Wales to develop BFI and Bafta Albert's production sustainability plan

Wales has been appointed by the British Film Institute (BFI) and Bafta albert to spearhead its Screen New Deal: Transformation Plan, where it will employ its environmental sustainability recommendations for film and TV production to achieve net-zero targets. 

The initiative is a follow-up to the 2020 Screen New Deal report produced by the engineering and design firm specialist Arup with BAFTA albert. It proposed a plan for scripted film, high-end TV drama and studio-based productions to reach a zero-carbon and zero-waste future, after examining the carbon footprint of the film production sector.

The BFI's National Lottery Research and Statistics Fund has awarded up to £80,000 National Lottery funding for the Transformation Plan project as the next phase of work.

Through the Screen New Deal: Transformation Plan, the BFI, BAFTA albert and Arup have also partnered with Creative Wales, Ffilm Cymru Wales and Clwstwr. They will help identify film and HETV-related services that already exist in the area, highlight service gaps and advance the creation of a location-based transformation plan to decarbonise TV and film production.

The first 12 months will focus on data collection followed by the development of the transformation plan over the following six months. Data and learnings gathered during the mapping and creation of the plan will be shared with other UK screen clusters on the journey to net-zero.

Harriet Finney, BFI's deputy CEO and director of Corporate & Industry Affairs, said: “A Screen New Deal provided a route-map to help the production sector reduce carbon emissions and waste. Producers and funders are looking for solutions to help them meet their net-zero targets however the fast-paced and peripatetic nature of production is challenging for individual productions trying to find how that they can achieve that. Taking this work across a screen ‘cluster’ will develop practical and sustainable outcomes that can work for all productions and help reduce the sector's carbon footprint.”

Pauline Burt, chief executive of Ffilm Cymru Wales, added: “For Ffilm Cymru's part we are committed to ensuring that the approach works for all company sizes and for professionals at any stage of their careers, whilst building upon complementary offers that have already been secured for Wales including seed and scale-up funding for products and services that support green working practice, which Ffilm Cymru manages on behalf of its collaborators as part of its Green Cymru programme."

The 18-month programme is set to deliver the transformation plan by mid-2023.