Hollywood’s Carbon Footprint
- The Earth & I Editorial Team
- 4 hours ago
- 2 min read
Hollywood’s carbon footprint is hard to pin down because “Hollywood” —shorthand for the U.S. film and TV industry—is spread across states, studios, and worldwide productions. Moreover, many variables are involved, such as production size (multimillion-dollar blockbusters vs. indie shorts) and location. Below are highlights of what researchers and industry groups have found about the industry’s emissions:
According to a Sustainable Production Alliance (SPA) report in 2021, a tentpole (very large budget) film averages about 3,370 metric tons of CO₂ equivalent over its production phase, which is, according to TIME, the “equivalent of powering 656 homes for a year.”
Smaller films (with lower budgets) average closer to 391 metric tons CO₂e, according to the Green Production Guide.
On big productions, fuel (for lighting rigs, vehicles, generators on location) can account for roughly 48% of the emissions.
Emellie O’Brien, founder and CEO of sustainable production watchdog, Earth Angel, told TIME: “Most sets have a bunch of idling trucks and generators because we are basically a traveling circus. Around 30% of fuel goes just to power massive generators, and a big chunk of the rest to transportation.”
Hollywood has been making efforts to clean up its act. The 2004 action drama The Day After Tomorrow made history by focusing on the climate and becoming the first production to offset its 10,000 metric tons of emitted carbon.
Earth Angel estimates that a “single production’s average [environmental] impact” includes 638,291 pounds of waste generated, 74,000 single-use bottles used, 531,577 miles flown, 101,618 gallons of fuel consumed, and 1,049.9 metric tons of CO₂ equivalent emitted.
For television, SPA’s data show that a one-hour scripted drama episode emits, on average, 77 metric tons CO₂e.
The Green Production Guide offers a production toolkit called A Note to Filmmakers that sets out green production principles that include “conserving fuel and energy, avoiding toxins and pollution, saving water, reducing plastics, and preventing landfill waste.”