The audiovisual industry is undergoing a transformation in the face of climate issues and new regulations. As productions are increasingly held accountable for their carbon footprint, the need to measure and reduce their impact becomes essential. In France, for example, since January 1, 2024, any request for production assistance with the CNC must be accompanied by a double carbon footprint provisional and definitive.
Several carbon calculators have been developed to support productions in this process. Albert in the United Kingdom, Carbon’Clap in France, or even Peach Pear Plum in the United States make it possible to evaluate the emissions generated at each stage of a project, from filming to post-production. Each of these tools is based on recognized methodologies, such as GHG Protocol or the Bilan Carbone®, but they also present differences which can influence their adoption according to the needs and constraints of production.
Measuring your carbon footprint is not just about choosing a calculator. We still need to succeed in collecting, organizing and structuring the necessary data — Often scattered between invoices, waybills and various production documents. This is where facilitators like GreenPro by TheGreenShot, which makes it possible to automate this collection while centralizing the entire process.
So how do these tools work? What are their specificities? And how can we simplify their use? This article takes stock of the main carbon measurement solutions in the audiovisual sector and how to effectively integrate them into your production.
Table des matières
Carbon calculators in audiovisual
Calculator
Albert
(Albert)
Carbon’clap
(EcoProd)
Peach Pear Plum
(Green Production Guide)
Country of origin
United Kingdom
France
United States
Methodology
GHG Protocol
Bilan carbone
GHG Protocol
Certification
✓
✓
✓
Albert
In the United Kingdom, Albert is the essential reference in sustainable audiovisual production. Founded in 2011 and adopted by the BAFTA, Albert supports the film and television industry in reducing its carbon footprint.
Its carbon calculator, aligned with the GHG Protocol methodology, helps in assessing each production and implementing appropriate reduction and compensation strategies. In addition to its calculator, Albert offers certification allowing productions to obtain a label with 1, 2 or 3 stars, affirming their commitment to eco-responsible practices.
For the advertising sector, Albert has also developed AdGreen, a free carbon calculator designed specifically to help agencies and advertisers to evaluate and reduce the environmental impact of their campaigns. These tools demonstrate a structured commitment from the British audiovisual sector, supported by major players such as BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Sky, Netflix and BT Sport, who sit on Albert’s board.
Carbon’Clap®
In France, EcoProd’s Carbon’Clap® calculator is among the most used tools in the audiovisual industry when it comes to measuring the carbon footprint of productions. Designed specifically for this sector, it uses the emission factors from ADEME, thus guaranteeing the reliability and precision of the results. In addition, it is approved by the CNC, which allows French productions to meet the requirements and be eligible for financing aid.
As of January 1, 2024, any request for production aid requires the submission of a double carbon footprint of the works to the CNC, as per of the Plan Action!
Launched in 2010 by EcoProd, a collective approach bringing together key players such as ADEME, the Audiens Group, France Télévisions and TF1, Carbon’Clap® aims to raise awareness and support image professionals in integrating sustainable development issues into their practices.
Based on an adapted version of the Bilan Carbone® methodology of the ADEME, the Carbon’Clap calculator® makes it possible to assess greenhouse gas emissions linked to different audiovisual production activities. To assure users that their approach is well recognized, Ecoprod certification is issued by the AFNOR.
Peach Pear Plum
In the United States, Peach Pear Plum has established itself as an essential reference tool for measuring the carbon footprint of audiovisual productions. Developed by the Green Production Guide and supported by the Sustainable Production Alliance, this calculator is widely adopted by American studios to monitor and reduce emissions generated by filming.
- PEACH (Production Environmental Action Checklist) is a checklist of good environmental practices to follow on a shoot. It helps teams to integrate concrete actions to reduce their ecological impact.
- PEAR (Production Environmental Accounting Report) is a carbon footprint calculator that allows you to measure and analyze emissions generated by production.
- PLUM (Production Lumber Material) is a tool for monitoring the management of wood used on decorations, in order to optimize materials management and limit waste.
Designed to align with international standards, Peach Pear Plum integrates the methodology of the GHG Protocol and supports productions in developing sustainable strategies by identifying the most relevant action levers.
How are they used?
When measuring the carbon footprint of audiovisual productions, there are three essential factors to consider: methodology, calculator, and facilitator. Everyone plays an essential role, but what if everything could be simplified and centralized in a single tool? Today, we offer a solution.
▶️ The methodology defines the rules and standards to follow for accounting for emissions. Standards such as the GHG Protocol or the Bilan Carbone® set the criteria to be taken into account, the scope of analysis and the emission factors to apply. They ensure consistency in the calculation and make it possible to obtain comparable results between different productions and industries.
🔢 The calculator applies these methodologies to convert production data into a detailed carbon footprint. Tools like Carbon’Clap from EcoProd in France, Albert in the United Kingdom or Peach Pear Plum in the United States make it possible to estimate emissions linked to each item (transport, energy, materials, waste, etc.) and to identify reduction levers.
🔄 The facilitator automates and streamlines this whole process. GreenPro from TheGreenShot plays this role by automatically collecting physical and monetary data from invoices, structuring them and integrating them directly into carbon calculators. This saves valuable time and ensures reliable traceability of information, without tedious manual work.
The other advantage of the facilitator? 👀
No need to multiply tools. Being interfaced with calculators and aligned with carbon methodologies, a facilitator like GreenPro is enough to centralize the entire process and effectively manage the carbon footprint of a production.
As the audiovisual sector transitions to a sustainable model, measuring your carbon footprint is no longer an option, but a necessity. Between increasing regulatory obligations and the growing desire of professionals to adopt more sustainable practices, it is becoming essential to equip yourself correctly.
Carbon calculators like Carbon’Clap, Albert and Peach Pear Plum play a key role in providing accurate and actionable assessments, aligned with recognized methodologies. But their effectiveness depends directly on the quality and accessibility of the data collected upstream.
By choosing a facilitator interfaced with the main calculators, one platform may be sufficient to manage the entire measurement and analysis of the carbon footprint of a production. A pragmatic solution to reconcile production constraints and sustainable commitment.
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