Carbon footprint and eco-production in photography, késako?
- Grégoire Delanos
- Aug 31, 2023
- 0 min read
Introduction: responding to issues of environmental crises
LA HUTTE offers its customers the systematic implementation of eco-production practices, and if they wish, the evaluation of the carbon impact of the service by setting up a carbon footprint.
But first, why bother with these issues? We are not going to give a lecture here on climate and biodiversity crises, pollution, etc. Others do it much better, such as the media Good friend who produced this illustrated summary of the sixth report of the IPCC (part 1):
The observation is that all sectors, small or large emitters of greenhouse gases, have their part to do in reducing their emissions. The Shift Project released in 2021 the report “Decarbonize Culture! ” as part of the French Economic Transformation Plan (PTEF). It offers a range of strategies more or less committed to the level of transformation of the cultural and creative industries, but its objective is clear: to remain within the objectives of the Paris Agreement for a global warming below 2°C. This requires reducing sector emissions by 5% per year, or almost 40% by 2030 and 80% by 2050 .
We talk a lot about figures, and we focus on reducing carbon emissions: we must not forget that this is about the survival of the human species, billions of other animal and plant species, and the balance of ecosystems that are already upset. If this balance fails, it is our food, our health that will be affected, leading to population displacements fleeing intense climatic events, famines, and diseases. It is also the definitive loss of a natural and living heritage.
Well then, we have the choice between giving in to apathy, panicking, or thinking and implementing adaptation and impact reduction strategies. At LA HUTTE, we choose the last solution.
In a few points, here are the reasons for choosing an eco-produced service and the solutions implemented. Click on the arrows to scroll the points:
1. The benefits of eco-production and why we need to engage in more environmentally friendly production
Digital, of which the audiovisual sector is a part, is 75% of electronic waste that escapes legal recycling channels, 3 million tonnes of CO2e emitted per year by the audiovisual sector in France, and many rare metals used in the manufacture of electronic components.
Yes, making images therefore has a significant environmental impact, generates waste, requires the extraction of rare materials, requires production energy, and in advertising, images are used to sell goods and services that can generate consumption.
It is therefore necessary to question beforehand the goods and services that we offer within the framework of the design of the images, and to know their impact, before thinking about how to communicate about it more responsibly.
Let's keep the orders of magnitude in mind! There is no point in carrying out an audiovisual eco-production for products or services that will be harmful to the environment.
The eco-production practices are therefore both the implementation of practices promoting sustainability, sharing, rational use , biosourcing and the reuse or recycling of objects and infrastructures, but also the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions throughout the production chain of a work. It also means taking into account the well-being of the people we work with and the messages conveyed by the images we create.
So what advantages does it bring to organizations to call on creators committed to a responsible approach?
First, organizations that engage in more environmentally friendly production can be part of a larger movement of sustainability awareness , contributing to the fight against climate change and the preservation of natural resources. This commitment can also motivate employees, strengthen corporate culture, and create a mass movement by engaging its partners and investors towards more virtuous practices. This is how you change the world, by taking others with you and showing that this change is possible.
In a purely practical way, audiovisual eco-production can also help to reduce production costs by optimizing the use of resources, avoiding waste and reducing transportation and energy costs.
It improves the well-being of the teams by being inclusive, by offering a reassuring framework in the face of discrimination, and taking into account the care given to people: healthy food, soft travel, more participative decision-making, etc.
Also, these practices will become necessary in the near future to adapt to future and current legislation concerning corporate social and environmental responsibility (CSR). We no longer have a choice, and putting on blinders will only allow us to run faster into the wall. We must change our practices, here and now. Even if some laws are lagging behind, we must lead the way.
2. Isn't there a risk of greenwashing by the display of these practices?
Greenwashing or eco-laundering consists of the communication of supposedly eco-responsible practices on products or services that go against the protection of the environment. These deceptive commercial practices are punishable by law.
To avoid falling into this discourse, it is necessary to be transparent, put forward figures and concrete reduction objectives, be consistent between the words spoken and the actions implemented. You have to align your values with concrete actions in favor of the environment, and keep in mind the orders of magnitude: if we have bird shelters around an airport, this will not reduce the real impact of the aviation sector on the environment.
Measure your impact: Use measurement tools to track the impact of your practices, so you can quantify gas emission reductions greenhouse effect and energy saving. These results can be communicated transparently to show that your commitment to the environment is real and concrete. This is where the carbon and environmental footprint comes into play.
3. What is the carbon footprint?
The carbon footprint is a tool for measuring the carbon footprint of an organization, product or service. It makes it possible to quantify the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions linked to the activity concerned, by identifying the sources of emissions and evaluating their environmental impact. The carbon footprint is broken down into three main steps:
Analysis of emission sources: This step consists of identifying the sources of greenhouse gas emissions associated with the activity concerned. The main sources of emissions are as follows: direct energy consumption (fossil fuels), indirect energy consumption (electricity, heating, air conditioning), business travel, transport of goods, use of raw materials , the life cycle of tools and infrastructures, waste management.
The calculation of emissions: From the data collected during the analysis of the sources of emissions, it is possible to calculate the emissions of greenhouse gases associated with each source. Emissions are expressed in kilograms of CO2 equivalent, which allows different emission sources to be compared using a common unit.
Identification of reduction actions: This step consists of identifying the actions that can be implemented to reduce greenhouse gas emissions Greenhouse. Actions may relate to all emission sources identified during the analysis, and may include reduction of energy consumption, use of renewable energy sources, optimization of transport, waste management, etc.
4. Methods and toolsavailable to measure carbon footprint in photography
The carbon footprint proposed by LA HUTTE analyzes the production cycle of a service and quantifies the carbon impact of the various items, depending on the duration of a shot. Thus, it takes into account the preparation of the project and the emissions related to the use of the office, the logistics of shooting, post-production, the impact of the technical means deployed, as well as the emissions related to transport. teams and materials, and the use of the cloud.
There is currently no tool for carrying out a carbon footprint for photographic services. It was therefore necessary to gather several databases and compile and adapt them into a spreadsheet.
LA HUTTE is mainly based on the CarbonClap tool, from the collective EcoProd, which is used to calculate the CO2 emissions of a video/cinema service. It is thanks to this tool, and by adapting it to an activity of freelance photographer, that the calculations were made.
The basic data is also taken from the Base Carbone® of the 'ADEME, including for emissions comparisons made using the https tool: //impactco2.fr/
For the car, more precise data was collected at https://calculis.net/co2, with the consumption and emission data of our company car.
For the train, this data comes from Electricity transport network (RTE) and 2021 SNCF attendance ( PDF link).
For cloud storage, ADEME redirects to ce link with the United States (American electric mix = “high” range).
LA HUTTE also offers an opening on the carbon impact of the financial transaction of the service. Indeed, the banks financing industries with high CO2 emissions, whose activity pollutes the air and water and accelerates global warming, this is the carbon footprint on the current account of the net artistic remuneration of social charges and taxes, collected for the service. The financial indicators come from the application Rift with the sources of Carbon4 Finance.
Next, it is a question of listing the levers of action to be put in place to reduce these emissions.
5. Measures to reduce the carbon footprint of audiovisual production
🌱 GENERAL PRACTICES | LA HUTTE works for individuals and structures engaged in approaches that are more respectful of people and the environment: this is the first pillar of action, to be sure that the environmental impact will be lower and to engage the stakeholders.
🚴 LOGISTICS & TRAVEL | Prefer means of transport with the least greenhouse gas emissions, such as cycling or the train, public transport, carpooling and eco-driving of the speakers, and plan the schedule according to their schedules to group trips. If there must be accommodation for the speakers, prefer eco-labeled accommodation or with more respectful water and waste management practices. environment.
🥗 CATERING | Use reusable tableware and limit packaging by favoring bulk, eat products labeled organic farming" and "fair trade preferably in circuit-court , organize non-meat meals, give leftovers to team members or if they have not been started, associations, and organize a waste sorting.
📸 STUDIO & SET | Anticipate their design, from assembly to disassembly, by providing and giving back to local cultural recycling centers and recycling what cannot be donated, avoid toxic products, reuse backgrounds in several productions. Favor second-hand equipment, pooling or rental on site for computer and technical equipment, anticipate their reconditioning, favor ErDF connections, use of LEDs and energy-efficient flashes or even natural light, prefer rechargeable batteries< /span> to batteries, limit the consumption of tape or blunder by using scratches. For styling, choose second-hand clothing and accessories or belonging to the models, and define purchasing and sustainable manufacturing criteria, then collect, resell or give away. For makeup, limit consumables, choose eco-labeled products.
⚡ OFFICES | Choose a renewable energy supplier, limit physical archiving to only useful files, limit the use of the cloud and the sending of large files, reduce the definition of still or animated images for web distribution, organize recycling of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE).
6. The limits of the carbon footprint of an audiovisual service
In the carbon footprint of the services we provide, we count the direct emissions related to the preparation, execution, and delivery of the service ( scopes 1 and 2). Indirect emissions (consultation of visual media by third parties, printing on media not provided for in the order, distribution of visuals on the internet by the customer, digital and physical copies at the customer's, etc.) are not taken into account in the calculation. In the context of a report or corporate portraits, the travel of participants to the event is not taken into account.
Even if LA HUTTE chooses to work for virtuous individuals and organizations (culture, ecology, social, crafts), it is not taken either take into account the emissions that may result from the communication of visuals promoting products or services that will then be consumed. This may represent the main source of greenhouse gas emissions (this is scope 3)! However, the report offers links to OpenSource calculators, allowing customers to quantify the broadcast-related shows.
It is extremely important, for the carbon footprint provided by LA HUTTE to be useful, to account for scope 3 emissions. We cannot know the completeness of the internal data of the organizations for which we work and have not control over the distribution of the images produced, which is why it is impossible to include them in our reviews.
Finally, this carbon footprint is carried out internally, and despite all the rigor that we put into its design, it is not validated by an independent structure.
It should also be remembered that not everything is quantifiable: working with stakeholders committed to a virtuous approach both ecologically and socially , create new stories to engage a large number of people towards sustainable and sustainable practices, take into account the well-being of the people with whom we collaborate, the messages we carry... These things are not measured with a carbon footprint, but they make the difference.
Conclusion: I haven't had time to read everything, you're giving me a summary?
The impacts of environmental crises are already palpable, hence the need to adapt new eco-responsible practices in all sectors, including the cultural and creative industries. These practices bring many advantages both on the environmental level and on the well-being of the people with whom we collaborate. They also make it possible to adapt to the challenges of transformation and to current and future environmental regulations. To do this, you must be transparent in your ecological redirection objectives, and therefore quantify your carbon emissions in order to reduce them.
This is where the carbon footprint and the eco-production practices implemented by LA HUTTE in photography and video come into play. By analyzing and quantifying each emission item, action levers are implemented throughout the production chain to reduce the carbon footprint of the service.
The carbon footprint provided by LA HUTTE takes into account direct and indirect greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions during the production of the images, but not during their distribution, which can represent a large part of the emissions related to a photographic or advertising order. Tools then exist for our customers who can continue this quantification work.
In parallel with the carbon footprint and the reduction of GHG emissions, actions related to social issues make it possible to have a more virtuous impact on society. Find the LA HUTTE's CSR commitments here.
Images have a strong mobilizing power. Let's use them to improve the world rather than destroy it.
To go further, the useful resources...
Calculate your personal carbon footprint with the website NosGestesClimat.fr, a tool created and updated regularly by ADEME.
Read the Responsible communication guide published by ADEME. It deals with the fight against greenwashing, the eco-design of supports< /span> (publishing, digital communication, events, audiovisual production) and crisis communication. An online portal grouping the book's resources is also available free of charge here https://communication-responsable.ademe.fr/
Take part in a Climate Fresco, a Fresque de la Culture, a Digital Fresco, or a New Tales Fresco. These serious games allow a group training of about 3 hours around a board game to grasp these issues, from causes to consequences, and promote the emergence of action levers.
On the same model, after participating in a Climate Fresco, discover the 2tonne workshops for achieve 2t CO2e per year and per person by 2050, the objective of the Paris Agreements of COP21.
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