Forty indie producers in Canada have teamed up to form the “first-of-its-kind” climate action coalition.

The Producing for the Planet coalition was announced at the Canadian Media Producers Association’s (CMPA) Prime Time conference on Friday (Feb. 2).

The coalition’s focus will be based on four key areas: “action on screen”; “action on emissions”; “action on waste”; and “collective action.” Each producer will summarize their outcomes in an annual impact report. Producing for the Planet aims to launch a digital interactive Climate Action Producer Toolkit in Spring as its first project, according to a news release.

The coalition’s partners include 9 Story Media Group, Amaze Films, Attraction, Banger Films, Blink49 Studios, Blue Ant Media, Boat Rocker Media, Cedar Island Films, Cineflix Media, Conquering Lion Pictures, Cream Productions, Eagle Vision, eOne Canada, Frantic Films, Good Measure Productions, Great Pacific Media, Idéacom International, IOM Media, Iylond Entertainment, Kickstart Entertainment, KOTV, Lark Productions, Muse Entertainment, New Metric Media, Nomadic Pictures, Omnifilm Entertainment, Panoramic Pictures, Pier 21 Films, Prairie Dog Film + Television, Quadrant Motion Pictures, Remembrance Pictures, Screen Siren Pictures, Seven 24 Films, Shaftesbury, Shut Up & Colour Pictures, Sphere Media, Thunderbird Entertainment, Wango Films, Wildbrain and Wind Sun Sky.

In November last year, a CBC report provided a snapshot of the Canadian screen industry’s carbon footprint, reporting more than 9,500 tonnes of CO₂ emissions from 64 original productions.

The carbon footprint of those 64 productions, across genres and production methods, was the equivalent to the energy use of 2,227 homes for one year, or the consumption of 81 barrels of oil, according to the report.

Adopting best practices for emissions reductions in production and corporate operations will be a key area of focus of Producing for the Planet, as well as the creation of climate related stories that inform audiences of the current crisis and collaboration with various industry stakeholders.

“We believe that by working together and making formal commitments to act, we can accelerate the pace at which our industry adopts green practices on screen and off,” said Marsha Newbery, founder and executive director, Producing for the Planet and VP, sustainability and business affairs at Thunderbird Entertainment, in a statement.

“It’s every producer’s responsibility to operate sustainably, and we invite producers of all sizes and genres, from across the country, to join us in our mission to drive the decarbonization of our industry,” added Newbery.

Producing for the Planet is supported by Canada Media Fund, the CMPA, Thunderbird, Great Pacific Media, and Creative BC.

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