Database

Screen.brussels promotes sustainable development and the circular economy within film and TV production in the Brussels-Capital Region. It has rolled out several practical measures: raising awareness among producers and crews and connecting them with innovative companies (such as Rotor and MCB) that recycle and build with sustainable, reusable materials; a partnership with Bruxelles-Propreté offering free bin bags and badge-loan access to Brussels waste disposal centres; distribution of reusable flasks to crews to cut down on disposable water bottles; support for a pilot sustainable-filming project through a dedicated eco-consultant; and a benchmarking of sustainability practices across Europe, done in partnership with the VAF (Flanders Audiovisual Fund) and the Trentino Film Commission. Screen.brussels also produced a brochure, Environmentally Friendly Filming in the Brussels-Capital Region, and points productions to the Eureca carbon calculator, an online tool that measures a shoot’s main CO2 impacts (travel and lodging, energy use for transporting equipment, waste, and catering) and helps track the region’s overall film-production emissions. Its guidance is organized around seven areas for making a shoot more eco-responsible: transport organisation, selection of materials (set design and costumes), energy, accommodation, logistics and canteen, waste management, and communication.

Wallonia Green Film is Wallimage’s sustainability initiative, launched after the fund set up a dedicated film-hosting department in 2019 and recognized the need for a coherent, proactive eco-shooting policy. As a member of Cineregio, Wallimage takes part in the Greenregio working group, which aims to standardize green certification processes at the European level and has ratified the Green Manifesto (published in the Green Report 2020). Together with European partners, and at the initiative of the Trentino Film Commission, Wallimage follows a common model for supporting sustainable productions, detailed in a user’s guide that producers must consult before applying for co-financing. Wallimage is also developing Green Manager training to prepare dedicated relay persons who support productions in applying eco-responsible processes, and plans to work with service providers to ensure appropriate sustainable solutions are available. Support goes beyond guidance: additional costs arising from eco-responsible adjustments are eligible for funding (financed on average at 50% by the fund), and eco-responsible practices are factored into points in Wallimage’s project-selection grids, favoring environmentally friendly projects.

The “Sustainable Filming Guide” by the Flanders Audiovisual Fund provides practical information and tips on how to make film productions more sustainable. The guide covers topics such as reducing energy and water consumption, minimizing waste, promoting sustainable transportation, and using eco-friendly materials. It includes a checklist and templates to help productions implement sustainable practices. The guide aims to promote more environmentally responsible filmmaking and to support the transition towards a more sustainable film industry.

The Flanders Audiovisual Fund (VAF) promotes sustainable film production in Belgium through its Sustainable Film Production program. The program encourages environmentally-friendly practices, such as reducing energy and water consumption, minimizing waste, and using sustainable materials. The VAF provides support through funding and advice to help productions become more sustainable. Applicants must submit a sustainability plan and a progress report to be eligible for funding.

The International Screen Institute, is a non-profit organisation (e.V.) providing training for European and international film and TV creatives and executives. Among others they organise a Sustainability Management course for audiovisual productions.