A group of 60 stakeholders launched the Creative Industries Pact for Sustainable Action, a global initiative to engage film studios, unions and other members of creative industries in achieving the Paris Agreement on climate change and the SDGs. Signatories pledge to support actions that limit emissions, reduce waste and support local communities, emphasizing that such steps will make the creative industries “more efficient, innovative and resilient.”

The Pact recognizes the urgent need for action to achieve the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It states that current business models are not delivering needed change, and recognizes that all parties “within the creative industries and their supply chains have the power to take actions to reduce negative social and environmental impacts.” 

All parties within the creative industries and their supply chains have the power to reduce negative social and environmental impacts.

Pact signatories agree to contribute to: the SDGs; the Paris Agreement; local, national and regional climate action plans, resource consumption and waste reduction strategies; and collective action within the creative industries. Signatories pledge to contribute to these goals by, inter alia: developing and implementing an action-oriented sustainability strategy; prioritizing the reduction and efficient use of fuel, energy and materials; prioritizing the consumption of low-carbon foods; prioritizing the use of sustainable, low-carbon materials; and establishing metrics to quantify, track and report on emissions, resource consumption and impact through establishing a baseline and assessing performance over time. Signatories further pledge to influence supply chain and procurement decisions to prioritize products that have a low-carbon footprint and are energy efficient, non-toxic and reduce waste.

Signatories also pledge to raise awareness of the need to shift to more sustainable living. They will educate their respective workforces on the impacts of climate change, water and resource consumption and waste; and they will leverage the industry’s influence on the general public to achieve a broader cultural shift towards a more sustainable way of living. They also commit to advocate for incentives and policies for sustainability, develop and encourage partnerships to share knowledge on sustainable best practices, and communicate progress on their actions every two years.

In advance of the launch, the following organizations endorsed the Pact: Sim, William F. White International, Circus HR, Portable Electric, IATSE Local 891, IATSE Local 669, Martini Studios (Canada), Vancouver Film Studios (Canada), Scriptation, Connect4Climate, the Environmental Media Association (USA), albert (UK), Greener Screen (Dubai), WrapZERO and Callsheet Magazine (South Africa).

Green Spark Group – a sustainability consulting firm for the motion picture industry – facilitated a multi-stakeholder engagement process that resulted in the development of the Pact. The Pact’s launch took place on the occasion of the 25th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 25) to the UNFCCC.

The Pact is open to any organization in the creative industry that wants to work towards the outlined goals and objectives in their own context. Organizations that endorse the Pact commit to report on their progress towards the stated goals in even-numbered years. [Creative Industries Pact Press Release] [The Pact]