Dubai entity Greener Screens joins pact as part of efforts to inspire regional media houses to practice more sustainable production.
Creative entities around the world have signed a pact called the Creative Industry Pact for Sustainable Action (the Pact), an aspirational agreement to inspire all organisations and companies in the creative industries to work towards a more sustainable future.
The Pact aims to engage organisations to collectively reduce the negative impacts of production and accelerate a cultural shift toward sustainability. Green Spark Group facilitated the development of the Pact through a multi-stakeholder engagement process by sharing the Pact and collecting feedback from sixty stakeholder organisations in twelve countries. It was developed by the industry, for the industry.
Any organisation in the creative industries, from corporations, public agencies and member-based organisations to film schools and film commissions can endorse and work toward upholding the pledges in the Pact. Organisations that endorse the Pact must agree to share or report on their progress toward the stated goals in even numbered years.
Organisations around the world that have endorsed the Pact in advance of this launch, include Sim, William F. White International, Circus HR, Portable Electric, IATSE Local 891, IATSE Local 669, Martini Studios (Canada), Vancouver Film Studios (Canada), Scriptation, Connect4Climate, the Environmental Media Association (USA), albert (UK), Greener Screen (Dubai), WrapZERO and Callsheet Magazine (South Africa). These signatories are looking forward to working on common goals alongside future endorsers around the world to reduce the impacts of the creative industries globally.
Speaking about the pact, Liesl Hattingh, co-founder and director of WrapZERO, South Africa said it “will be particularly important for popular long-haul film locations such as South Africa to set the scene within an international context, and to connect with like-minded stakeholders in the creative industries across borders”.
“We appreciate that the Pact requires commitment to real action from its members and see it as a way to foster global collaboration for a global industry to solve a global problem that requires immediate and effective local action,” Hattingh remarked.
Debbie Levin, CEO, Environmental Media Association added: “Launching the EMA Green Seal for Production in 2003, we’re so proud of how sustainability in global production has grown and continues to do so. The dedication from the entertainment industry to be part of “the solution” banding together with the Pact is so powerful.”
Eleanor O’Connor, President of Production Services at Sim agreed, adding: “We live in good times. The science is good — it may not be what we want, but it’s good. And ours is a global industry known to be innovative, inspirational and influential — some may even say persuasive. We at Sim are committed to both lead and collaborate with all industry stakeholders to improve on all environmental fronts.”
Bassam Alasad, co-founder of Greener Screens, Dubai added: “We will use the Pact to organise our sustainability pathway forward. It is a robust yet flexible framework. It’s great that we can use it in the Middle East starting from Dubai in our unique context and it’s also applicable for others around the world. We hope to inspire others — we don’t have time to waste!”
