(This article published at Ecopreneur India 2023 confluence edition)
Whether it is internet buzz or a news bulletin, it is almost becoming inevitable to detach the entertainment news in prime time for TRP ratings. It is all about gossip, rumors, which superstar movie will release, sensationalism, etc.
According to Deloitte reports, “The Indian film industry is the largest in the world in terms of number of films produced with between 1,500 to 2,000 films produced every year in more than 20 languages.” In the flood of high voltage star-studded news, sustainability has never been in the limelight.
Sustainability in the entertainment industry has often been overlooked and gone unnoticed. A significant amount of waste and emissions are generated during pre-production or post-production.
As per the report titled Close Up: Carbon Emissions of Film and Television Production, large films had a carbon footprint of 1,081 metric tons. The report also says that medium and small films had a carbon footprint of 769 metric tons and 391 metric tons, respectively.
Recognising the gravity of such a situation, the movie production teams started inculcating various sustainability practices in the movie making. For instance, Avatar 2: The Way Of Water is one of the examples of how sustainability practices have adopted sustainability practices in the set.
The movie had one of the greenest sets constructed for a film. The sets of Avatar 2 were powered by solar energy; they had water filling stations instead of single-use water bottles. They redid the faucets and the toilets into low-flow, saving 29,315,000 gallons of water and an enormous amount of carbon.For the green efforts of the team, the movie won the EMA Green Seal.
EMA Green Seal is a recognition program that recognises “feature film and television productions that have implemented sustainable best practices to reduce their overall environmental impacts.”
During pre-production, a huge amount of waste is produced, like throwaway plastics, props and costumes, massive sets, etc. After which, storing and processing high-definition visuals consumes a good amount of electricity at the time of post-production.
In India, movies like The Elephant Whisperers, ‘Kantara’, ‘Kadvi Hawa’, and ‘Ottaal’ have solid environmental conservation themes and stories. However, we have miles to go and achieve when it comes to implementing sustainability practices in movies.
According to a study by The Green Films Foundation of India (GFFI), big-budget films have a carbon footprint of over 15 tons per film. This figure will be doubled or tripled as per the situation demand in the movie, adds the study.
India’s first carbon-neutral movie ‘Aisa Yeh Jahaan’ was released in 2015. After that, in 2022, a Bollywood movie was awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival Award for ‘Zero-waste Film’ – Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui. For the movie, a special crew to segregate and recycle waste was hired. Some of the set materials and props were reused, and donated. This ensured that it did go to landfills and even generated revenue.
Everyone loves movies for their grandeur visuals and story. The entertainment industry is a powerful medium that impacts millions worldwide. It will be a win-win for everyone if such a mass medium chooses and adopts sustainability practices. Each person involved in movie production has a role in attaining sustainability in the entertainment industry.
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Indian movies have solid environmental conservation themes and stories. However, we are yet to implement sustainability practices in movies.
The entertainment industry is a powerful medium that impacts millions worldwide. Adopting sustainability practices in the industry can influence people.
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