We're proud to be the partner of BAFTA's sustainability scheme, Albert, designed to help all its members implement carbon reducing technologies. A hefty 13 tonnes of CO2 is produced for every hour of a finished TV programme. Read more in this article about their excellent approach to energy and carbon reduction which ensures that the footprint of our favourite TV shows is significantly reduced.

What is Albert?

Albert is a carbon calculator - an online tool that works out how much a TV production affects the environment. It calculates the total amount of greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere as a direct result of making the programme.

After a user answers a series of questions relating to production activities (such as studio usage and time spent in edit suites), Albert produces a series of charts showing the carbon impact of the work. The user is given the total CO2 emitted during the course of production, the amount of CO2 emitted per £100k of budget and most importantly, CO2 per production hour.

Each year over 1000 productions use the Albert calculator with a further 300 also applying for Albert certification.

Albert and education

In 2019, BAFTA announced a partnership between UK universities and Albert. The BAFTA Albert education partnership is specifically designed for students enrolled on production courses at universities across the UK and internationally.

A specialist course was adopted by 10 universities, all of whom have entered into a partnership with Albert to collaborate on the creation of the content. Founding members include National Film and Television School and our very own Bournemouth University based just up the road from Climateq HQ.

The course materials – which fulfil the criteria of the Carbon Literacy Trust – teach the science of climate change, the environmental impact of the film and TV industries and sustainable production practices that mitigate against this impact. The course also provides access to the Albert calculator.

The latest from Albert

Albert have just launched the Green Rider, a new agreement it says will help actors, their agents and casting directors ensure that more sustainability measures can be implemented on set. Through an actor's contract, the Green Rider enables requests such as plant-based catering, low-energy lighting, or for the production company to agree to a "zero to landfill" policy. You can find out more about this here.

Albert Training

Albert have adapted their training programme, so that they can deliver it to members as an online webinar, during the UK lockdown.

Two different sessions are available, one for people working behind the scenes in production and one for those writing content for the screen. If you work in the TV sector, you’re welcome to sign up for either session or both. You can find out more about these sessions and sign up here.