How to guide for productions
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This toolkit is compiled and designed for user-friendly access for all industry members, in order to decrease a film's carbon footprint and become a more sustainable production.
​This green-production toolkit will follow the four key areas, namely 1 - fossil fuels, 2 - pre-production, facilities and administration,
3 - production and waste generation and 4 - distribution and promotion. 
​
  1. Fossil Fuels
 
         1.1 Travel 

  • Mainly makes use of public transport and carpooling. 
  • Reduce transport distances.
  • Try to lessen or eliminate unnecessary air travel.
  • Encourage the crew to use cars with fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly engines.
  • Encourage cast and crew to use bikes.
  • Find convenient locations - that are not too far to travel and not far apart.
  • Combine travel for orders, equipment and apparel transport, and shipment.
  • Never have a running engine when a car is in idle.
  • Hire sustainable transport, such as hybrid cars and electric cars. 
  • Never use transport when unnecessary.
 
        1.2 Electricity use and or generator use

  • Reduce energy use.
  • Eliminate unnecessary energy use.
  • Reduce energy use in air-conditioned trailers.
  • Plan shoots at daylight - to make use of natural lighting.
  • Be energy efficient by using LED lamps and turning off lights when unused. 
  • Additional sustainable lighting options are Plasma, solar and fluorescent.
  • Try to configure computers and laptops as energy-efficient as possible.
  • Use energy suppliers that provide eco-conscious/green electricity and gas. 
  • Try not to use air conditioning but fans instead.
  • The possibility of installing solar panels.
  • Make use of renewable energy, solar generators or if that is not possible electric generators rather than diesel/petrol generators.
  • Make use of electricity from the grid.
  • If you still need to use a standard generator, see if you can fuel it with HVO biodiesel - HVO biodiesel is produced from 100% certified waste streams and is 90% carbon neutral.
  • On location, try to connect to the grid or use electric generators and battery packs or, better, more renewable solutions like solar or wind power and solar generators. 
  • Do not have two generators on set.
  • Use reflectors rather than lights.
 
       1.3 Shipping

  • Eliminate unnecessary shipments by reducing equipment, gear and apparel or locally sourced equipment and apparel. 
  • Reduce the use of materials and apparel.

2. Pre-production, facilities and administration

       2.1 Housing and accommodation

  • Rent out a house rather than accommodation for individual crew and cast members. 
  • Stay at sustainable accommodations.
  • Before renting out accommodation, research if they are eco-conscious and provide sustainable solutions - recycling, bamboo towels, etc.

       2.2 Paperwork

  • Reduce paper consumption. 
  • Recycle any paper used.
  • Print and use recyclable paper.
  • Print double-sided and choose the option “eco printing” if your printer supports it. 
  • Use eco-ink and refillable cartridges.
  • Print signage on paper or other biodegradable material instead of plastic.
  • Work digitally - share documents through Dropbox, Google Drive, or on your own server.
  • Do not print any call sheets, scripts and script changes anymore, but e-mail them. 
  • Use scripts on tablets or phones.
  • Use erasable boards for planning - use whiteboards or chalkboards.
 
       2.3 Location

  • Note the impact on your location and if any special rules apply, for example, in a nature reserve. Think about sound and exhaust levels. 
  • Collaborate with a specialist if possible.
  • Acquire a local shooting location.
  • Try to minimalise any damage and disruption to the environment and biodiversity.
  • Leave the location as you found it.
 
       2.4 Equipment hire and usage  

  • Reduce use of unnecessary gear. 
  • Reuse equipment. 
  • Use equipment that uses low energy consumption.
  • Reduce energy use on this equipment. 
  • Use LED lighting and low-energy lighting options.
  • Minimise energy by using eco-friendly equipment and or less equipment use.
  • Opting for digital filming. 
  • Use rechargeable batteries where possible. 
  • Recycle any used disposable batteries. 
  • Recycle any broken hard drives (and any other electrics that are no longer working). 
  • When travelling, rent local equipment rather than shipping equipment.
  • Use sustainable and eco-conscious products, equipment and gear. 
 
       2.5  Crew and cast, vendors and recruitment

  • Encourage digital communication and work digitally.
  • Recruitment is done digitally to reduce travel and unnecessary fossil fuels. 
  • Recruit cast and crew locally. 
  • Work with sustainable and eco-conscious companies.
  • Create crew environmental ethical, and sustainable awareness.
  • Appoint a sustainability manager. 
  • Share knowledge and sustainable innovation.
  • Use sustainable vendors and additional options. 
 
3. Production and waste generation 

       3.1 Catering

  • Encourage organic or (partially) vegetarian catering.
  • Reduce the use of cutlery, food, packaging and utensils. 
  • Reuse the cutlery, packaging and utensils.
  • Recycle the cutlery, packaging and utensils.
  • Used biodegradable cutlery, packaging and utensils.
  • Compose and donate leftover food and coffee/tea.
  • Introduce a “veggie day” or offer a vegetarian options each day.
  • Healthy meal options.
  • Premade meals with sustainable packaging and cutlery. 
  • Use food with the correct labels - such as MSC fish quality label, Fair Trade, Beter Leven and EKO.
  • Make good deals with a wholesaler that purchases sustainably.
  • Throw away as little as possible and be creative by creating a new meal out of the leftovers.
  • Arrange sustainable containers for leftovers that the crew can take home at the end of the day.
  • Food donations.
  • Rather than plastic and polystyrene use materials such as bamboo, plant-based and compostables for packaging. 
  • Replace plastic straws with glass or metal straws.
  • Provide reusable mugs for coffee and water.
  • Avoid wrapping individual foods or snacks in plastic. 
  • Use delegated bins for any kitchen waste - peelings, packaging, etc.
  • Provide vegetarian meals, meals made from free-range or sustainably sourced produce.  
  • Buy produce in bulk - since bulk lessens packaging.
 
       3.2 Plastic bottled water use and on-location water use

  • Recycle single-use plastic.
  • Avoid single plastic use.
  • Make use of reusable water bottles and cups.
  • Use compostable disposable cups.
  • Use reusable water bottles and portable refill stations.
  • Do not leave taps open.
  • Do not use excessive water.
  • Invest in products that have low water usage. 
 
        3.3 Production design
This will be discussed further in detail with How to guide for the production design team and art department: 

  • Reducing materials.
  • Reusing production design elements.
  • Recycle materials.
  • Upcycle production design.
  • Donate production design.
  • Source from sustainable materials or companies.
  • Use eco-conscious and vegan clothing and make-up options.
  • Use CGI and VFX when it calls for less damaging environmental impacts - for an instant, an explosion could rather be made digitally than disrupt nature.
 
         3.4 Waste and disposal  

  • Encourage waste sorting.
  • Recycle all that can be recycled.
  • Compost leftover food that can not be taken home or donated.
  • Store production design, equipment, cutlery, utensils and any other apparel for later use. 
  • When on location use an economical vacuum toilet trailer or the WC Flex for the bathroom. 
  • Use ecological detergents and cleaning products without chemicals.
  • Separate your waste - plastic, paper, glass, organic waste, batteries. 
  • Use only non-toxic, biodegradable cleaning products. 
  • Bulk purchasing so you have less packaging material.
  • Do not use disposable wipes but use washable sponges and dishcloths.
  • Clean any oil spills immediately and prevent them from sinking into the soil.
  • Minimise consumption and rather hire items instead.
  • Further use correct eco-conscious disposal. 
 
4. Distribution and promotion 

       4.1 Events, film festivals and advertising
 
  • Reduce travel and materials used.
  • Reduce energy and water use.
  • Recycle or reuse any necessary items.
  • Work digitally. 
  • Share eco-conscious and sustainable knowledge/innovation.
  • Print advertising materials on recyclable paper and dispose of them correctly.

        4.2 Distribution
 
  • Reduce energy use.
  • Reduce travel use.
  • Digital communication and distribution.
  • Work digitally, share documents through Dropbox, Google Drive, or on your own server.
 
        4.3 Merchandising  

  • Produce sustainable and eco-friendly merchandising. 
  • Similar to above - reduce travel and materials used, energy and water usage when producing them and recycle or reuse any necessary items.
  • Reinforce sustainable shipment. 
 
*Remember to state at the beginning/end of your film that sustainable practices and eco-conscious workflows were used during the production process. This could provide additional environmental awareness to the audiences, evoke eco-friendly curiosity and could lead to the audience's eco-conscious debate and perspectives.