2022 Environmental Sustainability Report
We’re sharing our latest progress, challenges, and learnings to accelerate global progress towards net zero.
Microsoft Sustainability
In 2020, we committed to be carbon negative, water positive, and zero waste by 2030, and to protect more land than we use by 2025.
Taking care of our own environmental footprint
Our sustainability work starts with getting our own house in order. We’re taking accountability for our operational footprint and are committed to sharing learnings, accelerating markets, scaling solutions, and being transparent about our progress.
Carbon negative
Our sustainability journey starts with reducing our carbon emissions as much as possible, replacing our energy consumption with carbon-free energy, and removing the emissions that remain.
Water positive
At Microsoft, net water positive means reducing water consumption across our global operations, replenishing more water than we use, providing people across the globe with access to water and sanitation services, driving innovation, and engaging in water policy.
Zero waste
On our path to becoming a zero waste company, we’re taking an increasingly circular approach to materials management. Our strategy goes beyond waste diversion as we work across our value chain beginning with design and material selection.
Protect and preserve ecosystems
We’ve committed to permanently protect more land than we use by 2025. We’re also committed to being good stewards of the land we use—going beyond our own operations and actively working to protect the environmental health of the communities that host our datacenter operations and where our employees live and work.
Customer Sustainability
Our approach to sustainability also extends beyond our own four walls. We're committed to providing the digital technology needed to help build a more sustainable world.
Delivering digital technology for net zero
From managing environmental footprints with Microsoft Cloud for Sustainability to accelerating innovation for new climate technologies, we’re working to empower our customers and partners across industries.
As we look toward 2030—and beyond—we remain optimistic about our collective ability to decarbonize the global economy while continuing to grow and prosper as a global community.
Brad Smith, Vice Chair and President, and Melanie Nakagawa, Chief Sustainability Officer
Global Sustainability
Our actions alone will not solve the climate crisis. Microsoft is committed to helping build the enabling societal conditions that will support a net zero economy.
Enabling a more sustainable world
We’re focused on accelerating the availability of new climate technologies, strengthening our climate policy agenda, helping to develop a more reliable and interoperable carbon accounting system, advocating for skilling programs to expand the green workforce, and working to enable a just energy transition.
Meaningful climate action requires an enduring commitment from both government and business, with the private sector playing an increasingly important role in the transition from pledges to progress.
Brad Smith, Vice Chair and President, and Melanie Nakagawa, Chief Sustainability Officer
Beyond our report
We believe in the power of transparency and accountability to accelerate progress. Our work doesn’t stop here—we’re working on a number of initiatives to create a more sustainable future.
Accelerating progress
We’re building sustainability into everything we do—including our operations, products, solutions, and beyond our four walls.
Empowering our customers
We’re developing and delivering sustainable solutions, tools, and resources to help our customers accelerate their sustainability progress.
Enabling societal impact
We believe that companies that can do more, should. We’re committed to building a more inclusive, equitable, sustainable, and trusted future for everyone.
2022 Environmental Sustainability Report
View the 2022 report
2021 Environmental Sustainability Report
View the 2021 report
2020 Environmental Sustainability Report
View the 2020 report
Pursuant to California Assembly Bill No. 1305 (the “law” or “1305”), which was signed into law October 7, 2023, Microsoft may be required to make certain disclosures regarding its involvement in the voluntary carbon offsets markets, use of voluntary carbon offsets, and/or certain claims or goals regarding greenhouse gas emissions reductions. While the law itself does not specify a deadline for initial disclosures, the bill’s author has indicated that his intent was that the deadline for companies’ first annual disclosure under the law should be considered to be January 1, 2025. Microsoft is in the process of determining the scope of our potential reporting obligations under this law. We take our sustainability commitments and disclosure obligations seriously, and should we determine that we have reporting obligations under 1305, we will promptly determine the scope of those obligations and comply with those obligations no later than January 1, 2025.
