Screen Ireland Sustainability Standards (V1.4)

The Screen Ireland Sustainability Standards: Live Action Production — known internally as V1.4 after the December 2023 revision — is the mandatory sustainability framework that every Screen Ireland-funded live-action feature and scripted TV drama production must comply with.

It is not optional, and it is not the same thing as Sustainability — Albert, Green Stamp, Adgreen certification (Albert / Green Stamp / Adgreen). Albert is a programme producers nominate to certify a production's carbon footprint; V1.4 is the operational standard Screen Ireland mandates as a condition of its production funding.

Who it applies to

Mandatory for:

• Live-action feature films in receipt of Screen Ireland production funding
• Scripted television drama in receipt of Screen Ireland production funding

Outside V1.4 scope:

• Animation (has its own treatment)
• Documentary
• Short films (different sustainability instruments — see Sustainability Advisor Initiative (Pilot) Strand 3 for short film advisor support)

The four mandatory artefacts

V1.4 requires four pieces of evidence on every in-scope production:

The Carbon Calculator

V1.4 specifies the BAFTA Albert Carbon Calculator as the default tool. Approved alternatives are accepted on a case-by-case basis but Albert is the path of least friction. The Sustainability Advisor is responsible for running it across the production lifecycle.

Access to the Albert calculator on a Screen Ireland-funded production is arranged through Screen Ireland — inwardproduction@screenireland.ie for inward productions, the relevant Production Executive for indigenous productions.

Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP) — pre-production

A pre-production document detailing how the production will reduce its emissions across the production lifecycle. Sets the baseline assumptions used by the Carbon Calculator and commits the production to specific reduction measures across the eight topic standards (below).

Emissions Reduction Report (ERR) — post-production

A post-production report measuring what actually happened against the ERP commitments. Submitted at wrap as part of the broader sustainability sign-off — see Carbon Action Plan (CAP) for how the report integrates with Albert's CAP evidence trio (Footprint Report / Carbon Action Plan / Post-production Reconciliation).

The eight topic standards

V1.4 prescribes standards across eight operational topics:

1. Energy — generators, mains-power source, energy-saving lighting, dimmers between shots
2. Transport — HVO biofuel hierarchy, hybrid / electric vehicles, public transport, EV charging
3. Catering — compostable supplies, reduced meat, food rescue, fair-trade
4. Biodiversity — Habitats Directive, Birds Directive, S.I. 477/2011, NWCPO-licensed waste, location restoration
5. Materials — recycled / FSC timber, screws not glue, cardboard wall skins, biodegradable polystyrene alternatives
6. Costume — local sourcing, fabric-recycling, eco-cleaning, microfibre avoidance
7. Office Supplies — paperless production, recycled paper, refillable consumables
8. Waste — separated streams (compost / recycle / general), NWCPO-licensed waste contractor, zero-waste targets

Each topic has its own checklist of specific compliance items.

The 22 department guidelines

Beyond the topic standards, V1.4 issues guidelines for 22 production departments — Production / Direction / Art / Camera / Costume / Hair & Makeup / Locations / Sound / Construction / Grip+Lighting / Stunts / SFX / VFX / Post / Accounts / Casting / Catering / Transport / Wardrobe / Set Decoration / Props / Specialist. Each carries dept-specific compliance items.

The line producer and production manager hold the rollup view — V1.4 explicitly identifies these two as the operational accountability for cross-department sustainability compliance.

Sector targets — CAP23

V1.4 is aligned to Ireland's Climate Action Plan 2023 (CAP23):

These are sector aggregates, not per-production caps — Screen Ireland uses them to set the direction of travel.

Where V1.4 sits in the funding lifecycle

Related schemes

The two Screen Ireland sustainability funding lines exist specifically to make V1.4 compliance affordable:

Sustainability Advisor Initiative (Pilot)stable

Sustainability Innovation Fund (Pilot)stable

How Togra supports this

The Sustainability tracker fires a red preflight banner on any Screen Ireland-funded live-action feature or scripted TV drama project where V1.4 mandates a Sustainability Advisor but no Sustainability Lead is assigned on the Team page, with a direct link to fix it and a reminder that the Sustainability Advisor Initiative (Pilot) covers the fee. The tracker captures cert programme + carbon footprint + Carbon Action Plan evidence trio (Footprint / Action Plan / Post-production Reconciliation) which map to V1.4's ERP and ERR. The operational checklist covers the headline practices producers can declare as evidence against the 8 topic standards.