How does T- Green Film work?
When compiling the application form productions that intend to adopt the rating system decide how many “green” points (which will go towards raising the overall evaluation and thus the contribution received) they aim to obtain on a list of actions: from energy savings in the consumption of electricity and in the use of transport, to the catering, the selection of the materials used, the disposal of waste.
The choice of the green actions to be carried out is at the total discretion of the producer who makes the decision based on the production characteristics of his/her movie; obviously there is a minimum threshold below which certification is not possible but, once that threshold has been exceeded the more actions that are carried out the higher the score will be in the evaluation phase.
The compliance of the actions in accordance with the modalities indicated in the rating system, is entrusted to the APPA, the provincial agency for the protection of the environment, an organism that already certifies sustainability in other sectors.
T-Green Film is the first rating system in Europe to be certified by a public body (the APPA), and is thus free of charge. This is another reason that it has aroused a lot of interest amongst entities which have been working in this field for many years.
It was the only case history presented at the “Greening the Film Industry” seminar organized last September by Cine- Regio in Malmo, Sweden; in October, Luca Ferrario, faced the big cities of the world (New York, London, Paris, Los Angeles) in Vancouver at the “Leading Cities for Sustainable Production” meeting and in the same context (the “Sustainable Production Forum” ) he presented
T-Green Film as an example of concrete advancement in the policies put into action on a regional level for sustainable productions.
More recently, on the occasion of the last Cannes Film Festival, the Brussels Film Commission launched its own rating system, clarifying that it had based itself on the work of its colleagues in Trentino.
Also in Italy theFondazione Sardegna Film Commission, which has always been very aware of environmental topics, has realized a guide for productions presenting it as a regional definition of the
T-Green Film Protocol.
The concrete approach and simplicity are the strengths of the Trentino rating system which differentiate it from historic European protocols.
Germany’sFilm Fund Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein, for example, offers the green card – a recognition which is a symbolic award – to productions that follow certain guidelines; in Belgium the Flanders Audiovisual Fund prescribes some basic actions of environmental sustainability that are compulsory in order to be able to access the contributions; whilst with Ecoprod the Ile de France Film Commission in Paris is offering an education on virtuous practices through the measuring of emissions of polluting substances with a specific software, the “Carbon Clap”.
The spirit of T-Green Film is instead to educate about respect for the environment by rewarding those who do it rather than penalizing those who don’t.
“We wanted to bring those basic activities we already do at home to the set: everyday practices, common sense things”, adds Ferrario: “a few, clear macro-actions”.
And he announces: “We are collecting feedback from producers and their suggestions will be useful for the review we will carry out after the first year test. We are working on a more evolved version”.