October 16, 2024
Disneyland, a commercial beacon of recreational joy for people across all age groups and many countries, is also making impressive strides in the realm of sustainability. According to Jake Raykhelson, Disneyland’s Chief of Sustainability, the company aims to achieve net-zero emissions and zero waste to landfill by 2030, far ahead of most of the largest U.S. companies. According to an Akepa article, only 18% of the largest companies are on track to reach their 2050 sustainability goals, making Disney’s 2030 commitment even more extraordinary (Gardner). Along with his team, Mr. Raykhelson has implemented numerous successful strategies to reach the company’s goal, but there are still areas of possible improvement. Despite some minor shortcomings, Disneyland’s sustainability mission provides an example for other large companies, as it is both profit- and climate-oriented.
One of the cornerstones of Disney’s sustainability plan, as highlighted by Mr. Raykhelson, is a commitment to energy efficiency. This includes implementing energy-efficient lighting across the parks, a process requiring the installation of millions of bulbs, constructing energy-efficient buildings, and fitting many of their older buildings with energy measurement tools to help optimize their usage. Additionally, Disneyland plans to transition fully to renewable electricity by installing solar panels on top of the popular ride Radiator Springs and solely purchasing energy from renewable sources. They have also implemented a policy which pays employees an extra dollar a day to drive an electric vehicle to work, which they believe to be far superior in the long term. Along with their commitment to efficient and sustainable energy, Mr. Raykhelson and his team claim to have implemented some miscellaneous changes such as lower-impact packaging, watershed stewardship, reusable bottle stations, and using cooking oil-based diesel to power their multiple steam trains and boats. These steps make Disney a great example of a business with a green focus, as the parks business is highly profitable even as they make sustainable choices, which can come at an extra expense. If done properly, these changes, along with their commitment to sustainable energy usage, should make Disneyland an extraordinarily eco-conscious business.
While committing to making the park both net-zero emissions and zero waste is a considerable step towards sustainability, some of the developments may still be a work in progress. While traversing a large portion of Disneyland in July of 2024, I noticed only one water bottle refilling station during the nine hours I spent there. This is not deny that they were there, but it does suggest the stations were in less-populated areas. Whether this was purely accidental or they intentionally put them out of sight to increase sales of bottled water, this is definitely an area that can be improved. Cutting down their bottled water sales is especially important since Disneyland solely sells drinks bottled in plastic rather than metal. If they want to continue selling a large number of units, making the switch to aluminum would be a great idea since it would not drastically impact margins, as they already sell the bottles at a large markup over retail. Furthermore, when dining at one of the many restaurants, I noticed that they only gave the option of plastic cutlery and non-recyclable paper cups. Even though it may be a difficult and expensive process to switch to either recyclable, biodegradable, or reusable alternatives, if Disneyland wants to truly be zero waste, eliminating as much plastic as possible is an important step to take.
There were some positives that I observed during the outing, however, that are clearly aiding Disneyland’s mission of sustainability. One of these was their usage of paper straws rather than plastic. While it would have been nice to have this sustainable practice extended to the cutlery and cups, it is a step in the right direction. Additionally, Mr. Raykhelson talked in his speech about the issues Disneyland faces with customers cooperating with the proper disposal of their waste. Many people do not feel inclined to separate their trash and recycling, especially since they are at Disneyland for vacation. They were clearly trying to combat this by placing employees at various trash stations who took customers’ trash from them and properly disposed of it themselves. There is a benefit to cleanliness from this approach to waste, but it is also clear the company is willing to sacrifice some profit margin by adding labor cost to ensure that all waste coming out of Disneyland can be properly dealt with—whether that be recycling, composting, or sending to a landfill.
Despite some small shortcomings, Disneyland should be a model for the sustainability plans of other large companies, as it is both profit and climate-oriented. Their ambitious goals, such as achieving net-zero emissions and zero waste by 2030, place them far ahead of many other large companies—especially in the leisure and entertainment fields—and demonstrate their commitment to the environment. There are some areas mentioned above which could benefit from further thought, relocation or product substitution. However, despite these areas for improvement, Disneyland’s innovative dedication to sustainability while continuing to expand profitability makes it an excellent model for future entrepreneurs looking to achieve similar monetary and environmental success.
