Big-budget films generate a carbon footprint of about 15-35 tons, claims GFFI

MUMBAI: The Green Films Foundation of India (GFFI), affiliated to the EFGFF or Eco-friendly and Green Films Forum of India – a body of environment-friendly “green” producers, directors, greens, environmentalists and allied film production professionals in India in its 2022 report titled Carbon Footprint of Films produced in India claims that big-budget Bollywood (and similar regional films) generate a carbon footprint of about 15 to 35 tons at a bare minimum.

The study conducted by the GFFI reveals that big-budget Bollywood films leave a carbon footprint of over 15 tons per film and some films involving a lot of “action” can reach even about 55 tons, which is very huge.  The calculation includes all activity from pre-production to the release of the film and includes promotion activity during the release of the movie.

The GFFI launched a nation-wide campaign to promote “green” film production activity in India and reduce the carbon-footprint of films. Producer and actor Dr Pranav Kabra who has produced and acted in films like Matangi under his banner PSK Creative Works Pvt Ltd, is the chief patron of the GFFI and is striving for reducing the carbon footprint of film production in India.

“Production houses normally use 500 ml and 1 liter plastic water bottles. These plastic bottles, thermocol plates, plastic spoons and other non-bio-de-gradable garbage (though banned now) is left behind most of the time (like at Nerul in North Goa by Karan Johar’s film shoot starring Deepika Padukone) or just dumped by catering contractors in a pit dug nearby. Production houses are known to litter exotic locations, riversides, beaches and other places of interest with tons of garbage. To add to this, there is a huge wastage of drinking water on the sets and similarly a huge wastage of electricity, said Dr Pranav Kabra.

According to as spokesperson for the GFFI, India is the biggest producer of motion pictures or simply cinema-scope films. But, all if not most of the production houses care a damn for the environment.

“Thousands of plastic bottles are strewn at the shooting venues after the shoot is over. Cigarette butts, tissue paper, used beer bottles and other garbage generated from props and POP material used on the sets, is littered all around. There is a lot of littering and the damage to the environment is very huge.”

Actors and make-up artists do not switch off the air-conditioning in make-up rooms and vanity vans. Lights are also left on and very often music too is playing at full;-blast in make-up and vanity vans. This is a huge wastage of power and energy and a loss and damage to the environment.

The GFFI is campaigning for “Greening of the Film Industry in India. “Production houses must go green. They must adopt eco-friendly practices and reduce their carbon footprint during both outdoor and indoor shoots.

Even a normal medium-budget film shoot generates about 10 to 17 tons of carbon dioxide or CO2 and small budget films are known to leave a footprint of around 8-15 tons at the minimum.

Big-budget films using a lot of fire-works, explosions, special effects, etc., are known to generate about 10 to 15 tons of CO2 which is equivalent to that released by a medium city each day.

“Films and production houses should bear the burden of the damage to the environment that they cause. There should be an audit of the carbon footprint left behind or generated by each film. Film-makers  must become eco-conscious and green-friendly,” Dr Pranav Kabra said.

The GFFI has launched a nation-wide campaign to spread awareness about the carbon emissions and carbon footprint generated by production houses and TV serial shootings and the damage to the environment caused by haphazard and care-a-damn production executives, and will rope in several Bollywood celebrities for the cause.