Supporting the creative industries to reach net zero

The initial stage marks the beginning of an organisation’s journey to adopting net zero solutions. Here they become aware of the challenges they face, and identify the areas under their control that need to be addressed in order to achieve net zero. This could cover areas such as:

• Transport and travel – transitioning to low-emission fleets and reduction of travel
• Energy and water use – such as managing high water consumption in textiles and costume production to adopting renewable energy for filming and events
• Buildings and estates – retrofitting industry buildings such as studios, theatres and offices
• Materials, recycling and waste management – reducing industry waste and enhance recycling processes
• Catering and hospitality – sourcing local and sustainable ingredients and reducing food waste
• Digital and data – minimising energy use in digital production, storage and sharing/streaming

Reflective questions:

1. Which of our activities contribute the largest proportion of carbon emissions?
2. Are we fully aware of the net zero challenges within our activities?
3. What additional information or expertise do we need to fully grasp the challenges we face in achieving net zero?
4. Where in our operations could we make greatest impact for emission reduction?

• Julie’s Bicycle is a not-for-profit that mobilises arts and culture to take action on the climate, nature and justice crisis. They have created a significant resource bank that provides practical tools and support on how to take climate action, get up to speed on policy, and learn more about the support that Julie’s Bicycle offers.
• UKIE, the trade body for the UK games and interactive entertainment industry, have created a Green Games Guide. This action plan helps businesses think about how they can improve their approach to sustainability. They have also hosted an international Green Games Summit and have all sessions available to watch online.
• Albert is a BAFTA owned organisation that supports the film and TV industry in reducing the environmental impacts of production. They have created A Screen New Deal – a Route Map to Sustainable Film Production. This is a report that sets out a route map for positive action to achieve sustainable practices that support wellbeing, environmental restoration and economic prosperity. In 2023, this was followed by the Screen New Deal Transformation Plan for Wales – Setting a Path to Net Zero, serving as a blueprint for other UK nations and regions.
• Ad Net Zero is an industry-wide initiative created by the Advertising Association to help UK advertising respond to the climate crisis caused by CO2 emissions. Ad Net Zero have created an action plan that acts as a guide to help the advertising industry transition to net zero.
• Advisory Board for the Arts published an article on The Arts and Environmental Sustainability: A Guide to Key Areas. It covers key actionable advice for six key areas for arts institutions.
• The Music Climate Pact is a global platform, initiated by the UK’s Association of Independent Music (AIM) and record labels association the BPI, as a response to COP26 and the urgent call for collective action to combat the climate crisis. The Pact sets out a series of high-level commitments that will serve as a declaration of intent for the global music sector.

At this second stage, the organisation can explore the potential options available towards adopting net zero solutions for their specific challenge areas. This could involve exploring current funding opportunities to identify the most cost-effective options, as well as engaging with other organisations within the sector to learn from successful projects or technologies in other similar contexts.

Reflective Questions:

1. What funding is available for net zero solutions among identified challenge areas?
2. What local strengths and opportunities exist which can support net zero innovation adoption?
3. Who are the key stakeholders or collaborators we should engage with to support our journey?

• The Sustainability Toolkit, an online resource guide for Ireland’s cultural and creative industries, has collated case studies, resources and advice for several sectors of the creative industries including visual arts, audio-visual media, cultural heritage and performing arts.
• Creative Carbon Scotland has created a Green Arts Portal, a set of straightforward resources full of ideas for projects to help your organisation take action on climate change to be part of making a better world. The resources are divided by area (buildings, policies, staff engagement, outdoor venues) to allow easy navigation of the available guidance and support.
• The Design Council have developed a Design Value Framework for designers and commissioners to identify and assess the wider social, environmental and democratic impacts of their work. It builds on design sector specific tools, and covers impacts from a range of levels from specific design projects to larger organisations and wider spillover effects.
• Innovate UK Business Connect Creative team helps organisations interested in innovation in the Creative Industries to access funding, expert knowledge and to make powerful and diverse connections. More information on support available and funding opportunities can be found here. Innovate UK Business Connect Net Zero team also offers a range of support, events, networking and funding opportunities.
• The Creative Catalyst Programme run by Innovate UK invests in projects in the creative industries, in particular to scale up innovation by providing targeted and continuous support. Find more information here.

At this stage, organisations should conduct a thorough assessment of the feasibility of various net zero solutions, focusing on those that are financially viable and practically achievable. This includes evaluating the technical requirements, economic viability, and regulatory considerations to determine most suitable to address net zero innovation adoption challenges.

Reflective Questions:

1. How do we evaluate the potential of different net zero solutions?
2. Are there specific risks or barriers that could impact the successful implementation of net zero solutions within our organisation?
3. What can we learn from other similar projects in other contexts?

• Picture Zero provides sustainability support to the film, TV and creative industries, such as production sustainability assessments, advice on sustainable procurement, and circularity.
• Creative Zero is a sustainable business consultancy for the creative sector. They look at your whole business and tailor a sustainability strategy that supports your commercial vision. They have produced a guidance report called The Fuel Project, which helps film and television suppliers make sustainable choices when it comes to vehicles and mobile power units.
• Interreg Europe’s Green Screen commissioned Film London and Creative Zero to create The Fuel Project Supplier Guidance Report. This report provides practical information, steps and support to film and TV production suppliers as they make the move toward new, low carbon technologies, helping drive down emissions in the industry as a whole.
• The Creative Catalyst Programme, run by UKRI, invests in projects in the creative industries to scale up innovation by providing targeted and continuous support. Find more information here. Innovate UK Business Connect Net Zero team also offers a range of opportunities such as the Net Zero Living and Adopt and Accelerate programmes, each of which aim to help businesses accelerate the transition to net zero.
• Innovate UK Business Connect Creative team helps organisations interested in innovation in the Creative Industries to access funding, expert knowledge and to make powerful and diverse connections. More information on support available and funding opportunities can be found on the Creative Industries sector page.

Typically, this stage involves organisations initiating trials, research and development such as pilot projects to test the feasibility and performance of solutions in a controlled environment. This stage allows for the collection of empirical data, identification of scalability factors, and discovery of any unforeseen challenges or opportunities.

Reflective Questions:

1. What new technologies and practices should the organisation consider trialling?
2. How will we measure success in our pilot project?
3. What potential risks or barriers should we anticipate during the pilot phase, and how can we mitigate them?

• Innovate UK offer the opportunity to participate in innovation challenges across the Innovate UK ecosystems. This could include becoming a challenge holder for the Innovation Exchange (iX). Keep an eye out for all other funding opportunities offered by Innovate UK to support innovative pilot projects.
• Ffilm Cymru Wales details the projects cultivated through their Green Cymru Challenge, which are small-scale R&D projects in the creative industries that addressed issues of sustainability through narrative, filmmaking techniques, and setting.
• GHD, a multidisciplinary professional services network with a focus on sustainability. They have produced guidance on optimising fleet maintenance for the net zero future.
• Hiya Car offer a tech solution for efficient fleet management, car pooling and emissions reporting. which could be particularly useful for the ad hoc use of vehicles by freelancers and SMEs.
• In the Fashion Industry, there are several technologies revolutionising the sustainability of certain fabrics, called ‘Biotextiles’. They utilise fungi, bacteria and other natural materials to create sustainable alternatives to petrochemical based synthetic fabrics. For instance, Eco-design company Osmose Studio has developed a sustainable alternative made from the ‘roots’ of mushrooms, mycelium.
• Julie’s Bicycle provides practical guides for a range of solutions, including making festivals sustainable, sustainability in museums and the heritage sector, reducing plastic consumption and many more.

At this critical stage, organisations use the lessons learnt from the trial stage to affirm their commitment to integrating net zero innovations into their operations. This involves developing a detailed roadmap outlining specific objectives, timelines, resource allocations, and stakeholder responsibilities. This roadmap serves as a guide, ensuring a structured approach towards successful integration.

Reflective Questions:

1. What support networks and initiatives can we engage with to support our adoption efforts?
2. What resources are needed to smoothly transition from piloting to full integration of the trialled net zero solutions?

• Watch the Innovate UK Business Connect Creative Catalyst Sustainability webinar, where Creative Zero speak about case studies of sustainable practice within the creative industries.
• Vision 2025 is an organisation focused on creating guidance and best practice for climate action within the festival and outdoor events industry. They have investigated and reported on the impact of the music festival sector and what it is already doing. They also have a wealth of resources showcasing case studies and giving guidance on a range of challenges including waste management, energy supply and accessibility.
• In the UKRI Creative Industry Cluster, there are several examples of the adoption of sustainable innovations within the creative industries. For instance, Future Fashion Factory explored how technology could allow microfactories and SMEs to be more agile and therefore less wasteful than large enterprises.
• maakeLess Fabric Waste Initiative is reducing the waste production from their clothes factories by offering offcut and spare fabric to charities, universities, and schools and schools for free. They also offer other advice for design businesses who want to innovate for sustainability.
• Anton Bauer is a battery technology company that has created the Salt-E Dog, a sodium battery designed for the motion picture and television industry with no CO2 or other air pollutants, and a reduced ecological impact compared to other mobile batteries. RMI goes into more depth on the Clean Mobile Power Initiative and the different options for making energy-use on set more sustainable.

Once the commitment is made in the adoption stage, organisations transition to implementation. Here, they turn plans into action by deploying projects at scale and further integrating them into existing systems and processes. This involves actively monitoring key performance indicators and adjusting as needed to optimise the benefits of net zero innovations for achieving sustainability objectives.

Reflective Questions:

1. How will we measure the success of the implementation project?
2. What systems or processes should be in place to monitor and optimise the performance of net zero solutions during implementation?
3. How can we effectively integrate net zero solutions into our daily business practices?

• Explore place based programmes such as Innovate UK’s Net Zero Living programme which aims to help places and businesses across the UK to accelerate the delivery of the transition to net zero. Additionally, IUK’s launchpad programmes support clusters of SME’s in groundbreaking innovations. The creative industry launchpad focuses on businesses based in Coventry and Warwickshire. Keep an eye out for future funding rounds on the Launchpads programme page.
• Innovate UK also offers many funding opportunities to support project implementation – discover the latest funding opportunities.
• Other examples of place based programmes include London’s Grid Project, which supplies renewable energy to productions in the capital, and Liverpool’s plan to transform film and TV shoots by allowing them to plug straight into the grid, to reduce reliance on diesel generators.
• In the integration stage, effective monitoring is critical. Below are some examples of the carbon or sustainability toolkits and calculators that can support this evaluation.
• Theatre Green Book offers resources for production, operations, and buildings including toolkits and training.
• Playing for the Planet aims to address environmental challenges through creativity and technology. They offer a range of resources including a carbon calculator, sustainable guidance for a range sectors of the industry, and case studies of successful projects.
• Ad Green an organisation offering carbon literacy training, a carbon calculator tool, and carbon reduction resources free at the point of use to enable to advertising production community to measure and reduce their carbon footprint.
• Albert is a BAFTA owned organisation that supports the film and TV industry in reducing the environmental impacts of production. Albert also offers a toolkit containing a carbon calculator and Carbon Action Plan, the completion of which can all you to achieve a sustainable production certification.
• Other industry-specific toolkits, can be found on pages 54-57 of the Creative Industries and the Climate Emergency report commissioned by the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre.

In this phase, the organisation seeks to scale up the adoption of net zero technology and share knowledge and best practices with others in the sector. This may take the form of disseminating the adoption from one to multiple of the organisation’s properties, functions, or projects, or collaborating with other organisations who are interested in adopting similar innovations.

This may involve developing case studies, hosting workshops or webinars, and participating in forums to facilitate knowledge sharing and collaboration.

Unique to the creative industries is the ability to diffuse messages through climate storytelling, both within the industry and to a much wider audience. In this way, creative organisations can spread widely their successes in sustainability and climate action, as well as important messages promoting sustainable action more generally

Reflective Questions:

1. How can we effectively communicate our successes and lessons learned to others in the industry?
2. How can we use storytelling or our specific media to spread the messaging of our success more widely?
3. What are the opportunities for partnership and collaboration to accelerate the diffusion of net zero innovation with other similar organisations?

• Media Cymru and Ffilm Cymru Wales have released a new fund to find innovative ways to share climate stories. This Climate Stories Fund will support Research and Development (R&D) projects leading to innovative ways to inspire audiences.
• Good Energy Stories have created a digital guide to portraying climate change on-screen. This playbook includes story inspiration, cheat sheets, character profiles, solutions, and projections into the future.
• Climate Spring is a global screen industry insider organisation that works with a range of creatives to support a rapidly growing climate storytelling movement. They have also created a storytelling guide which sets out what makes a good climate story, by shifting narratives from apocalypse to regeneration.
• Albert is a BAFTA owned organisation that supports the film and TV industry in reducing the environmental impacts of production. They have a host of resources on creating climate content, including training, best practice, and a wealth of examples of climate storytelling across genres.
• Green Film Shooting define themselves as the European Centre for Sustainability in the media world. It provides a forum for professionals within the media industry to share experiences, information and new approaches. The also have a repository of links to groups and funds that support sustainability action in the film industry.

The final stage involves ongoing efforts to drive innovation and improvement in net zero solution integration. It includes activities such as gathering feedback from employees, departments and users, monitoring performance metrics, and exploring new technologies or approaches to optimise and enhance net zero solutions.

Reflective Questions:

1. How can we collect and leverage feedback and data to identify areas for improvement in our journey towards net zero?
2. What continuous improvement processes can we implement to maintain our sustainability progress?
3. How can we stay informed of new developments?

• Participate in innovation challenges across the Innovate UK ecosystems to support continuous improvement such as becoming a solution provider to existing challenges via the Innovation Exchange (iX), Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs) or via Innovate UK Business Growth.
• Get inspired through Innovate UK Business Connect events ranging from networking and showcase opportunities. View current and upcoming events or past event recordings and reports. Or sign up to receive the Innovate UK Business Connect newsletter at the bottom of this page.