Sustainability Policy

PF – SP- 002

SUSTAINABILITY POLICY

At The Production Factory, creativity and conscience go hand in hand. We believe that producing powerful, inclusive content should never come at the expense of the planet. As storytellers, we have a responsibility not only to reflect the world around us but to protect it.

Our commitment to sustainability is woven into every stage of our production process; on set, in the office and across our partnerships. We strive to minimise our environmental impact by integrating thoughtful, responsible practices into our daily operations, ensuring that the stories we tell contribute to a better, greener future.

Our approach to sustainability is built around three key principles:

Environmental Responsibility – reducing emissions, energy use, waste, single-use plastics and unnecessary consumption across our offices and productions.
Social & Ethical Responsibility – acting with integrity, championing inclusive content, supporting charitable causes and holding ourselves and our supply chain to high ethical standards.
Continuous Improvement – measuring our impact, building on the systems already in place and setting clear, realistic goals for the future. We understand that sustainability is not achieved overnight. Our aim is to make practical, measurable improvements year-on-year, involve our teams in the process, and work collaboratively with clients, suppliers and partners to encourage more sustainable ways of working. This policy outlines the steps we are taking, the standards we uphold and the goals we are working towards as we continue to evolve as a conscious and creative production company.

SCOPE

This policy applies to all activities carried out by The Production Factory, both in the office and on set, and to the way we work with our clients, crew, suppliers and partners. It outlines our commitment to embedding environmental responsibility into every aspect of our service delivery. As our industry evolves, so too will our practices. This policy will be reviewed and improved on a regular basis to ensure that sustainability remains a living, active part of our operations. Through continuous learning, collaboration and innovation, we aim to integrate environmental considerations into our everyday decisions and long-term strategies.

OUR SUSTAINABILITY ETHOS

The Production Factory believes sustainability should be embedded into everyday decision-making rather than treated as a standalone initiative. We are committed to:

Complying with all relevant environmental laws, standards and best practices, and staying informed as regulations evolve.
Measuring, reporting, and reducing our carbon emissions, and reducing our energy use.
Choosing lower-carbon energy and moving away from fossil-fuel heating.
Reducing waste, single-use plastics and paper across our offices and productions.
Choosing suppliers and partners with strong environmental and ethical credentials and asking all of our suppliers to abide by similar ethics and sustainability policies to our own.
Prioritising lower-impact travel and transport for our staff, cast and crew.
Extending the life of equipment and materials through reuse, donation and responsible recycling.
Helping our clients embed eco-conscious practices into every project.
Educating and engaging our teams, clients and collaborators.
Reviewing and improving our environmental performance over time, with transparency and accountability. As our business evolves, we aim to balance operational realities with meaningful progress. We recognise that content production can be resource-intensive, and that client requirements, locations and schedules can limit the options available on any given project. Where immediate alternatives are not possible, we will focus on reduction, efficiency and responsible management.

SUSTAINABILITY PRACTICES ALREADY IN PLACE

The Production Factory has already taken meaningful steps to reduce our environmental impact and operate more sustainably across all areas of our business. Energy & Facilities The Production Factory’s head office is based in the same building as Big Sky Studios, and many of the measures below apply across the site. We are working to reduce our energy consumption, move away from fossil-fuel heating and choose lower-carbon energy wherever we can. Current initiatives include:

Switching our heating from gas to electric, using Daikin air conditioning units to provide both heating and cooling and removing gas from our heating system.
Moving our energy supply to Smartest Energy, whose fuel mix contains a much higher percentage of renewable energy than that of our previous supplier, making it the more environmentally friendly choice.
Installing LED lighting throughout our building.
Exploring smart control systems for heating and cooling to reduce unnecessary energy usage.
Investigating future solar panel installation opportunities.
Monitoring and reviewing building efficiency, insulation and EPC performance where possible. We also continue to work collaboratively with our landlord and building partners to improve the environmental performance of the property. Compliance, Accreditation & Carbon Measurement
We believe independent assessment and accurate data are the foundation of credible sustainability work. Current initiatives include:
Compliance with all relevant environmental laws, standards and best practices, and a commitment to staying informed as regulations evolve.
Being awarded another Gold Award from EcoVadis for 2025 following assessment of our company’s sustainability policies and ethical standards. Results can be shared on request.
Partnering with carbon accounting platform Greenly to accurately measure, report and, where necessary, offset our company’s emissions. Being awarded Gold for our 2025 submission.
Working towards our assessments for 2026 with a similar ethos and vigour, looking to reduce our emissions and improve our polices wherever possible. Sustainable Production & On-Set Practices Sustainable production starts with planning. We work with our clients from the outset to embed eco- conscious practices into every project, and we reinforce those practices with our crew on set. Current initiatives include:
Following vetted Sustainability Guidelines on set.
Offering clients a Green Production Assessment to help embed eco-conscious practices into every project.
Stating our environmental policy clearly on all call sheets to reinforce these practices and promote sustainability throughout our productions.
Purchasing shoot consumables in bulk wherever possible, reducing packaging waste and limiting the number of deliveries required.
Encouraging crew members to bring their own reusable water bottles and flasks to reduce single-use waste on set.
Ensuring that, where disposable items are necessary, they are made from recyclable materials – such as paper cups and canned water.
Facilitating the recycling of plastic and other waste on all of our sets.
Promoting a no-printing policy on set, with essential production information stored and shared electronically. We recognise that every production has different requirements. Where a fully sustainable alternative is not yet practical, we aim to minimise impact through careful planning, efficiency and reuse. Single-Use Plastics As a company, we have long recognised that waste plastics present a threat to the environment. The Production Factory has been working towards minimising the use of single-use plastics across all of our operations and services for a number of years. We seek to work proactively with our clients and suppliers to find solutions for reducing unnecessary waste plastics across all of our services, and we engage with our staff to encourage them to do the same.

Current measures include:

Encouraging all crew members to bring refillable water bottles on set, eliminating the need for bottled water.
Providing recyclable canned water as an alternative.
Using catering suppliers who provide non-plastic, recyclable or reusable plates and cutlery.
Using compostable coffee pods and recyclable coffee cups.
Sourcing products that use recycled and recyclable plastic where the use of plastic is unavoidable, and facilitating the recycling of plastic waste on all of our sets.
Using filtered and tap water in our office environment in preference to bottled water and replacing our office water cooler from bottle-fed to mains-fed to reduce plastic usage.
Encouraging staff to reduce plastic packaging waste on food.
Using refillable hand soap, and toilet roll and paper suppliers who use bamboo paper packaging.
Providing full recycling facilities within our offices for any unavoidable single-use plastic. Sustainable Catering & Hospitality Catering is one of the most visible parts of any production, and one of the areas where small changes make a real difference. Current initiatives include:
Collaborating with catering companies that offer vegan and vegetarian options and use recyclable or reusable plates and cutlery to minimise waste.
Offering recyclable canned water and reusable options in place of single-use plastic bottles.
Encouraging our catering partners to minimise food and packaging waste and to operate to environmental standards consistent with our own.
Where possible, arranging for any food waste at the end of a shoot to be collected and distributed by a local food bank charity. Waste Management & Recycling We are committed to reducing the waste generated both on and off set, and to disposing of any unavoidable waste responsibly. Current measures include:
Supporting daily recycling in partnership with our local council, with clearly marked signage throughout the office and dedicated bins for separating waste.
Responsibly recycling unused IT equipment through our partnership with Shred-it, a trusted provider of secure information destruction and e-waste recycling services. Shred-it ensures that outdated or redundant devices are disposed of in an environmentally sustainable manner, following strict data protection protocols and certified recycling processes.
Donating reusable office items (appliances, electronic equipment and furniture) to charitable organisations.
Endeavouring to recycle, re-use and dispose of all waste responsibly, whether within our offices or on set. We continue to encourage all staff and crew to reduce avoidable waste and improve recycling behaviours in their day-to-day work. Paper Reduction & Digital Working The Production Factory actively promotes a no-printing policy across our operations, particularly on set, to minimise paper waste and encourage digital workflows. Current initiatives include:
Storing and transferring all essential information electronically, keeping printing to an absolute minimum.
Using recycled paper throughout the office in instances where printing is unavoidable.
Using our HR platform Elmo to reduce paper usage across HR and administrative processes, enabling digital document storage, e-signatures and online employee records with remote access.
Using DocuSign to securely manage contracts and approvals electronically, eliminating the need for printing, scanning or physical filing.

Together, these tools promote a more environmentally responsible, cloud-based approach to how we operate.

TRAVEL & TRANSPORT

We recognise that travel and logistics are a significant contributor to the environmental impact of any production. While some project requirements limit the availability of low-emission options, we are committed to reducing transport-related impact wherever practical.

Current initiatives include:

Encouraging staff to cycle, walk or use public transport wherever possible, and to travel by car only when necessary.
We have introduced a company-wide Cycle to Work initiative through DASH Rides, offering discounts on bikes, accessories and e-bike/bike share services such as Lime, Forest & Santander cycles.
Aiming to use hybrid and electric vehicles for transport.
Working with couriers such as Addison Lee and Crawfords, who monitor their carbon emissions and operate battery or hybrid fleets.
Making public transport our first choice when arranging travel for cast and crew and promoting car sharing to reduce emissions where public transport is not feasible.
Reducing the number of deliveries required by purchasing shoot consumables in bulk wherever possible. Sustainable Procurement & Suppliers We recognise that a significant proportion of the environmental impact of any production sits within its supply chain. For that reason, we look to work with suppliers who share our values, and we ask all of our suppliers to abide by ethics and sustainability policies similar to our own.

Current practices include:

Prioritising suppliers who have established Environmental Policies and sustainability practices in place.
Considering the environmental and ethical credentials of suppliers when selecting and appointing partners.
Choosing service partners – such as couriers and caterers – who monitor and work to reduce their own emissions and waste.
Sourcing products that use recycled, recyclable or reusable materials and minimal packaging wherever possible.
Asking all suppliers to work to environmental and ethical standards similar to our own. We ask all of our suppliers and partners to:
Comply with all applicable environmental, employment and health and safety laws and regulations.
Have, or be actively working towards, an Environmental Policy and sustainability practices, and be willing to share these with us on request.
Reduce waste, packaging, single-use plastics and emissions in the goods and services they provide to us.
Operate ethically and with integrity, treating people fairly and respecting human rights.
Support the sustainable working practices we put in place in our offices and on our sets, including the use of reusable and recyclable materials.
Be open with us about their practices and work with us to keep improving. Where a supplier does not yet meet these expectations, we will encourage and work with them to improve, and we will take their commitment and progress into account in our future purchasing decisions. Ethics, Inclusion & Community Sustainability at The Production Factory extends beyond environmental impact. We believe in producing powerful, inclusive content, and that responsibility carries through to how we treat people and communities. Current initiatives include:
Having our sustainability policies and ethical standards independently assessed through EcoVadis.
Donating reusable office items to charitable organisations.
Working with suppliers and partners who share our ethical standards. Staff Engagement & Culture We recognise that meaningful progress requires involvement from across the company. Sustainability works best when it becomes part of company culture rather than a top-down initiative. To support this, The Production Factory:
Supports a dedicated Staff Sustainability Committee to monitor, measure and report on the commitments in this policy.
Encourages sustainability ideas and feedback from staff across all departments through regular check-ins and during the performance review process.
Includes our environmental policy on all call sheets so that crew and clients are aware of our expectations on set.
Embeds sustainability into operational decision-making wherever possible.

FUTURE SUSTAINABILITY GOALS

As we continue to embed sustainability into every aspect of our operations, The Production Factory remains committed to evolving our practices and raising our environmental standards. Building on the progress we have made, from reducing single-use plastics and promoting digital workflows, to partnering with responsible suppliers and reducing or offsetting emissions where possible. We aim to strengthen our impact by implementing more robust systems, expanding staff training and deepening our collaboration with environmentally conscious partners. Future areas of focus include:

Accreditation & Certification

Working towards becoming a certified B Corp by 2028-29, reflecting our dedication to transparency, accountability and continuous improvement.
Maintaining our EcoVadis rating and using our assessment results to guide further improvement.
Developing a more comprehensive and detailed Environmental Policy that reflects our evolving practices and ambitions.

Carbon Measurement & Reporting

Continuing our journey with a carbon accounting platform to measure, report and offset our company’s emissions.
Improving the measurement of our energy use, waste and operational emissions.
Using our emissions data to identify the areas of greatest impact and where reductions can be made over time.
Creating a more comprehensive ESG report, outlining our concrete numbers, achievements, and goals for each year. Building & Energy Improvements
Investigating solar panel installation opportunities.
Improving insulation and building efficiency.
Expanding smart heating and cooling management systems.
Continuing upgrades to low-energy infrastructure and reviewing our energy supply to keep renewable energy as a priority. Sustainable Production & Single-Use Plastics
Rolling out a standardised Green Production Kit for all shoots, including reusable and recyclable items.
Working toward a complete ban on single-use plastics on set. Travel & Transport
Transitioning to even greener courier services, exploring pedal-powered options such as Pedal Me to further reduce transport-related emissions.
Continuing to increase our use of hybrid and electric vehicles. Suppliers & Partners
Strengthening engagement with suppliers and partners to ensure alignment with our environmental values and to promote shared sustainability standards.
Introducing a new supplier onboarding process which includes sharing our Supplier Code of Conduct and Environmental policy; setting out our environmental and ethical expectations and asking all suppliers to confirm that they abide by it.
Reviewing supplier sustainability credentials on a regular basis and supporting suppliers who are working to improve. Training & Education
Rolling out ‘Sustainable Production’ training through First Option to all production staff to enhance understanding and implementation of sustainable production practices.
Expanding sustainability training for staff and clients to build awareness, encourage collaboration and embed environmentally responsible thinking across all areas of our work. Sustainable Client Partnerships
Continuing to offer our Green Production Assessment to clients on every project.
Encouraging clients to support more sustainable production practices.
Sharing sustainability guidance and expectations with clients and suppliers.

GOVERNANCE & REVIEW

The Production Factory supports a dedicated Staff Sustainability Committee, responsible for monitoring, measuring and reporting on the environmental commitments outlined in this policy. The committee plays a key role in identifying areas for improvement, tracking progress against our goals and ensuring that sustainability remains a core focus across all departments and productions. Our leadership team is fully engaged in driving this policy forward, fostering a culture of accountability and environmental awareness from the top down. We recognise that sustainability in production is a continually evolving space – one that requires curiosity, adaptability and a willingness to learn. We commit to:

Reviewing this policy annually.
Updating our initiatives and targets as the business develops.
Monitoring new legislation, industry standards and best practice.
Continuing conversations with staff, clients and suppliers to improve our approach.

CONCLUSION

The Production Factory is committed to building a more sustainable future for our business, our industry and our community. We believe that creative production can – and must – coexist with environmental responsibility, and we are proud to lead by example. We know there is still work to do, but we believe meaningful change comes from consistent progress, collaboration and accountability. By continuing to improve our operations, engage our teams and work with responsible partners, we aim to deliver work that reflects both creative excellence and responsible business practice. This policy will continue to evolve alongside our business and the wider industry.

September 2026 – Reviewed annually.