Albert's 9 keys to achieving sustainable production

Kishan Khambhaita, communications assistant at albert (BAFTA), exposes the nine steps necessary to achieve sustainable production, a growing demand in the audiovisual industry.

Albert started in 2011 as a carbon calculator to help productions measure their carbon footprint. Since then, we have expanded our purpose and capabilities to provide online tools and training, events, orientation y leadership to all professionals of the film industry in order to, in this way, help them identify las opportunities on and off screen which can lead to a effective climate action.

At Albert we are passionate foster an environmentally sustainable film industry, both in our country and abroad. The objective is no longer to do “less bad things", but for creating the necessary conditions to get a continued success with regards to the green shoots. We have a large number of examples y case studies who praise this nine step list with simple keys that can be easily assumed by any production, whether big or small, or fiction or non-fiction.

1. Start early

Including sustainability in the development and pre-production phases will make it even easier to apply sustainable practices when production begins. If possible, hire a green team and make sustainability its own department, giving them the opportunity to participate in meetings with other departments and their bosses.

You can also send a “Green Memo"before the shoot so that the crew can commit to the practices that will be proposed. If the conversation is delayed, it will be unlikely that the necessary planning will be in place to make these techniques on shoots effective

2. Format

In Albert we have a saying: “You cannot manage what is not measured”.

Although we suggest starting early, the team may need training in sustainable production to know what steps to apply and how to carry them out. Albert offers free training (currently only in English) for this purpose. It's a great guide to climate change, as well as a way to inspire teams before a production gets underway about everything they can do to reduce the impact of the production.

3. Measure your impact

At Albert we have a saying: “You can't manage what you don't measure.” Our bespoke carbon calculator allows you to measure your planned footprint in pre-production and then focus on the key areas where you can save carbon, whether through transport, travel, accommodation, catering, materials etc.

4. Research your suppliers and stakeholders

Many stages of the production process involve working with external companies, such as those who rent equipment or those who do catering, so consider asking them about their environmental policy, whether they run on renewable energy and how they plan to manage waste. At Albert we have templates and guides to help productions that want to reduce indirect emissions from their suppliers.

5. Hazte vegetarian (the vegan)

Changing your catering to be predominantly vegetarian or vegan is a small, impactful change that can also reduce your footprint and can improve your budget.

6. Reduce flights and hotel stays

Travel and accommodation often make up the largest part of a production's environmental footprint, so consider reducing air travel, taking the train when possible, and using local equipment instead of shipping it around the world (this is especially important for international productions).

7. Reduce, reuse and recycle

The decorations, the props and costumes from their production can be purchased with sustainability in mind. To do this, it is as simple as asking yourself several questions: Can I reuse the sets? Nowadays, the sets and props can even be made of cardboard. Can I even reuse costumes from another production or buy them second-hand? And finally, consider how you are going to dispose of the decorations, the props and the costumes once filming ends. Get rid of decorations responsibly and recycle clothing They are not impossible tasks.

8. It pays off

Once you feel like you've done everything you can to reduce the carbon footprint of your production, you can offset the rest. Offsetting is the process of investing in schemes that remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere, usually in proportion to your own emissions/environmental impact. There are many ways to do this: from planting trees, to investing in renewable energy capacity.

9. Congratulate the team

At the end of production, send a “final green note” so staff know the impact their efforts have had. This will increase the chances that they will champion sustainable practices in their next job.

Other sustainable keys

Hay many initiatives beyond these steps that focus on more change fundamental and systemic within the film industries. In 2020, albert published his report Screen New Deal for the film industry, which established a roadmap for the industry to achieve Net Zero. The recommendations of this report are being put into practice through the Screen New Deal Transformation Plan in Wales.

These recommendations are not specific to the UK, but can be applied to film industries in the UK. any country. On the other hand, we must not forget the Studio Sustainability Standard, a collaborative tool that allows studios around the world to be evaluated on the sustainability of their facilities, receive a score and get recommendations on what areas to improve.

Planet Placement

What has been covered so far covers how sustainability can be improved behind the camera, but doeswhat about what's in front of her?

“Planet Placement” It is a concept that consists of making the climate content form part of you show or movie, either as part of a argument, and character trait or even with gestures as simple as showing some recycling container in the background of the action.

A large part of the fight against climate change involves a behavior change, and it has been proven time and time again that the media we consume influences us. A recent example is one of the plot lines of the successful HBO series Succession, which provokes a real interest in performing conations Greenpeace. We call this “Planet Placement”, a concept that consists of making the climate content form part of you show or movie, either as part of a argument, and character trait or even with gestures as simple as showing some recycling container in the background of the action. This task, which is not at all difficult for us, is simplified through our new editorial tool, which tries to inspire the creative team with new ways to bring the planet into your stories.

Saving our planet is a global effort, and the international collaboration is always welcome. We recently organized a online event in which collaborators from all over the world shared their sustainability best practices. Make sure you follow us on our social networks and of subscribe to our newsletter to receive the latest news on sustainability in the audiovisual industry.