Everybody Digs Bill Evans

Everybody Digs Bill Evans was filmed in West Cork over a four week period in May-June 2025.

The production was part funded by Screen Ireland which enabled the producers to access sustainability funding for a Sustainability Advisor and opened the possibility of obtaining funding for additional emissions reduction measures under the Screen Ireland Sustainable Innovation Fund.

The production utilised the BAFTA/albert carbon calculator and achieved certification from BAFTA/albert as a sustainable production with a score of 88%.

 

An analysis was completed during prep to identify the potential sources of emissions on the production and to develop a strategy for minimising emissions to the greatest degree possible.

Scope 1 Emissions

Scope 1 are direct GHG emissions from sources controlled by an organisation.

On a film production the Scope 1 emissions come from:

• Facilities Generators
• Catering Generators
• Lighting Generators
• Standby Generators
• Facilities/Tech Trucks
• Props Runaround Vans
• Action Vehicles
• Crew Fuel Reimbursement

Scope 2 Emissions

Scope 2 are indirect GHG emissions from mains electricity used by an organisation.

On a film production the Scope 2 emissions come from;

• Mains electricity for Offices
• Mains electricity for stores and workshops
• Mains electricity for Studio spaces
• Mains electricity for LED volumes
• Mains electricity for Post Production

Scope 3 Emissions

Scope 3 are GHG emissions from upstream/downstream activities across an organisation’s value chain.

On a film production the Scope 3 emissions come from;

• Purchased goods and services
• Waste disposal
• Cast/Crew accommodation
• Cast/Crew travel

The analysis indicated a potential carbon footprint of 67 Tonnes made up of 39 Tonnes (58%) in Scope 1, 2 Tonnes (3%) in Scope 2 and 27 Tonnes (39%) in Scope 3.

Based on this analysis, application was made to Screen Ireland for support from the Sustainability Innovation Fund.

The Screen Ireland Sustainability Innovation Fund offers support to promote the implementation of innovative emissions reduction practices and accelerate the uptake of low carbon technologies across four categories.

1. Energy/Emissions Reduction: Reducing the amount of energy consumed on the production or power the production with renewable sources of energy.
2. Waste and Circular Economy: Designing out the need for new materials and maximising the value of all materials used on the production by applying circular economy principles.
3. Transport/Vehicles: Reducing the GHG/carbon emissions from transport related activities.
4. Protecting Nature: Adopting practices to protect nature and biodiversity on production sites

The application was made for support for the replacement of fossil fuel for the generators with Renewable Diesel/HVO under section 1. Energy/Emissions Reduction. The use of Renewable Diesel/HVO reduces lifecycle CO2 emissions by more than 80% compared to fossil diesel. The application was successful.

The production set 10 sustainability goals:

Use less energy

Guidelines were issued to all departments outlining measures which will result in less electricity being used, and being wasted. Measures include turning off lights when not needed, plugging out equipment when not in use, and turning down the thermostat to 19 Degrees C.

Use less fuel

Guidelines were issued to all departments outlining measures that can be taken to reduce the amount of fuel burned on the production. Measures include a No Idling Policy, minimising journeys, car pooling, using the most efficient vehicle for a given purpose and switching off generators when not required. 

Use Renewable electricity & fuel

The generators were fuelled with HVO which has an emissions profile of 20% of that of mineral diesel. 

On-screen Sustainability

Opportunities to highlight recycling and other green activities on-screen were investigated.

Sustainable Food

The Catering provider chosen has a very strong sustainability ethos which includes buying locally produced ingredients, favouring menus/dishes with a lower carbon footprint, minimising waste, and proactively finding ways to utilise excess meals and ingredients in order to minimise food waste to the maximum possible extent.

Efficient Transport

HODs were provided with guidance on measures they can take to manage the transport of people, goods and equipment more efficiently. 

Waste Avoidance

The production operated a Zero Waste Policy and guidance was provided to crew and suppliers on measures they can take in order to minimise waste creation, to ensure all waste is segregated properly, and to facilitate the adoption of circular economy thinking in the film industry. 

Sustainable Materials

Guidelines were issued to provide crew with support in finding ways to identify and implement opportunities to utilise more sustainable materials in line with the production's Green Procurement Policy. A key element of this approach is to rent items, to purchase secondhand items, and to prepare Asset Disposal Plans to identify the most appropriate ways to dispose of items at the end of their life on the production.

Use a Carbon Calculator

The production calculated its carbon footprint using the BAFTA/albert carbon calculator. 

Obtain Certification

The production sought certification as a sustainable production from BAFTA/albert and was awarded a score of 88% for a three star award.

The measures undertaken led to a final carbon footprint of 54.58 Tonnes which was a 20% reduction on the predicted carbon footprint of 67 Tonnes.

• Scope 1 emissions reduced from a predicted 39 Tonnes to 24 Tonnes (38% reduction)
• Scope 2 emissions increased from a predicted 2 Tonnes to 2.15 Tonnes (7.5% increase)
• Scope 3 emissions increased from a predicted 27 Tonnes to 29 Tonnes (7.4% increase)

Positives:

• Renewable diesel/HVO is available to purchase from local oil supplier Tria Oil.
• West Cork Film Studios have a solar panel array which is the primary source of electricity for the Studio and the production offices.
• West Cork Film Studios use a biomass boiler to heat the buildings. The fuel is waste wood and offcuts from a neighbouring furniture factory.
• The Construction team had access to flats from previous set builds which had been stored at West Cork Film Studios

Negatives:

• Air travel accounted for 19% of the total carbon footprint.
• The carbon footprint of lunches served was 0.456 Tonnes per 100 dishes against a target of 0.400 Tonnes per 100 dishes.

Recommendations:

• Support should be provided to Studios to enable them to install solar panels, mains electricity hook up points and low/no carbon heating systems
• Fossil fuels should not be allowable expenditure under Section 481.

• Director: Grant Gee
• Producers: Janine Marmot, Alan Maher
• Line Producer: Fiona Kinsella
• Sustainability Advisor: Stan Nangle
• Sustainability Assistant: Rob Collender