The green film movement is here. And it's more exciting than you'd think.

Something is shifting in the film industry, and honestly, it's one of the more exciting green stories I've come across in a while.

We spend a lot of time in this space talking about fast fashion, food systems, beauty products. The things we buy and consume and wear. But the way films and TV shows are actually made? That conversation is happening too. It's just happening behind the scenes, in production offices and studio lots and film festival market floors, mostly out of sight of the people watching at home.

So consider this your update. Because the film industry is changing, the people driving that change are serious, and some of the stories coming out of it are genuinely worth celebrating.

The organisation that's been doing this for 20 years

Let's start with the Environmental Media Association (EMA), because they deserve more recognition than they get outside of industry circles.

Based in LA, EMA has been running its Green Seal for Sustainable Production for over 20 years. Productions are assessed across every single department, catering, transport, construction, costume, locations, art direction, and awarded a Green Seal or Gold Seal based on how they actually perform against a rigorous set of criteria.

The shows earning these seals might surprise you.

• The Bear
• House of the Dragon
• Downton Abbey

These aren't small indie projects. They're some of the most watched, most talked-about productions in the world, and they've committed to doing things differently behind the camera.

Being sustainable actually saves money

One of the biggest myths in this space is that going green costs more. And the film industry is quietly dismantling that idea with real data.

I heard a similar story at an industry event I attended recently, focused on sustainable production in film and TV. One of the filmmakers presented a case study on a production called Dance with Light, an off-grid, eco-friendly shoot that came in under budget. Not slightly under. Enough under that the crew gained an entire extra day of rehearsal, which made for a better show. The filmmaker was clear: going sustainable didn't cost them more. It cost them less, and gave them more time.

That's the argument that changes minds in an industry built on budgets and schedules.

At the same event, I learned that Disney has a dedicated green team, a whole department committed to this. LED lighting across productions. Solar panels on studio rooftops and in parking lots. Infrastructure-level change, not just a policy on a webpage.

The tools that are making it possible

Behind the individual productions, there's a whole ecosystem of tools and organisations making sustainable filmmaking more accessible, not just for the big studios, but for any production that wants to do better.

The Green Production Guide, developed by the Producers Guild of America with support from Netflix, Disney, Amazon, HBO, and Warner Bros., gives every department a practical sustainability checklist and a carbon calculator. The goal is to make Hollywood paperless by 2030.

In France, the organisation Ecoprod has built Carbon'Clap, a free carbon calculator for the film and TV industry that measures environmental impact across every phase of a production, from pre-production through to post. France and Germany have now made carbon footprint submission mandatory for film funding applications. Sustainability isn't optional anymore. It's a condition of getting financed.

Even Cannes is in on it

If you needed a sign that this movement has reached the very centre of the film world, consider what's been happening at Cannes.

The Cannes Film Festival, one of the most glamorous, most photographed events on the planet, now has a full sustainability policy. They've calculated and published their carbon footprint every year since 2019. They've switched to a 100% electric fleet of official vehicles. They've cut the frequency of red carpet changes by two thirds, saving nearly 1,400kg of material per edition. Printed materials are down 79%.

Last year at the Marche du Film, the industry market that runs alongside the main festival, an Eco Hub brought together over 40 green organisations from around the world. Three days of talks covering carbon tracking, green animation, sustainable funding requirements, and the future of eco-certification in film. In 2025, Cannes earned ISO 20121 certification for event sustainability management, the international standard for sustainable events.

The industry isn't just talking about this. They're building the infrastructure for it.

What this means for us as viewers

I think there's something genuinely energising about knowing this world exists.

We don't have to carry the weight of the industry's choices. That's not the point of sharing any of this. But there is something worth doing, and it's simple: notice it, and talk about it.

Share the documentary that moved you. Mention the show that handled something thoughtfully. Ask questions about how things are made, because the people making them are increasingly asking those questions too.

The green film movement is here. It's not perfect, it's not complete, but it's real, and it's being built by people who care enough to fight for it from the inside.

That feels worth celebrating.