We’ve been observing the world’s ongoing environmental crisis from the sidelines for years, and it’s time we finally take action. Unsurprisingly, the film industry is one of the biggest contributors to the crisis.
“Blockbuster films with budgets of over $70 million produce an average of 2,840 ton of CO2 per production (it takes 3,700 acres of forest to absorb the equivalent in a year),” via Forbes.
A typical film and TV production set often relies heavily on single-use plastic water bottles and utensils, printed scripts, disposable props and costumes, as well as numerous trailers, power generators, and vehicles. This contributes to a significant carbon footprint, accelerating the deterioration of our environment.
To combat this pressing issue, the entertainment industry started campaigning and implementing sustainable practices to reduce waste and high energy consumption. Let’s explore the many ways that you can help protect the planet and make your production set more eco-friendly without compromising the quality of your production.
Emerging Practices for Sustainable Filmmaking
Establishing Green Production Offices and Production Sets
Everything needs to start in pre-production. Before heading into production, a lot of the work happens in the office whether it’s meetings, table reads, rehearsals, and accomplishing daily admin tasks. Production offices and sets should prioritize using energy-saving appliances, LED lights, portable solar panels and generators, reusable water bottles and coffee tumblers, compostable or reusable dishware and cutlery, and reducing waste by having recycling plans and switching to digital communication and documentation. If it’s unavoidable to print documents, you can use recycled paper and refillable cartridges as well as printing on both sides of the paper.
Eco-friendly Props and Set Design
Filmmaking is all about bringing fictional worlds to life. These intricate set designs and props are made from scratch and are often disposed after the film wraps. To avoid this, productions should use recycled and biodegradable materials as well as rent or reuse existing sets and props from other productions. Additionally, virtual production is a rising filmmaking approach and technology that significantly reduces, if not eliminates, the need for physical props and set design. This is something worth looking into as it has tremendous benefits for your production set.
Transportation
There is a lot of traveling involved when shooting films with multiple locations. Production sets use numerous cars and trucks to transport props, cast and crew, and equipment. To mitigate this, productions can look into hiring crew locally, reduce travel distances, use hybrid or electric cars, public transportation or have a carpool plan in place to reduce the number of vehicles needed.
Several blockbuster films have successfully adopted sustainability practices. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014) donated extra production meals to local shelters. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) utilized hybrid vehicles, LED lighting, and food management systems. Disney’s Call of the Wild (2020) saved “82% of materials from landfill. HBO’s True Detective Night Country (2024) earned the Environmental Media Association’s Gold Seal for its commitment to sustainability by saving over “150,000 single-use plastic bottles” and filming in Iceland, a country that uses renewable energy.
Sustainable filmmaking is a pivotal step in the right direction. Guilds and entertainment organizations are beginning to champion sustainability initiatives by conducting outreach programs to equip filmmakers the knowledge and skills necessary to implement and foster a culture of sustainability on their own production sets. The entertainment industry can significantly reduce their environmental impact by adopting eco-friendly practices while delivering high-quality films and TV series. Let’s all do our part in protecting the planet for future generations to come.
