A Liverpool studio’s aim to be 1 of the UK’s greenest has been rewarded with a prestigious rating from the UK film industry.
The Depot, which has hosted numerous award-nominated TV productions, has been named as a ‘Very Good’ BAFTA Albert sustainable studio.
The new accolade makes The Depot 1 of the leading net zero studios of its kind in the country in delivering its carbon-cutting commitments.
Owned by Liverpool City Council and managed by the Film Office, The Depot 1st opened its doors in 2021 and since then has welcomed productions such as This City Is Ours, The Gathering and Sexy Beast.
A total of 31 studios participated in this round of the BAFTA Albert Studio Sustainability Standard where The Depot was awarded a rating of ‘Very Good’ with a score of 80% - compared to an average score of 77%.
Areas in which the studio excelled were 100% LED studio lighting, providing the service of renewable generators, the sustainability policy, as well as access to green biodiverse space.
Suggestions for improvements include installing EV charging ports, looking at the feasibility of renewable energy generation and increasing the recycling rate.
Launched in 2022, the BAFTA Albert Studio Sustainability Standard is the world’s 1st sustainability assessment designed to help measure and reduce the environmental impact of film and TV studios by focusing on six key areas:- Climate, Circularity, Nature, People, Management and Data.
Each studio submits data annually under the areas highlighted to then receive a performance report as well as a grade so that benchmarking work can be done to continue to make improvements and compare other studios across the world.
This award comes after Liverpool was announced as the world’s 1st UN Accelerator City for climate action, which recognises the City’s commitment to trial new ways to decarbonise the music and film production sectors.
Leader of Liverpool City Council, Councillor Liam Robinson, said:- “This is fantastic news for the City and for film and TV productions who choose Liverpool as their place to shoot their stories for screen. Not only have we achieved a ‘Very Good’ rating but The Depot is leading the way for film and TV studios in the North, proving that if you want to shoot sustainable productions, Liverpool is the very best place to do this. This news follows our announcement last year about our ‘plug and play’ zones across key filming and TV sites in the City centre and is yet another important step towards the City’s net-zero future.”
Head of Liverpool Film Office, Lynn Saunders, said:- “We’re thrilled to receive the rating of ‘Very Good’ and so proud that we’ve achieved this award in the first time in entering. We’re dedicated to building on the success of filming in the Liverpool City Region by creating a sustainable screen eco system, bettering not only our skills programme but the way we work with productions when they come to our region to film. By having this award, we will be able to track our progress and continue to make meaningful improvements to The Depot to better the environment for generations to come.”
Mayor of the Liverpool City Region Steve Rotheram said:- “We’re proud to be leading the charge in building a cleaner, greener economy right here in the Liverpool City Region – and with The Depot becoming a ‘Very Good’ BAFTA Albert sustainable studio it shows we’re not just talking the talk, we’re walking the walk. It’s brilliant to get this kind of recognition. Every step we take to build sustainability into our everyday lives leads to bigger shift – and it’s those changes that’ll help us hit our ambitious target of becoming net zero by 2035. That’s a decade ahead of the government – and proof that when we set ourselves targets, we deliver.”
For more information about the Film Office, and to watch the 35th anniversary celebratory showreel, head to the official website.
