RTL Group | London, 01/18/2021

Fremantle To Use Carbon Calculator Globally

Fremantle plans to use the “Albert Carbon Calculator” worldwide soon. TV broadcasters and production companies can use this carbon calculator to calculate their emissions of climate-damaging gases and receive suggestions for reducing them. The TV and film production company will be the first in the industry to use the new version of the carbon calculator in operations around the globe.

Creating transparency about the environmental impact of climate-damaging pollutants generated in the TV and film industry, and helping to avoid them: That is the purpose of the Albert Carbon Calculator, which was introduced in the U.K. in 2011. It is essentially an online platform that TV stations and production companies can use to calculate their CO₂ emissions and receive suggestions on how to reduce them. The RTL Group subsidiary Fremantle has been using the carbon calculator in the U.K. since last year  and has issued a statement stating that it will soon use a revised and improved version worldwide. This would make it the first company in the industry to determine its carbon footprint and impact globally using the Albert toolkit and internationally recognized standards. Companies and production facilities will be entitled to carry a logo certifying their compliance with the necessary criteria, so that they can document their efforts to the outside world.

13.5 tons of carbon dioxide for one hour of TV programming

Roser Canela Mas, Industry Sustainability Manager at Albert, said: “We’re incredibly proud of the Albert calculator and certification tools but as new innovations come to the market and as the productions we work with become increasingly sophisticated, we felt now was the right time for a revamp, making sure that we can offer a world class product that can truly help any production large or small to reduce its environmental impact.” And the impact is considerable: According to Albert, the production of one hour of TV programming generates around 13.5 tons of carbon dioxide – equivalent to the annual gas and electricity emissions of three private households.

The new, internationally usable, version of the carbon calculator became a reality largely thanks to Fremantle investing itself in the project. Jennifer Mullin, Global CEO, ‎Fremantle, said: “As a global company, we know we have a responsibility to measure and reduce our impact on the planet. We are proud to be the first company to invest in Albert on a global scale and help to develop their calculator into a tool that the entire industry can use. This is a great step forward for TV companies around the world, to allow them to educate themselves on the environmental impact of producing TV and empower them to move towards more sustainable methods.”