The launch of the AdGreen Carbon Calculator is next month (exciting!) and when it’s here, you’ll be able to measure the carbon footprint of your advertising production to see where your biggest impact lies. So far, so great – but how to actually reduce your impact?
We caught up with Bryony from Get Set Hire who, aside from being an official AdGreen Industry Partner, are also one of the leading suppliers of everything and anything you might need when shooting your next ad. Here are some simple sustainable swaps you can make the next time you’re in planning mode...
POWER ON SITE
GSH have a potential game-changer here. 
We’ve been beholden to petrol and diesel gennies for many years, but tech is finally catching up! Now is the time to consider an electric power solution... The quiet alternative to a genny, the VOLTstack (created by long-time AdGreen faves, Portable Electric), provides a battery powered solution and safe, reliable power for productions of all sizes. Perfect for powering the whole production office’s laptops and printers, as well as LED work lights, fans, fridges and freezers. The 5kW VOLTstack units provide 5kW of power for an hour, or 500W for 10 hours of continuous use and can be recharged in around two hours. As a rough estimate, a 5kW VOLTstack could power 3 make up mirrors for a 3 day shoot (based on a 14 hour shoot day).
Not only that but getting permits to film can be easier when you’re not having to get permission to use diesel generators - plus its size and silence can give you much more flexibility when getting shots on set. (And when Get Set Hire charge the batteries at base, they’re using 100% renewable power to do so. Nice.)
LIGHTING
Like gennies, lighting has come on a long way too. GSH now supply LED work lights as an alternative to the power hungry and less efficient Halogen and tungsten options.
The ‘Solaris Pro’ LED battery powered light, similar to a K9, has a 48hr battery life compared to 8 hrs for the K9. Other battery powered LED work lights such as the Galaxy pro are also a popular choice for productions. Get Set Hire’s 360 Towerlight can run on full power off the 5kW Voltstack (mentioned above) for 7 hours (or 2 can run for 3.5 hrs).
FLOOR PROTECTION
Hands up who uses Correx? A staple for many productions as it’s great for covering floors… but not so great for the planet. As an alternative, why not use Ram Board? Made from 100% recycled card, it’s a heavy-duty floor covering that’s reusable and fully recyclable - making it much better for the environment than Correx. Each roll covers about 29.5 square metres, roughly the same as 11 sheets of Correx, so it’s quick to lay and can be used with its own 100% recyclable Ram Board seam tape for a super smooth finish. Another sustainable option are these reusable indoor location mats which are very easy to lay and result in no waste at the end of the shoot at all! For outside floor coverings, these special reusable grass covering mats are also a great alternative to Correx.
WHAT A WASTE!
Let’s agree now to eliminate polystyrene and single use plastic from our shoots – be it for catering or elsewhere. Get Set Hire can provide compostable alternatives (but do make sure you’re disposing of these correctly*), as well as reusable glass jugs and glasses for when it’s appropriate. Using non compostable coffee pods? Return used and unused pods to Get Set Hire who can recycle these on your behalf too. And while we’re on the subject, consider hiring separate waste bins to help cast and crew sort their rubbish correctly. Get Set Hire are good pals with the folks at Quantum Waste and can provide you with the signage you need to avoid any confusion.
REUSABLE FACEMASKS
Whatever the guidelines, facemasks might well be here for a while longer so make sure you’re using reusable ones. Get Set Hire offer one of the first reusable FFP2 certified face masks which has four layers to filter more than 99% of airborne particles and is designed with copper ions which are scientifically proven to destroy 99.99% of bacteria, fungi and viruses in minutes of contact. It’s also pretty comfy!
BRING BACK TO THE WATER COOLER MOMENT
By hiring a 19-litre water cooler for your shoot’s tea table you eliminate the need for 38 single use plastic bottles. Each 19 litre bottle is reused on average 10 times before it’s recycled. So overall this saves 380 individual bottles from being used. Get Set Hire supply Belu Water, which supports WaterAid.
"We’re very excited to be an official AdGreen Industry partner, but more than that, we are keen to help the industry eliminate the negative environmental impacts of production. The launch of the AdGreen calculator will be another step change for our industry – and we look forward to working alongside production teams who are heading towards a zero waste / zero carbon future"
Bryony Harrison - Get Set Hire
*If you're using compostable products, these need to be disposed of correctly. Lots of the companies who create compostable products have useful information on their site about how to dispose, check out these FAQs on disposal from Vegware for example.
To help you on your shoot, check out our resources section, with tips for production teams, agency staff and crew. If you're UK based and working directly in production or creative, you can also attend one of our training sessions. Our FAQ section covers various topics from waste reduction to offsetting. If you'd like to help inspire others by sharing your innovative sustainable production solutions, get in touch. Just 3 or 4 points and a few images is enough for us to put together a case study.
