Sustainability — Albert, Green Stamp, Adgreen
Sustainability — measuring and reducing the carbon footprint of a production — has moved from optional best-practice to commission-gating requirement on most UK and increasingly Irish productions. Three certification programmes dominate the screen sector.
The three programmes
| Programme | Where it dominates | Run by |
|---|---|---|
| Albert | UK + cross-border productions | BAFTA |
| Screen Ireland Green Stamp | Irish productions | Screen Ireland (Fís Éireann) |
| Adgreen | Advertising productions | Advertising Association (UK) |
Producers nominate one programme as the certifying authority for the production. Albert is the dominant choice for productions delivering to UK broadcasters; SI Green Stamp is the natural choice for Irish-only productions.
Carbon Action Plan (CAP) — three artefacts
The certifying body's lifecycle covers three artefacts, each progressing through its own state machine (drafted → submitted → accepted):
| Artefact | When |
|---|---|
| Footprint report | Calculated during prep; submitted before / during shoot |
| Carbon Action Plan | What the production will do to reduce; submitted before / during shoot |
| Post-production reconciliation | Actual vs forecast carbon, post-shoot |
The third one is often the one producers leave too late.
Operational practices (the practice score)
A separate score tracks what the production actually did:
- Paperless call sheets
- EV kit and crew vehicles
- Battery genny (vs diesel)
- Reusable cups
- Green caterer
- Travel offsets purchased
- Veggie days
- Public transport days
Broadcaster sign-off as gate
Most UK broadcasters — including the BBC — British Broadcasting Corporation — won't accept delivery without the Albert sign-off complete. The Albert sign-off is typically a hard delivery gate 6 weeks before transmission.
Sustainability Lead
Each production names a Sustainability Lead, typically a freelancer carrying the role across several productions in parallel. See Sustainability Lead.
In Togra
/sustainability.php (per-group) tracks the lifecycle. /sustainability-hub.php is the cross-company hub for the freelance Sustainability Lead. /albert-signoff-publish.php generates the Albert sign-off bundle.
Related
Sources
- · BAFTA · Albert (wearealbert.org)
- · Screen Ireland Green Stamp programme
- · Adgreen (advertising industry sustainability framework)