SUSTAINABILITY INDUSTRY.
T he 28th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP28) will take place in the United Arab Emirates later this year, once again putting the global warming agenda on the front pages of international papers for little more than a couple of days. We all know the COP. It’s an annual conference in which world leaders travel by private jet to a city thousands of miles away, making grand proclamations about how the rest of us should be conscious of sustainable practices – before doing it all again next time. It’s also a time when politicians take aim at the offending sectors. Of course, some industries are bigger recidivists than others – energy and transport, for example – but film production has come in for some flak over the years, owing to the size of its very own carbon footprint. After all, it’s an energy-intensive process requiring various resources such as electricity, water and fuel. It also requires several types of equipment – including but not limited to cameras, lighting and generators – that consume a lot of energy. The transportation of vast amounts of equipment and personnel also contributes to carbon emissions. Jung-Min Kim, data analyst at Albert, the environmental organisation encouraging the TV and film production industry to reduce waste and its carbon footprint, suggests using local crew to minimise the number of people who must travel long distances, staying at local accommodation and taking trains over flights wherever possible. “If it’s unavoidable, economy-class flights are better than business- or first-class flights with a 75% decrease in CO2 per passenger,” he explains. “Also, using electric vehicles over diesel can result in a 43% decrease in CO2 per kilometre.” Dean Horne, head of studio operations at Shinfield Studios, says that in film and TV production, the challenges ‘probably mirror most industries’ – in that the most pressing issues are in accessing greener
sources of energy and managing budgets. “Our job is to work with our customers and ensure our facilities give them the foundations for keeping carbon emissions as low as they can on their productions.” GREEN SHOOTS Silverbacks like Warner Bros, 20th Century Fox and Disney have each committed to implementing sustainability measures in their production practices. Back in 2014, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and Sony Pictures gained recognition for a green initiative throughout the course of the film’s production. The sequel in the revamped superhero franchise was handed the Green Seal award for environmental efforts and sustainable practices during production from the Environmental Media Association. For those new to the party, like Shinfield, there’s a blank canvas to work with, as opposed to having to navigate and replace planet-unfriendly power sources. Horne explains how, as a brand- new development, Shinfield Studios has been designed to make the most of the latest sustainable production practices. “This means that we’re constructing all buildings to meet BREEAM excellent standards,” he points out. “This is an internationally recognised sustainability assessment method for planning
“If it’s unavoidable, economy-class flights are better than business- or first-class flights, with a 75% decrease in CO2 per passenger”
GREEN PROGRESS Shinfield Studios’ BREEAM excellent- rated buildings bring it up to par with leading worldwide sustainability regulation in construction
37. MAY 2023
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