Sustainability is now widely designated as a priority in many aspects of daily life. We can see this in the world of business, where findings from CNN’s recent Business Decision Makers’ Mindset study show that 61 per cent of business leaders have changed or plan to exit partnerships with suppliers due to poor ESG practices. We see this in government action, such as the UAE extending the Year of Sustainability into 2024 with a focus on policies around sustainable consumption and conservation as well as climate action. And we see this in our own daily lives, whether this is through increasing our household recycling or making our food choices based on their environmental impact.
The advertising industry needs to reflect this too. Now more than ever, brands need to commit to going beyond sustainability to achieving net zero. Consumers demand more than just products – they demand purpose. And substantiated sustainability has emerged as the guiding principle for brands seeking resonance. In my field of work of content production, it’s important that we align brand narratives with environmental concerns, showcasing how sustainable content creation is not just a trend but a strategic imperative.
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Positive sustainable behavioural change behind the scenes and onscreen in campaigns can help define the kind of clients we work with, audience groups we speak to, and the talent and contributors that want to work for us.
Steps to sustainability
As a brand studio, we made the commitment in 2022 to be carbon neutral with every film we produce. We approached this by putting processes in place to calculate a carbon footprint for every production and reduce it to zero through a combination of efficiency measures in-house and supporting external emission reduction projects. Working with AdGreen, a globally recognised UK-based body, helps with practical solutions such as finding more sustainable alternatives for materials and transport where possible, providing information on electricity and fuel usage, renting props and costumes, considering what chemicals are in paint and make-up, providing locally sourced vegetarian meals, recycling and reducing waste, and single-use plastic. Consequently, we run every live action film we produce through the Ad Net Zero certified AdGreen carbon calculator to measure, reduce, and offset the carbon footprint of production.
Sustainable production content
One such example is in our recent collaboration for a campaign with the Saudi Tourism Authority. We produced a film—fully sustainable and ad-net zero—to tell the story of Ahmed and Eddie, inside Jeddah’s budding coffee community, as they share their dream of bringing the world’s best coffee to Jeddah. In their roastery and coffee bar, they’ve not only crafted a unique blend but fostered a diverse community that transcends borders.
Another one of our fully sustainable productions from the region is our project for Abu Dhabi Media Office. For this, we focused on Hussain Yoosaf, better known as Spek, one-time member of seminal hip-hop group Dream Warriors, who has made a significant difference in the music scene across the UAE with his own publishing company and label PopArabia in Abu Dhabi. As we approached this project, we considered how to portray his story in an authentic way that could help normalise sustainable behaviours. For instance, the opening scene shows Hussain travelling in his personal electric car. It was filmed to focus on the story, with the electric car subtly in the background—a great example of how small adjustments to scripts and how we direct films can make an impact in normalising and conveying sustainability.
Sustainable production is an obligation, not an option. At a time when many businesses, governments, and citizens are prioritising sustainability, it’s vital that the advertising sector can play its part too in the stories that we tell and the way that we tell them.
By Martin Laing, Senior Director of Production at CNN Create.
