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CIRCULAR ECONOMY PRICIPLES COULD ADDRESS SET CONSTRUCTION WASTE
TALE FROM THE TRENCHES
Circular economy principles could address set construction waste
THE UK REPORT a screen new deal: a route map to sustainable film production presents a vision of how screen content could be created very differently from how it is now, inspired by the UN’s 2016 Sustainable Development Goals
This vision is driven by the need for systemic change. It aims to design out waste and pollution, keep products and materials in use and regenerate natural systems – all principles of the circular economy.
The interviews conducted for this special edition of IF unearthed many comments about the extreme amount of consumption and waste involved in the making and disposing of sets. Production materials is one of five areas that the UK report focuses on – the others are energy and water, studio buildings and facilities, studio sites and locations, and production planning.
The report’s authors advocate for: a dramatic reduction in the use of virgin material; the use of sustainable and responsibly sourced materials where virgin materials are required; and the adoption of design processes that allow materials to be deconstructed and returned to reuse networks in the same condition as they were received. They provide details on how this can be achieved and use case studies.
The National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) has put in place a 50 per cent reduction in new materials for all 12 of the students’ 2023 productions.
“It allows for production materials to be purchased new if made from upcycled, re-used or recycled base materials,” says Imogen Ross, who joined NIDA in December 2022 as a sustainability manager, part of the institution’s strategy to make sustainability a core part of all training Ross has been a production designer for decades and regularly hosts green conversations on the Australian Production Design Guild website.
“We expect that a significant percentage of materials will be found from existing stock items from the NIDA store, purchased from secondhand outlets or sourced from other theatre and production hire companies,” she says, referring to materials and equipment used in every department: scenery workshop, costume, properties and objects, lighting, sound, AV and stage management.
“I expect that some departments will achieve this target and exceed it, while other areas of productions may not be in a position to. Some regularly-used items like gaffer tape are very hard to recycle, whereas cable tie usage can be reduced or replaced with reusable ties. Lighting equipment is something we have instock already, but coloured gels and bespoke gobos are consumed, along with the energy needed to power up during a production. I think it will even out across the whole season and feel confident that all 12 productions will meet the 50 per cent reduction overall, regardless of scale.
“NIDA has a history of keeping newly constructed scenery items and costumes to reuse, and has been increasing its on-site waste streams to include timber recycling, e-waste, batteries, metal and light globes as well as the usual green waste, paper and co-mingles streams, to ensure that what is not able to be kept will be deconstructed and recycled efficiently.
The aim is to recycle or keep 60 per cent of everything.
“This target will mean that hired items are returned to source, constructed items will either be deconstructed for recycling or placed in stock – or potentially gifted to external charities and smaller companies – and all purchased items will either go into NIDA stock or be recycled through the appropriate waste streams… Our facilities team are quite proactive in encouraging recycling and have researched several localised alternative waste streams to send stuff to. Part of my job is to research the bespoke waste streams that are specific to creative industries and find better ways to recycle efficiently and effectively.”
Part of her job is also to help students and staff measure their CO2 emissions.
“Everyone is feeling their way into the sustainability space together. Most sustainability representatives in the cultural institutions are people with a driving passion for change. We are learning together. This is massive culture shift.”
