Netflix Vows to Decarbonize its Global Productions: ‘That’s Our Main Goal in the Next Couple of Years’
Netflix vowed to decarbonize its productions “across the globe” at Series Mania.
“That’s our main goal in the next couple of years,” said Claudia Augustinis, head of production at Netflix France. “We always say we want to entertain the world. But in order to do that, we need a world to entertain.”
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While there is no standard formula that fits all productions, observed Netflix Spain’s Ester Velasco, hiring external vendors to help out producers is key. Be it on “Elite,” now in its sixth season, or rom-com “In Love All Over Again.”
“Our consultants break down the scripts and identify opportunities [for] decarbonizing productions,” she said, discussing its pilot initiative launched last year.
“If they identify that the talent comes from distant locations, they can ask: ‘Is there any chance to organize transportation by train, rather than plane?’ Or ‘We have seen that you are planning to rent cars. Could they be electric instead?’ ‘Could the character drive one, so that we can reflect sustainable behavior on screen and influence our audience’?”
Velasco also opened up about Netflix Spain’s “jewel”: its production hub.
“Recently, it has been wired to renewable energy [sources]. For those productions, it will have a big impact in terms of decarbonization.”
Producer Diego Betancor, behind “In Love All Over Again,” added that while adhering to new rules has been challenging, it’s also necessary.
“We are facing a climate emergency and things need to change,” he said, mentioning that 87% of items required by art or costume departments were either rented or bought second-hand, with a “meatless day” also introduced on set.
“At the beginning, it was quite tricky. Then, in our second week, we couldn’t find our main actress. She was talking to a truck driver, explaining why it was important to reduce our meat consumption,” he laughed.
Other methods included implementing LED lighting, using batteries instead of fuel generators or even encouraging the crew to switch to public transport. As well as involving the sustainability department in everyday decisions.
“We would include them in the call sheet, invite them to meetings. We met with some resistance, but we also had plenty of support. At the end, as our eco supervisor would say, we [managed to] put our ‘green glasses’ on and change our mindset. Our gaffer understood that when we weren’t shooting, he could turn off many pieces of his equipment. That was one of our biggest achievements.”
However, “anticipating and early planning” is key, said Betancor.
“Having a partner, a consultant that would help our producers to go through this journey is fundamental,” echoed Augustinis, mentioning Secoya Eco-tournage and underlining that while in the past such companies would join rather late, that is bound to change too.
“We try to put them in touch with our partners as soon as the project is greenlit, so that they can start even before pre-production,” she said, giving another shoutout to Ecoprod, a collective focusing on eco-responsible approach.
“At Netflix, we want to be a part of the solution and part of the movement. No one is going to make necessary changes in our industry all by themselves. We want to influence, encourage and support the playground of new technology.”
Just like in the case of electro-hydrogen generators.
“When we were working on ‘Lupin,’ Season 3, we got a call from our sustainability team, saying they wanted to start exploring the use of hydrogen batteries in projects outside of the U.S. and U.K. It’s an evolving path.”
Danys Bruyere, deputy managing director at TSF, added: “It was an interesting challenge, but preparation is key. There are restrictions, which require additional planning. On ‘Lupin,’ we got into regulatory issues, because the fire department or the police didn’t understand why we were bringing so much hydrogen to a residential area. It’s one of the issues you will need to deal with, but as we move forward, this will get easier.”
As noted by Velasco, although in the case of pilot programs any budget increases caused by alternative solutions were covered, it will change in the future.
“Moving on, and applying it to our entire slate, we will switch this approach. We are still covering [the cost of hiring] a consultant, but we honestly believe that this should be a common effort.”
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