – reaching 50 million Europeans with our campaign to give up single use plastics. We have eliminated 97% of those plastics from our supply chain, and by the end of this year it will be 100%. Thanks to our Ocean Ventures fund, whole new companies have been launched to meet the changing needs.

We’ve made these changes as a business because they are right. But we have found them easier to do thanks to the leadership of Executive Vice President Timmermans, former Vice President Katainen and former Commissioner Vella, and I want to thank them for the direction and vision they and the EU have shown. I look forward to taking this agenda forward with Commissioner Sinkevičius

If you compare the debate about oceans and the debate about climate, the difference in pace is striking. The ocean debate has made a lot of progress in just 24 months. The climate debate has been far slower. At Sky we are just entering out fourth decade. In the first decade of our life as a business, the world became aware of the threat of climate change, but little happened. In our second decade, when you might have expected action at a global scale, there was instead a furious debate and unfortunate denial. Our third decade we began to see a real coalition forming between business and policy makers to make progress.

It’s clear to us all that the next 10 years must be about a firm, ambitious and immediate response that catches up to the scale of the threat.

What next?

We cannot stand still. We were the first media business to become carbon neutral, back in 2006. Our Rainforest rescue campaign saved a billion trees in the Amazon.

But those changes have been made. Those things are done.

So, the key question for us is what’s next?

And that’s what I want to talk about today.

Because, if we don’t change, climate science tells us what is next. Our oceans are already warmer than they have ever been in human history, and that is just the start.

That is not just a disaster for marine life. It is a disaster for all of us.

There is an idea out there that business is somehow disconnected from the environment in which it operates. That our only responsibility is to maximise profits. The only people I owe a duty to are my shareholders.

In my view Milton Friedman Friedrich Hayek view of the world is wrong. Business has a responsibility to our customers, to our colleagues, to the people we don’t see every day but rely on nonetheless. And so it is with the environmental eco-system we are part of. We depend on our environment and have a responsibility to it. We are connected fundamentally to it.

Sky’s new commitment – Net Zero Carbon by 2030

So, let me tell you what we are doing next at Sky.

We are going to be Europe’s first Net Zero Carbon media and entertainment company.

By 2030, Sky’s net carbon emissions will be zero: from our operations, from our supply chain and from the use of our products by our customers.

Net Zero Carbon is a phrase that is appearing more and more, and the EU rightly is focused on it. We shouldn’t lose sight of how big a goal it is. For us, it is 30 times bigger.

We have made this decision because we believe the zero-carbon goal set out publicly, whether by the EU or UK – 2050 – cannot be delivered at the last minute. If we want to hold warming below the 1.5 degrees threshold those of us that can must bring net zero forward.

That’s why I want to see an even more ambitious European Green New Deal. Europe is the most powerful trading bloc in the world. On trade, it is the global leader. If we want to hold warming to the level scientists advise, on climate it must lead as well.

That’s why I want to see an even more ambitious European Green New Deal. Europe is the most powerful trading bloc in the world. On trade, it is the global leader. If we want to hold warming to the level scientists advise, on climate it must lead as well.

Action we are taking

There is no point us just arguing for that acceleration in ambition if we aren’t willing to do it ourselves. So, we are doing it.

That means change in every corner of our business that we are going to go through – in the supply chain, in the way we work with customers and in the efficiency of operations.

We will halve the carbon emissions across our value chain. To do that, we will draw on the lessons we have learned removing single-use plastics from our supply chain. It is all about partnership. We need our suppliers to see the value of change to them too.

This kind of win-win is how we can influence business practices all round the world – well beyond the borders of the EU. Just as the EU is pivoting to face outwards, so are we.

The other thing we need is breakthrough innovation. We are expanding the remit of Sky Ocean Ventures - the fund we created to develop environmentally sustainable business ideas – so we can support breakthrough technologies.

Suppliers are important, but consumers are the key, the lifeblood of all business. Everyone at Sky thinks about them: what they want, what they need and how we can help them.

That is the approach we are taking to Net Zero Carbon as well.

Sky News already reaches over 100 million households across Europe. Our sports news channels in Germany reach people who wouldn’t tune into traditional coverage of climate change. TG24 is a backbone of news in Italy. We are determined to use our channels to help drive change.

At the same time, we will directly help our customers reduce their footprint – improving the energy efficiency of our products and helping them switch to lower carbon lifestyles.

The third element of activity is operations where we will continue to reduce our carbon footprint. That will involve transitioning all our 5000 vehicles to zero emissions, continuing to invest in and purchase 100% renewables energy and focusing our R&D on sustainable production and energy efficiency.

As a result of these changes – to our supply chain, to our customer relationships and to our operations –Sky will be very different in 2030. This is huge change. To meet our responsibilities, it is needed change.

Partnership

I am clear though, if we act alone, it will not be enough. The commitments made by other companies are welcome, but what we have so far is not enough either.

The way forward is collaboration between every part of our society, our government and our economy.

This is going to be hard. It will take tough choices. But it is what consumers are demanding of us, and it is what we have a responsibility to deliver.

And the good news is that it is something Europe can deliver. The EU has the power within its borders and influence beyond to build support for a zero-carbon vision, and then to make that vision a reality. Europe is lucky to have leaders who take this seriously, politically, in our NGOs and in business. I want Sky to play our part in helping those leaders come together and get the right policy framework. I hope more businesses across the continent will play theirs and we can move quickly to secure a sustainable future.

Thank you.

Contact:

Sian Parry, Senior Corporate Campaigns Manager, Sky
Sian.Parry@sky.uk / 07585242821