Albert Sustainable Production Certification

Carbon emission and waste reduction certification for media productions

albert Certified Production

The current albert logo

Standards organization| BAFTA
Effective region| United Kingdom
Effective since| 1996 (as a television company) 2011 (as a environmental organisation)
Product category| Television and film production
Type of standard| Industrial
Legal status| Advisory
Website| wearealbert.org

Albert (stylized as albert) is an environmental organisation aiming to encourage sustainable film and television production. Additionally, albert offers guidance on how to promote and discuss environmental issues in editorial content through an initiative called ‘Planet Placement’. albert began as a project at the BBC, in 1996.[1][2] but was adopted by BAFTA early on.[3]

Initially, albert offered the industry a bespoke carbon calculator to measure the impact of its productions. The calculator allows a production to calculate its predicted carbon footprint from pre- to post-production. Productions can then go through the certification process, where they implement sustainable production techniques to reduce carbon emissions where possible, and offsets where it is not. Productions that successfully complete certification are awarded a 1, 2 or 3 star certificate and given use of the albert Certified Production logo on their credits.

Currently, all BBC, ITV, Channel 4, UKTV, Sky and Netflix productions in the UK are required to register their carbon footprint using the albert carbon calculator.[4]

## Initiatives

[edit]

Besides its carbon calculator, albert is involved in promoting sustainability in other areas of the screen industry.

### Green Rider

[edit]

In May 2019, albert launched the 'Green Rider' project in association with Spotlight.[5] The Green Rider takes its name from the Inclusion Rider, as a way to champion climate action through an actor’s contract, calling for good environmental practices to be observed on set. For example, requesting plant-based catering, low energy lighting, or for the production company to agree to a ‘zero to landfill’ policy for its sets.[6]

### Creative Energy

[edit]

albert started the Creative Energy project in 2017, which enables production companies to switch to a 100% renewable energy supplier. The supplier that Albert partners with is reviewed every year based on ‘green’ criteria. The current supplier is Good Energy.[7] Additionally, creative offsets is another upcoming Albert scheme which allows productions to offset/mitigate their environmental impact with carbon offsetting schemes.[8]

### Screen New Deal

[edit]

In September 2020, albert launched the 'Screen New Deal' report in association with the British Film Institute and Arup as a route-map to help film production transition to net zero emissions by 2050.[9] The report explores and gives examples of how more sustainable practices can be implemented across the film and TV industries.[10]

## Directorate

[edit]

albert's strategy and development is supported by a commissioning directorate. The directorate currently consists of the BBC, ITV, C4, Sky, Netflix and BT Sport.[11]

## Productions with Albert certification

[edit]

This section needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (August 2022)

|

Productions that meet the criteria for sustainability are awarded one, two or three stars.

### Three stars

[edit]

Year | Production[12]

|

2020 | Red Dwarf: The Promised Land
2017 | Emmerdale
2017 | The Big Spell
2016/2017 | Red Dwarf (series 11 & 12)
2016 | Power Monkeys
2016 | Trollied (series 6)
2016 | Loose Women (series 20)[13]
2016 | Pointless
2016 | Have I Got News for You
2016 | A Midsummer Night's Dream
2016 | Inside No. 9 (series 3)
2016 | Let's Go Club
2016 | Upstart Crow (series 1)
2016 | Yonderland (series 3)
2016 | EastEnders[14]
2016 | Rovers
2016 | Andy's Prehistoric Adventures
2015 | Blue Peter (series 58)
2015 | Downton Abbey (series 6)
2015 | The Graham Norton Show (series 17)
2015 | The Interceptor
2015 | Casualty
2014 | Trollied (series 4)
2014 | Coronation Street

### Two stars

[edit]

Year | Production[12]

|

2023  | Sonar Events: Basketball England
2017  | Hollyoaks
2017 | Good Morning Britain
2016 | Witless
2016 | Zapped (series 1)
2016 | Monkeys: An Amazing Animal Family
2016 | The South Bank Show
2016 | Birds of a Feather
2016 | The Voice (series 5)
2016 | Grantchester (series 2)
2016 | Agatha Raisin (series 1)
2016 | Stan Lee's Lucky Man (series one)
2016 | The Tunnel (series 2)
2016 | Boomers (series 2)
2015 | Cuffs (series 1)
2015 | The Apprentice (series 11)
2015 | The Naked Choir
2015 | TT Races
2015 | Still Open All Hours
2015 | A League of Their Own (series 9)
2014 | W1A (series 2)
2015 | A Long Long Crime Ago
2015 | Desi Rascals
2015 | Premier League World
2015 | Ross Kemp: Extreme World (series 4)
2015 | Gigglebiz (series 4)
2015 | Love It Or List It (series 1)
2014/2015 | Children's Presentation
2014/2015 | Spring/Autumn/Winterwatch
2014 | CBBC Live (Gateshead)
2014 | MasterChef (series 10)
2014 | Invictus Games
2014 | From There to Here
2013 | All at Sea

### One star

[edit]

Year | Production[12]

|

2016 | Henry IX
2016 | Young, Free and Single: Live (series 1)
2015 | Educating Cardiff
2015 | You, Me and the Apocalypse
2015 | All Over the Place – Europe
2014 | Siblings (series 2)
2014 | Swashbuckle
2013 | 4 O'Clock Club
| BBC Music Awards
| Midnight Mass + Come Join the Celebration

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Environmental sustainability". bbc.com. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
2. ^ "BBC - albert certification - Corporate Responsibility". 18 December 2018. Archived from the original on 18 December 2018. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
3. ^ "BAFTA's Sustainability Efforts". www.bafta.org. 5 August 2014. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
4. ^ "Production Tools". Albert. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
5. ^ "ALBERT Launches the Green Rider". www.spotlight.com. 5 May 2020. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
6. ^ "BAFTA-Backed Sustainability Project Launches Green Rider for Actors | Hollywood Reporter". www.hollywoodreporter.com. 5 May 2020. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
7. ^ "Just be good". www.goodenergy.co.uk. 19 March 2019. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
8. ^ "Creative Offsets". Albert. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
9. ^ "Sustainability report proposes step-change for UK film production". BFI. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
10. ^ "Screen New Deal". Albert. 22 July 2020. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
11. ^ "Our community". Albert. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
12. ^ a b c "Certifications". albert. Archived from the original on 16 April 2019. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
13. ^ "ITV's Loose Women Certified As An Albert+ Sustainable Production". ITV Studios. 5 January 2016. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
14. ^ "Eco-Enders – EastEnders earns top sustainability award". EastEnders. BBC. 9 May 2016. Retrieved 30 March 2017.

## External links

[edit]

Official website