Sustainability in Advertising Production: Are You Doing Enough?

The advertising industry has made significant progress in reducing carbon emissions – but is it enough? From sustainable brand messaging to emerging production practices designed to reduce waste and mitigate pollution, we’ve certainly begun addressing the problem of climate awareness. Unfortunately, awareness alone is simply not enough. Without sustained, global action, we are still on course to face catastrophic climate-related disasters around the world.

Fortunately, however, climate catastrophe is still preventable – meaning that we still have the power to correct the course by integrating sustainable production solutions across the industry by 2030. This brief article will help you understand the options available to you, today, so that you may begin the transition to net-zero carbon emissions for the future.

TARGETING TWO AREAS OF ADVERTISING PRODUCTION

To achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2030, we recommend targeting two focus areas:

• Behind the Scenes Operations
  • Including the reduction of travel, energy, and waste.
• On Screen Opportunities
  • Including sustainable messaging across scripts & product placement, with a focus on the creative & production planning stage.

BEHIND THE SCENES OPERATIONS:

Achieving net zero by 2030 will require significant changes in how brands operate behind the scenes by reducing waste, travel, and energy expenditures. As trusted production experts to the world’s leading brands, we’re here to provide you with general sustainability tips and, of course, our bespoke Sustainable Production Services for brands that are serious about making these changes.

Waste

Let’s start with set waste. According to EcoSet, the average production creates approximately 1,000 lbs of waste per day on set – which equals about two tonnes of waste for a four-day shoot. To address these staggering figures, consider moving away from single-use plastics like water bottles and plasticware, utilize recycled assets when possible, and engage with local restaurants or food caterers to feed staff without incurring the extra emissions associated with shipping.

Travel

Travel is another major contributor to carbon emissions during production. Fortunately, solutions like Virtual Production can remove the need for travel to shoot locations altogether, avoiding significant associated carbon emissions in the process. Utilizing a local team near the shooting location can also reduce travel emissions, as opposed to flying everyone in from various locations. If local travel is required, consider moving to an all-electric transportation fleet to avoid contributing to the use of fossil fuels.

Energy

Energy expenditures must be considered when targeting net-zero carbon emissions. Even when you utilize solutions like virtual production or make the switch to electric vehicles, energy is still being spent – and that energy has the potential to be just as pollutive as gas or petroleum. Be sure that your electric solutions are fueled by renewable energies such as wind, hydro, or solar power.

Carbon Offsetting

Some emissions are unavoidable during the transition to sustainable production. Fortunately, carbon offsetting provides an interim solution in order to mitigate the damage caused by these unavoidable emissions.

Carbon offsetting is the process of compensating for carbon dioxide emissions by participating in schemes making equivalent reductions of co2 in the atmosphere – usually accomplished through the planting of trees. A general rule of thumb is that for every 4~ trees planted, one tonne of carbon is eventually absorbed. However, keep in mind that carbon offsetting should always be the last result in favor of strategies that actually reduce and remove emissions altogether.

Lastly, it is worth noting that making these changes does not have to be costly. In fact, according to AdGreen’s Jo Coombes, many brands “think that ‘being green’ costs more money – but in reality, the biggest changes will more than likely save money, especially if travel is reduced.”

ON-SCREEN OPPORTUNITIES:

Brand messaging plays a powerful role in the public’s perception of key topics like climate change. By implementing sustainable practices on the screen, brands encourage consumers to make more informed purchasing decisions based on how “green” a product is, or how well a company backs up its ethical commitments with meaningful action.

Sustainable Messaging

Consider how your brand can contribute to the consumer movement toward sustainable preferences. These contributions do not have to be the sole focus of your content, however. Maybe you can replace someone drinking from a plastic water bottle with a reusable one. Could there be a public water station in view instead? Can someone be taking out the recycling bin instead of taking out the trash? Can you remove all visual references of gas-fueled vehicles and replace them with electric vehicles instead? We are in a highly creative industry, and this is the time to challenge traditional lines of thinking during the planning phase to promote on-screen sustainability.

Partnership Accountability

Equally, as a client, you should be incentivizing your agency and production partners to consider the environmental impact of their operations at the early planning stage by developing scripts that can be shot virtually, locally, or remotely if abroad. Plan ahead and allow for seasonal weather advantages to keep shoots within your own country or hemisphere. Clever creative decisions made by your partners during this stage can really make a difference.

APR WILL HANDLE THE TRANSITION FOR YOU

While these alternatives to traditional production approaches (and all of their associated waste) may seem extensive, there are efficient ways to implement these changes across your global content creation ecosystem. Please contact APR today to learn more about how our Sustainable Production Services can help you streamline the transition to net zero emissions by 2030. We can prevent global climate catastrophe – and it all starts with you.