Sustainability Standards: Live Action Production

Context

Screen Ireland’s ambition is for Ireland to be a leader in sustainable film and TV production. As the climate and biodiversity crises escalate, the need to reduce emissions and transition to a circular economy is becoming more and more urgent. In line with global and EU climate targets, Ireland has set ambitious climate action goals, aiming to deliver a 51% reduction in carbon emissions by 2030 and be ‘climate neutral’ by 2050.

Screen Ireland believes that the Irish screen industry can and must contribute to achieving these targets. We are fully committed to supporting and encouraging the industry to play its part.

About the Sustainability Standards: Live Action Production

Following consultation with industry stakeholders, we have developed the Sustainability Standards: Live Action Production (‘the Standards’) to provide clear direction and guidance to production companies on the actions to take to reduce their emissions and minimise their impact on the environment.

The Standards apply to all live action features and scripted TV shows that are in receipt of Screen Ireland funding.

The Standards are split into ‘General’ and ‘Topic Specific’ (e.g., energy, emissions, transport, waste disposal), and the actions within them are divided into ‘required’ and ‘recommended’. Required actions represent the minimum environmental standards that all productions must adhere to, while recommended actions represent measures that we strongly encourage productions to take but that we understand may not always be possible in every circumstance.

Adherence to the Evolution of the Standards

Screen Ireland will monitor adherence to the Standards via the reports that production companies submit pre and post-production (see required actions under ‘General Standards’).

The Standards will be reviewed on an annual basis and will evolve over time as the industry’s approach to sustainability matures. For example, actions that are currently ‘recommended’ may become ‘required’ or new actions may be added. The decision to do this will be based on the experience of the industry and the availability of new technologies or possibilities for new sustainable production methods.

Collective Progress

At Screen Ireland, we hope that these Standards will serve to give production companies certainty and clarity around the actions they should take to be more environmentally sustainable. We believe that the widespread adoption of the Standards and the practices advocated within them will enable the screen industry to make significant, collective progress on the path to a net-zero carbon, circular and more sustainable future.

This page was last updated on 21/12/2023