TVCANADA
CBC has unveiled a new carbon footprint requirement for all original Canadian English-language productions, building on its five-year environmental sustainability strategy, Greening Our Story.
Beginning January 3, CBC will require completion and delivery of a carbon footprint on all original Canadian productions from independent producers with budgets over $400,000. The carbon footprints will be measured using albert, a film and television industry tool that calculates the carbon emissions of productions. CBC was the first media company in Canada to use albert.
CBC has posted a newly created Environmental Sustainability Lead role that will support independent producers in their creation of a carbon footprint. In partnership with the Canadian Audio-Visual Certification Office (CAVCO) and the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA), CBC has created and released three video training sessions on greening productions. Additionally, CBC has collected resources to help independent producers with their transition to more sustainable production.
Furthermore, as a temporary measure to support smaller independent Canadian producers, CBC will accept a sustainability plan for independent productions with budgets under $400,000. CBC has created a sustainability plan template that offers options on how to make productions more environmentally sustainable.
Barbara Williams, executive VP of CBC, said: “Climate change is the challenge of our lifetime, and the time to act is now. With the ever-increasing pressures on our climate from human activity, every decision we now make about any aspect of CBC’s business will be put through an environmental lens. In addition to the ambitious goals we have already set internally to make our work more environmentally sustainable, we are now broadening our scope to include our external partners. By working with Canadian independent producers to track carbon footprints across our original productions, we will better understand their environmental impacts and create opportunities to advance more sustainable practices.”
