Lights, Camera, Sustainability: Reducing Your Carbon Footprint in Commercial Production.
Nowadays, it's more important than ever to think about how you can reduce your carbon footprint when producing a shoot. It's not just about promoting sustainability, but also demonstrating environmental responsibility.
Here are some suggestions to consider during pre-production that can help minimise the environmental impact of your production and reduce your carbon footprint:
1. Sustainable locations
When scouting, consider locations that themselves are environmental friendly and have a lower carbon footprint. This could be anything from eco-friendly buildings, green spaces or even locations that are certified as sustainable.
Try to avoid shooting in any areas that may be considered environmental sensitive and also look to minimise your travel time between locations to reduce any emissions that you may have from travelling between sites.
2. Optimise transport
In the world of production travelling is often very much a necessity to achieve your goals, from location scouting, travelling to and from locations not to mention all of the travel involved in meetings, prop sourcing and other preparation travel that your may do crew will do that is often out of site out of mind.
Choosing eco-friendly modes of transportation whenever possible, like electric or hybrid vehicles, and using fuel-efficient equipment and vehicles for transportation during production is the ideal scenario. Some really simple contributions to reducing transport requirements is looking at who can carpool, using public transport or depending on the size of your production, looking at the option for a shuttle services to minimise the number of vehicles on set. Looking at the plans for efficient routes to minimise fuel consumption and emissions is also a detail that can go a long way in reducing your shoot’s carbon footprint.
3. Reduce Waste
This really is a no-brainer when looking at measures to reduce your carbon footprint, but by implementing waste reduction measures that you do at home, on set life, such as providing designated recycling and waste disposal practices these can all contribute to saving the planet. Minimising single-use plastics and other non-recyclable materials is a quick win by looking at using eco-friendly alternatives, such as biodegradable or compostable products, when possible. A few examples that have worked well on productions I’ve been involved with have included providing large water canisters and encourage cast and crew to bring their own water containers, going digital with call sheets and no printing excess documentations are all ways to reduce your carbon footprint. Anything that is left behind consider donating or repurposing set materials and props. You never know when they may come in useful for another production in the future.
4. Choose Sustainable Suppliers
Working with like-minded suppliers is another way to ensure your production is sustainable. By collaborating with environmentally responsible suppliers and vendors who prioritise sustainable practices this synergy will help contribute in your production. Choose equipment, props, and materials that are eco-friendly, energy-efficient, and have a lower environmental impact. You can also request environmentally friendly packaging and minimise unnecessary packaging when briefing in your job.
5. Promote Sustainable Practices
It’s one thing to implement sustainable practices on set, but you also need cast and crew to follow them. Think about how you can educate and encourage cast and crew to adopt sustainable practices on set, such as turning off lights and equipment, reducing water usage, and practicing responsible waste management. Raise awareness about the importance of sustainability and carbon footprint reduction in the production process. It can be as simple as a note on the call sheet or a slide in the production deck. Helpful reminders, like signpost prompts to turn off sockets or light switches, are useful tools that can be carried forward and used in future productions.
6. Use Renewable Energy
Using renewable energy sources, like solar or wind power, to power lighting, cameras, and other equipment on set may be trickier to adopt, but it's a great way to ensure your production is environmentally friendly.. If available, use sustainable energy options at the production office and other facilities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with energy consumption. This is often something that, when working for a larger agency, is out of your hands, but it’s definitely worth having those conversations to see what is possible. Every little helps!
7. Optimise Energy Consumption
Using energy-efficient lighting and equipment on set and turning off lights and equipment when not in use is another simple way of reducing your shoot’s carbon footprint. Ask crew to avoid using standby mode, and consider using motion sensors or timers to control energy usage wherever applicable. Take advantage of daylight whenever possible to reduce electricity consumption.
8. Offset Carbon Emissions
Finally, one last consideration for offsetting the carbon emissions associated with your production activities is to invest in verified carbon offset projects, like reforestation or renewable energy projects.This can help neutralise the environmental impact of the production and contribute to global efforts to combat climate change.
So there you have it - a few suggestions on how to make your productions more sustainable.
Leave nothing but footprints, take nothing but pictures, kill nothing but time.
It’s clear that taking action to reduce our carbon footprint and promote sustainable practices is not just an option, but a necessity. We have the power to make a difference in our industry and contribute to global efforts in combating climate change.
Why not challenge yourself by making small changes, such as reducing waste on set, look at how you can optimise your travel and educating and promoting sustainable practices on set.