A Load of Rubbish? Making Production Greener

With the launch of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals last month, and the COP 21 climate summit in Paris at the end of the year, sustainability is a seriously hot topic right now. 

We all know how expensive shoots can be financially, but what about the environmental cost? From lighting and transport to the relentless caffeine consumption resulting in a mountain of empty Starbucks cups, it's hardly setting a shining example of sustainability.

Enter AdGreen, a new initiative supported by the APA that's aiming to make commercials production a bit, well, greener. With 20 UK production companies, including the likes of Stink, Iconoclast and Park Pictures already signed up to the preliminary phase, organisers are looking to boost numbers and get people involved in setting a sustainable standard.   

Below, the brains behind the operation, freelance production manager Jo Coombes, tells shots about the small steps that can make a big difference and how going green doesn't mean getting into the red. 

How did you first become aware of the issue and when did you decide to tackle it?

I was always the person who collected up unused call sheets and took them home for printing on; I’ve also been known to smuggle bags of plastic bottles from shoots into my personal recycling (don’t tell Hackney council). However, it wasn’t until last year, after reading some scary articles about climate change, that I first thought about trying to change things on a wider scale.

I was inspired by Aaron Matthews at BAFTA, whose Albert initiative encourages TV and film production companies to measure their carbon footprints and take steps to actively reduce emissions, and Jonathan Wise, who co-founded The Comms Lab, a consultancy working at an industry, agency and individual level to help maximise the positive contribution the advertising industry makes to the world. These two key people, plus various others, meant that I had a support and advice network, as well as the confidence to pursue my lofty ambitions. I took my findings to the APA and said that I wanted to try and do something. We put together a committee of production staff and suppliers, and a few months later, AdGreen was born.

What are the biggest causes of waste/sustainability issues on set?

The main problems are waste and energy/fuel consumption from lighting and transport. Our actions on set mirror our actions in everyday life – a throw away culture and a reliance on fossil fuels. A lack of time and education contribute to this. There are alternative options around but the fast paced nature of commercials production means we don’t often have time to seek them out and give them a go.

How many companies have joined up so far and what are they being asked to do?

We currently have almost 20 companies on board, mainly in London, but also a couple up in Scotland.

For the companies who’ve signed up to this beta phase, we’re asking them to collaborate with HoDs and suppliers to implement a range of measures, from not printing call sheets, to discussing sustainably sourced food with their caterer. There’s a pre-production ‘Sustainable Shoot Survey’ to complete and various other resources like ‘green memos’ – a short list of things that each department can do during their prep, and also on set. The survey acts as a checklist, but also provides us with some data, so that we can see what’s worked and what hasn’t, helping us establish what level of sustainability we can reasonably achieve at this point.

What are the main challenges you’ve encountered so far with the project?

Converting interest into action. Changing behaviour is very difficult, even when people have the best intentions. Lack of time, advice, and information are the main issues. There are also myths that going green will cost more money, when in fact data from Albert shows that going green has saved the average TV production around £6000, after initial investment.

We also need to develop best practices and communicate them. People get disheartened when they try things and they don’t work. I’ve often heard, ‘we tried recycling once, but no one did it’.  It sounds silly but there are many factors involved in making shoot recycling a success, as it’s not become second nature yet.  Sharing the responsibility with your location manager, getting the right bins out early enough, always pairing recycling and waste bins, making sure no one ties up rogue black bags on the dining bus, clear signs telling people what can be recycled, asking runners to help remind people – all these little things play a part.

And the most rewarding aspect?

Everyone we’ve spoken to, be it production companies, freelancers, or suppliers, wants to act more responsibly and sustainably, even if they’re unsure about what they can do. It’s great to see that there’s an interest there, and that people want to do more.

What sort of steps can companies take for a greener approach to production?

The old reduce-reuse-recycle mantra still applies, and we should always be thinking about what happens to an item once we’re finished with it.

There are some easy wins though, such as:

- Bring a reusable coffee cup to set. Ditto with a reusable water bottle.
- Stock your production bag with bags for life/canvas bags, and give them to runners to use for runs.
- Tell agency, cast and crew that you won’t be printing call sheets except on request.
- Try to annotate other documents on phones, tablets or laptops rather than printing. Notability is a great program: I’ve used it for floor plans, storyboards and schedules.
- Make sure your caterer is not using any polystyrene or any plastic cutlery, has only free range eggs and uses sustainably sourced fish.
- If you’re in a studio, ask them about recycling options. If you’re on location, make it clear to your location manager that you’d like recycling facilities on set and work with them to make it a success. It’s always worth checking with the location itself (if it’s a business) if you can use their facilities. Make sure you let everyone on set know in advance what items can be recycled.
- Request used poly and correx if you must use them at all (neither can be recycled), and send any unused bits back.

Other things take a bit more planning, such as organising for props, costume or food to be rehomed. There are various organisations that will collect items for reuse; a job I was on recently donated some M&S suits to a charity which provides interview clothes for those with limited funds, and I also sent prop makes to an organisation which provides youth theatre productions with scenery. More often than not, any transport costs incurred are cheaper than disposal costs.

Then there are things that need more talking about. Low energy lighting: reduced energy consumption means less emissions and smaller (or no) generators and therefore smaller (or no) generator running costs. Plus low energy lamps don’t generate the heat of our usual lamps, meaning your location doesn’t overheat (and neither do your crew!). However, I don’t think there’s enough education happening around them yet. 

Ultimately, what are you hoping to achieve with AdGreen? 

I’d love to see it grow into something that all APA production companies are involved in, with everyone operating to a basic sustainable standard. The feedback from the work everyone is doing now will help establish what this standard should be. Being involved at this early stage means production companies have a chance to shape how AdGreen develops. I’d also like to create a sustainable supplier list for production teams, so that they know which caterers, studios etc. share the same ideals. Establishing a basic level of education around sustainability would also be great, and is hopefully something we can offer through the APA.

For more details and to sign up, visit the AdGreen website.