Higher Education Institutions Across Europe Launch Joint Actions on Sustainability

On Wednesday 8 June, Higher Education Institutions across Europe pledged landmark actions to improve sustainability of the film and TV sector. The Joint Actions on Sustainability were unveiled at the launch of the landmark FilmEU summit, hosted by the Institute of Art Design and Technology (IADT), which gathers industry stakeholders, academics and students from across Europe.

Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology (IADT) is Ireland’s only institute of art, design and technology. Lean more here.

FilmEU, a collaboration between institutions and students involved in Film and the Media arts, launched ten collaborative steps to ensure students acquire the skills to make their productions more environmentally sustainable. These commitments will provide film and TV practitioners with a suite of practical steps they can take in order to reduce the environmental impact of their productions.

David Smith, President, IADT said:

“As Ireland’s centre of excellence for education and learning in film, animation, broadcasting and the screen arts, IADT has a responsibility to lead on climate action and work with peers here and across Europe to influence how we as a sector can be more sustainable. The Joint Actions on Sustainability will ensure that environmental sustainability is a core element for planning any film and TV production in Ireland and across Europe. These actions are a result of detailed conversations with those who work on sets, those who are studying to learn their craft, our colleagues in education and our audiences.  It is only through collective action that we can make meaningful change when it comes to our climate.”

The Joint Actions on Sustainability

The Joint Actions on Sustainability, launched at FilmEU include:

1. We will develop micro-credential courses to certify green consultants for the film and media industries following Creative Europe, EU and national recommendations
2. We will embed sustainability explicitly in our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes teaching students how to calculate the environmental impact of their productions.
3. By the end of 2022 we will audit our joint MA production reducing their impact and by 2024 at the latest all production in our schools will be calculated by trained students reducing impact where possible.
4. We will set Environmental Sustainability as the FilmEU Challenge for 2022/23. In that pilot we will test our sustainability practices.
5. We will continue to improve the sustainability of our campuses as a priority.
6. We will explore work / life balance in our programmes and production.
7. We will examine the sustainability of our future mobilities and prioritise sustainable mobility practices.
8. We will endeavour to reduce the impact of our media and data footprint.
9. We will share our best practices with other HEIs including GEECT and CILECT schools.
10. We will offset by doing – raising awareness, improving our communities and reaching out to other communities.

The FilmEU Summit showcases progress in the development of the university and the sharing of results with the broader academic community.  A number of bilateral events took place including the premiere of films made by undergraduate filmmakers from across all of the schools, a doctoral school and a mini-conference on Artistic Research.