Green Eyes Production & New Era Safety Join Forces

Combining Safety and Sustainability

We’re extremely excited to announce the partnership between Green Eyes Production and New Era Safety ! Historically, our respective two areas sustainability and health and safety have been treated as distinct concerns, with safety focusing on preventing accidents on set and sustainability aimed at reducing environmental impact. Recent industry changes are driving for a more integrated approach however, emphasizing the need for a holistic application of social sustainability on set, and this collaboration exemplifies that shift, with New Era Safety providing mental health, intimacy and access support as well, beyond health and safety. So what does this partnership mean for our clientele? It is a new opportunity, should you need additional services on your productions, we can provide the expert teams required from a holistic perspective servicing your bespoke needs. 

The Evolution of Health and Safety in the entertainment industry

Film production has always carried inherent risks, from managing complex stunts to ensuring that large sets are safe for both cast and crew. Over time, health and safety protocols have become increasingly sophisticated, moving from reactive measures—dealing with incidents after they occur—to more proactive planning and risk management. New Era Safety has played a role in this evolution by offering on-set safety, risk assessments, safety consultations, and emergency preparedness for film sets. Rather than having departments working in silos, their innovative approach ensures that an open dialogue is brought to sets, to ensure the health and safety of both cast and crew. 

What’s critical is that these safety protocols are now required and governed by law, particularly for European film productions. European regulations, such as those outlined by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA), require productions to assess and mitigate risks on set, from hazardous stunts to long working hours. Compliance is mandatory across EU member states, ensuring a uniform standard of safety throughout European film productions. 

Sustainability in Film: Addressing Environmental Impact

At the same time, the film and TV industry is grappling with its environmental footprint. Production sets above a certain budget line have traditionally been resource-intensive, generating large amounts of waste, consuming high levels of energy, and often contributing to emissions through transportation and logistics. This has led to increased pressure for productions to adopt more environmentally friendly practices.

Unlike Health and Safety, sustainability in film productions still needs to be comprehensively governed by law across all member states. However, many countries within the EU are adopting policies and incentives to promote environmental responsibility in the industry, including green certification programs for productions to meet specific environmental criteria. There is a reasonable hope that with the rise in ESG reporting which necessitates tracking the environmental footprint of film productions, further shifts will be realized in our industry. 

Production companies will need to adopt new technologies and strategies to minimize their environmental footprint while enhancing transparency across their supply chains. From managing waste on set to using energy-efficient technologies and incorporating green storytelling into films, Green Eyes Production creates more sustainable workflows that can be applied across all stages of production, leading the change to help the film industry evolve with these new green policies and initiatives. 

Why Safety and Sustainability Go Hand in Hand – A Holistic Approach

While safety and sustainability have often been approached separately, the partnership between Green Eyes and New Era highlights how closely they are connected. For example, using sustainable materials on set—like energy-efficient lighting—reduces both the carbon footprint and the risk of overheating or electrical issues. Similarly, properly managing waste can prevent physical hazards, while also reducing environmental impact. Considering flammable items and risks related, also have an impact on health, while including biodiversity as a serious concern on recces can go hand in hand with safety measures. 

On a broader level, there is one element of sustainability that is often neglected and it can be a serious oversight, integrating social sustainability on set is essential – if anything the latest Looking Glass Reports and other industry research have shed light on that. New Era Safety has an expansive scope of what services it considers under Health and Safety that makes its approach distinct: including psychological health & safety on and off set, intimacy coordination, and access coordination. In collaboration with Green Eyes, the partnership champions innovative ways to integrate social sustainability on set, offering a comprehensive, 360-degree approach to what sustainability in film production truly encompasses. Bringing together experts across the field, sustainability expands from simply mitigating environmental impact and reducing risk to encompassing practices that promote well-being, fair labour practices, diversity and inclusion, and cultural preservation. After all, how would it be expected of any crew member to care about the bigger picture, where they are in a daily grind and all they have energy for is to survive. Creating a safe space, and by that, we mean safe physically and mentally, we create the opportunity, the fertile ground for actual change to come. 

The Role of Collaboration and Knowledge Sharing

What makes this partnership between Green Eyes and New Era significant is its importance in cross-industry collaboration. Film productions are complex, involving multiple teams and stakeholders, and addressing both safety and sustainability requires a variety of perspectives. By working together, the two companies can pool their knowledge and create comprehensive solutions that account for the wide range of risks and environmental challenges that come with modern filmmaking.

Collaboration like this is not just essential but a pivotal responsibility within such a competitive industry. As sustainability consultants working with partners who prioritize safety, social sustainability, and the well-being of crew and clients, we must recognize the importance of using local crew, resources, and knowledge. These localized approaches are undeniably more sustainable. Together, we bring innovative thinking and an honest commitment to our shared responsibility for advancing sustainability across the industry, alongside our decades of experience working in the UK and CEE film and TV industry. 

Looking Ahead: A New Standard for Film Production

Moving forward, the industry will need to continue exploring ways to reduce its environmental impact while maintaining the highest standards of safety. The changes being made today, driven by partnerships like this one, will help set a new standard for the future of film production.

By fostering a collaborative approach and integrating these important aspects into each phase of production, film sets can become not just safer places to work but also more responsible and eco-conscious operations. The evolution of health, safety, and sustainability is far from over, but with partnerships like this, where collaboration and knowledge-sharing are critical, the industry can move in the right direction.