Our Commitment

Our commitment to reducing our impact on the planet goes beyond regulatory and legal requirements. We strive to be proactive in minimising our environmental footprint and have a policy of continual review and improvement in order to achieve this aim.

We believe that the rental concept, which is the foundation of our business, lends itself to a circular economy of reuse and sustainability, since equipment is used more efficiently, multiple times over, rather than being for sole or single use. With the equipment rental model being fundamental to our business, it also informs our actions towards having an effective and successful environmental strategy.

At Shoot Blue, we aim to be a leader in sustainable business practices within the film and television production sector.

It is our policy to:

  • Reduce unnecessary waste within the business and provide recycling facilities where possible.
  • Actively seek out and implement sustainable, lower-impact alternatives to using non-recyclable or single-use materials.
  • Invest in new technologies and working practices that are energy and resource efficient..
  • Always attempt to repair or reuse faulty and damaged equipment rather than outright disposal. And encourage the reuse and upcycling of equipment/materials that have reached the end of their economic life.
  • Promote and communicate our environmental strategy to our staff, suppliers, clients and, where possible, the wider production community.
  • Integrate our environmental management policies and practices into every level and department within the business.
  • Review our environmental policy frequently, keeping it in line with current ‘best practice’, guidelines and legislation.

Some of the recent, practical steps we have taken to minimise our environmental impact:

  1. Our premises are powered by 100% renewable electricity (supplied by Good Energy).
  2. To offset our carbon emissions, we have committed to planting a minimum of 800 trees per year in partnership with Just One Tree. We have also pledged to plant a further 100 broadleaf trees per year by supporting The Forest of Marston Vale community forest in Bedfordshire.
  3. Shoot Blue is a Carbon Neutral business, with accreditation for this on the BAFTA Albert supplier scheme.
  4. We have installed energy efficient LED lighting throughout our offices and warehouse areas.
  5. Shoot Blue has invested in the latest LED film lighting technology and actively promotes this technology to our rental clients. This includes stocking a wide range of LED lights with ‘RGB’ colour technology which reduces the need for conventional plastic-based colour gels.
  6. We have electric delivery vehicles and have installed an electric vehicle charging point at our premises. This is made available free of charge to our staff and customers.
  7. Equipment that is deemed ‘end-of-life’ (often defective or outdated equipment) is actively disposed of in the second-hand market (such as eBay & similar marketplaces) so that it may have an extended lifespan. Items that we are unable to sell are ‘freecycled’ (we use Freegle) and we also attempt to salvage any usable parts/components before equipment is recycled via conventional means.
  8. Any remaining electronic/electrical equipment is disposed of by aWEEE-compliant recycling service. All items disposed of in this way are documented.
  9. We stock a significant number of rechargeable Lithium batteries for powering portable equipment. We recently selected a new battery supplier who is able to repair defective batteries as opposed to outright disposal of the entire unit.
  10. We have phased out single use AA & AAA type batteries and have replaced these with equivalent rechargeable batteries.
  11. We have multiple recycling points throughout our premises and we have sought to minimise the use of non-recyclable waste bins as much as possible. Our business waste and recyling is managed by First Mile, who are a ‘zero-to-landfill’ supplier.
  12. In order to reduce the use of plastic water bottles by staff and visitors, we have installed a water purification system to provide filtered water.
  13. We have phased out most single-use plastics within our business and have replaced them with biodegradable and reusable alternatives. For example, glass filters and video cables are no longer heat-sealed in plastic wrappers but are now sealed with a compostable sticker to indicate it has been checked.
  14. We use ‘Rip-Tie’ velcro cable organisers (which are designed to last 10,000 cycles) which have replaced single-use plastic tapes and packaging within our company.
  15. Our website hosting provider (Krystal) uses 100% renewable energy.
  16. Our employees are encouraged to support our environmental initiatives and provide feedback and suggestions that we can implement to improve our policies. New environmental initiatives are actively communicated with our workforce and staff are encouraged to participate in developing and supporting these initiatives.
  17. We are are a sustainable supplier on the DPP ‘Committed to Sustainability’ programme.
  18. We are signatories of the rental house ‘Green Pledge’ initiative – find out more here

Version: 7.10
Dated: September 2023
Next Review Due: April 2024