October 27, 2021
Corporate
A broad alliance of production companies, networks, VoD services and film sponsors are adopting more environmentally sustainable production methods. We Are Era has also joined the initiative. The companies have made a commitment to begin complying with ambitious minimum environmental standards on January 1, 2022. The new sustainability label “green motion” attests to the commitment.
Movie, TV and online/VoD productions result in high CO2 emissions and consumption of resources. A significant share of these CO2 emissions can be avoided by changing over to environmentally and resource friendly production methods. Therefore, a broad alliance of companies in the German film, TV and VoD market, including We Are Era, UFA and RTL Deutschland, has agreed to produce a large amount of their content in a climate and resource friendly way in the future. In the “Green Shooting” working group, the companies have developed uniform minimum environmental standards for sustainable productions and have committed to begin complying with them starting on January 1, 2022, in a sustainability initiative. This commitment to standards that are highly progressive on an international scale is voluntary and not compelled by legal regulations. In the future, productions that are in compliance with these standards can use the new “green motion” label in the closing credits and on promotional material.
The use of LED production lighting, more travel by railway, use of environmentally friendly vehicles, vegetarian food, the elimination of diesel generators, short-distance flights and disposable tableware, and the generation of a CO2 footprint or consulting by a sustainability expert: the minimum environmental standards comprise all aspects of TV and film production and were developed based on the experiences and insights gained from the sustainability project “100 grüne Produktionen” (100 Green Productions) of the “Green Shooting” working group. In this project, all German daily soaps, 22 series and numerous films and TV shows changed to more environmentally sustainable production methods in 2020 and 2021.
The new minimum standards prescribe 21 must-have specifications. In order for a production to receive the “green motion” label, at least 18 of these specifications must be fulfilled. The final report to be submitted by the production company will be verified by the sponsor, network or VoD service involved with the production. Alternatively, they can delegate the examination to an external verifying authority; the working group has commissioned the auditing firm PwC with its establishment. All approved final reports will be stored for statistical purposes at the verifying authority. After one year, the “Green Shooting” working group will evaluate the minimum environmental standards and their practicality. The standards will be adjusted with regard to new technological developments and new possibilities for sustainable production methods.
