By The Kit Room Team on 19th Aug 2019
Sustainability has become a practical part of production planning. Whether you're shooting a corporate, documentary or TV series, environmental impact is now something many productions are expected to consider alongside budgets, schedules and creative requirements. As a result, choosing suppliers with recognised environmental credentials can make meeting those targets much simpler.
That's why The Kit Room became Carbon Neutral Certified and an Albert Approved Supplier. These accreditations recognise the steps we've taken to reduce the environmental impact of our own operations, whilst making it easier for productions working towards Albert certification to choose suppliers that support these goals.
Created by the BBC and now run by BAFTA, Albert provides the film and TV industry with a framework for measuring and reducing environmental impact. Alongside helping productions understand their carbon footprint, it also recognises suppliers that are committed to improving the sustainability of their own businesses, encouraging environmental responsibility throughout the production supply chain.
For us, sustainability isn't a separate initiative, it's simply part of the way we work. As James Bridgford, Head of Rentals at The Kit Room, explains:
"It’s about servicing our clients as well as doing our civic – and, as citizens, self-interested – duty. With the arrival of Albert, there’s a genuine pressure on productions to step up in terms of their green credentials. We are a key part of the production supply chain, so it’s imperative we do our bit. Clients coming to us know that they are that much better placed to get Albert approval."
Following an independent audit by Carbon Footprint Ltd, our environmental policies and operations were formally assessed as part of achieving Carbon Neutral Certification. The audit found that The Kit Room already had strong environmental practices in place, with a carbon footprint significantly below the national average. To offset our remaining operational emissions, we also invested in a Certified Emissions Reduction Scheme administered by Carbon Footprint.
These achievements reflect years of gradual improvements rather than one major change. As James puts it:
"Over the years we’ve gone out of our way to be as green as possible, including switching to green energy suppliers, using low energy LED lighting, and encouraging our staff to bike or take public transport to work. In terms of day to day operations, we’ve removed all sealed plastic from our equipment kits, started using recycled paper for the printers and have begun to implement a paperless booking system."
Of course, sustainability isn't something you complete, it's something you continually improve. Having completed BAFTA's Albert training, James continues to support clients and suppliers in reducing the environmental impact of their productions.
"It’s about setting an example of how we can have a positive effect on the environment, in an industry that currently has a large impact on the world - all whilst continuing to provide fantastic service to our clients!"