The Directors Guild of Canada Ontario (DGC Ontario) has launched a circular economy initiative aimed at transforming how leftover production materials are handled in the film industry.

Named the Sustainable Futures Material Reuse Project, it will see DGC Ontario productions with excess materials connect with film students at York University, Sheridan, Centennial and Humber Colleges, who will then be able to reuse the materials on their projects. The long-term objective is to reduce material waste generated from productions by 80%.

Any production under DGC Ontario jurisdiction has the option to donate materials, a spokesperson for the guild told Playback Daily.

Materials currently being sought by the institutions include gels, black wrap, foam core, tape, wedges and other various supplies.

The project was inspired by Stacy Morris, a DGC Ontario member and Sustainability Committee representative, who was able to assist with her daughter’s thesis film at Sheridan College by convincing the production she was working on to donate two carloads of materials.

“Through our collective efforts and our partnering with post-secondary institutions, we’re aiming to create a ripple effect with the Sustainable Futures Material Reuse Project,” said DGC Ontario Sustainability Committee co-chair and production designer Astra Burka, in a statement. “We want to create a current and future culture of sustainability that permeates the entire production community in Ontario.”

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