Industry Roundtable: Driving Sustainability in the Media and Entertainment Technology Sector
The rapid evolution and expansion of the digital media and entertainment industry have significantly impacted the environment through carbon emissions, energy use, and waste generation.
According to research from the Sustainable Production Alliance, tentpole movies had an average carbon footprint of 3,370 metric tons—or about 33 metric tons per shooting day. Large films had a carbon footprint of 1,081 metric tons, medium films had a carbon footprint of 769 metric tons, and small films had a carbon footprint of 391 metric tons. TV series, noted researcher, can have an even more significant impact because prolonged production activities generate more carbon over their entire run.
Nevertheless, the industry has several key opportunities to improve its sustainability posture through enhanced knowledge sharing and the adoption of interdisciplinary strategies that leverage the efforts of content creators, distributors and consumer device manufacturers, according to a recent virtual roundtable discussion with Barbara Lange of Kibo121, communications consultant Josh Gordon, and Bill Redmann of InterDigital.
While progress toward reducing the industry's carbon footprint varies significantly across the globe—panelists note Europe as a leader in advancing the sustainability agenda—the general trajectory of environmental regulations worldwide is prompting industry players to pursue more proactive initiatives, according to the participants.
"Technology and innovation are playing a crucial role in achieving sustainability objectives, with advancements in broadcasting equipment and streamlined processes poised to reduce carbon footprints significantly," noted Kibo121's Lange. "As a result, we are seeing significant progress in accurately measuring—and reporting on—sustainability initiatives."
She added, however, that most industry efforts are still in their nascent state.
"While some organizations have been on a sustainability journey for some time, the industry as a whole is still in a phase of knowledge sharing and learning," Lange says.
Obstacles to Industry-wide Sustainability Efforts
"Many organizations are just beginning to understand the environmental implications of activity at each stage of the value chain. As a result, we have still not achieved a full consensus on sustainability concepts and metrics," said InterDigital's Redmann.
Regulatory inconsistencies also pose significant challenges, as different regions—such as those enforced in Europe and the US—vary greatly. In some cases, they even conflict. For instance, the EU's Ecodesign Directive sets stringent energy efficiency and environmental standards for specific devices. In contrast, the US has different standards and, in some cases, less stringent requirements under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA).
These inconsistencies, explains Redmann, complicate compliance for global operations that already operate in extremely intricate environments. The net effect adds friction to efforts to execute sustainability initiatives across the entire community of stakeholders.
"There is also an absence of fully standardized methods for measuring the impact of sustainability efforts. In some cases, industry participants are only required to offer estimates rather than hard data. This leads to a lack of precision that hampers effective decision-making on these issues," added Redmann.
Momentum is Shifting
The good news is that attitudes across the sector are changing. Media companies are increasingly integrating strategies that reduce carbon leakage because it improves margins through energy savings. Indeed, a growing community of interested parties is focusing on strategies that incorporate sustainability into regional and business contexts to build their case for action.
According to Gordon, recent surveys of business leaders show that executives resonate more positively with "efficiency" initiatives than "environmental sustainability" efforts because energy-related savings go straight to the bottom line.
"As a result, sustainability is emerging as a strategic business imperative," Gordon says.
The situation is different for media and entertainment customers.
"A recent Sinclair Broadcast Group survey of US consumers shows that the energy efficiency of products they buy is emerging as a very high priority. This sentiment has taken root with individual screen and display manufacturers, who, in turn, have begun to position their products as green and energy efficient," he says.
He adds that there are opportunities to further engage with consumers at an industry-wide level by informing them of the progress made to make the entire ecosystem more environmentally sensitive.
According to Gordon, it is unfortunate because there is significant progress that the general public can appreciate.
"Cable Labs, for instance, has worked over the last several years with its constituents in a voluntary program to reduce the energy consumption of its set-top boxes by 40%. Meanwhile, terrestrial broadcasters are now using their transmission towers at a 50% rate of efficiency…up from 10%. These are large-scale leaps in energy efficiency," says Gordon.
"Streaming service providers have also analyzed their various processes to identify and streamline operations. Overall, the distribution ecosystem has done a remarkable job, but there has been very little messaging about these sustainability outcomes."
Chasing Seals of Approval
On the consumer device side of the equation, there is no shortage of credentials, certifications and seals of approval to ensure that TV sets and other displays meet stringent standards for energy efficiency and overall environmental impact.
Notable among these are ENERGY STAR, which is widely recognized in the US and internationally for promoting energy-efficient products, and EPEAT, a global rating system for greener electronics. Similarly, "TCO Certified" offers an international certification for sustainability in IT products, including TVs. In the European Union, the EU Ecolabel and the Ecodesign Directive enforce high environmental standards, empowering consumers with information to make more eco-conscious choices.
That said, consumers themselves have a role to play as the last link in the media and entertainment value chain.
"Consumers have high expectations for the visual experiences they desire," noted Redmann. "Today's TV sets are designed to provide the best possible image quality, which can require a significant amount of energy."
However, energy consumption can vary greatly depending on the viewing environment. For example, if the curtains are open—or the TVs are placed in brightly lit areas—the equipment needs to work harder to overcome the ambient brightness, resulting in higher energy consumption.
"On the other hand, if people turn off lights and close curtains, the viewing environment will be darker. This means the TV set doesn't need to work as hard to provide an exceptional viewing experience, leading to lower energy consumption and more sustainable outcomes," he concludes.
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EDITORIAL NOTE: Click Here to Listen to the Full Roundtable Conversation