The film industry is one of the largest producers of unnecessary waste in the
world. Avoiding or repurposing that waste has become its own industry within
entertainment, and circular service providers such as EcoSet are leading the
charge.
The work that goes into creating unique, detailed environments for film and TV
productions can make or break the viewer experience — either way, it also
creates a notorious amount of waste. From pre-production to post-production, the
film industry is one of the largest producers of unnecessary
waste
in the world: From construction and set debris to costume materials and food,
utensil and foodservice-ware waste, the average TV show or movie in 2022 created
about 240 tons of
waste.
Avoiding or repurposing that waste has become its own industry within
entertainment, and leading the charge is EcoSet — a
small business that provides zero-waste processes behind the scenes for
commercial shoots — with a mission is to “minimize footprint, maximize resources
and magnify possible.”
First meeting as freelancers in 2006, EcoSet founder Shannon
Bart and Executive Director
Kris Barberg shared a
passion for enabling filmmaking without the accompanying pollution and waste. At
that time, there were no standard operating procedures to address filming waste
or even basic recycling practices on sets; food, reusable items and entire sets
were being put in dumpsters with no second thought. They wanted to be part of a
solution.
In 2008, while both women were working on a Coen Brothers movie in
Minneapolis, Bart took the opportunity to pitch a sustainability plan to the
producers. Her proposal was approved by the studio, and she proceeded to work
with Barberg and other crew members to implement waste-reduction and -diversion
methods for the project. During 10 production weeks, 11 tons of waste was
diverted from incineration through zero-waste source-separation methods on set
and reuse strategies — set materials, office supplies, furniture and other items
were donated to local schools, nonprofits and filmmakers during wrap. This
successful implementation became the foundation for a business opportunity: Bart
founded EcoSet and created an “Eco Crew” function as a new department on film
sets; Barberg joined the company in 2009 and became a partner in 2012.
Headquartered in Los Angeles, EcoSet’s zero-waste services were initially
geared toward advertising productions and marketing events — working alongside
all departments to prevent waste wherever possible. The integration includes
recycling, composting, food donation and salvaging discarded props that can be
repurposed for future productions. EcoSet separates every stream of waste during
the filming process and helps crews understand how to get ahead of the final
strike (set deconstruction) and wrap (end of shooting) materials disposals to
avoid dumpsters.
“We’re a sort of an eco-incubator. People who work for us or alongside us enter
into conversations about new best practices geared towards circularity and
conservation rather than a business-as-usual mindset of ‘just make it go away,’”
Barberg told Sustainable Brands® (SB).
Since launch, EcoSet has implemented zero-waste strategies behind the scenes of
725 commercial shoots and 60 events — with the goal of converting everything
reusable into a free resource for others; the company recirculates scenery,
props, clothing, furniture, decor and home goods to local community
organizations. To date, EcoSet has diverted 2,660 tons of waste from landfills —
including donating more than 29.5 tons of surplus food from catering meals and
food-styling shoots.
In 2023, EcoSet was engaged on 94 commercials — up from 78 in 2022. This uptick
in brand investment was catalyzed by Green the
Bid — a trade organization founded within the
AICP. EcoSet often works on ads for brands including Target,
Lowe’s, Verizon, GEICO and General Mills. EcoSet’s work also aligns with
the values of like-minded celebrities such as singer and activist Billie
Eilish. The company has provided services on more than a dozen brand projects
with the singer since 2019 — including providing compost collection on set and
ensuring all catered meals or craft-service refreshments are vegan.
Addressing waste in a challenging industry
Due to challenges around money, time, logistics and space, many shoots and
events don’t integrate sustainable strike and wrap processes for managing sets,
construction materials and non-returnable props or set dressing. So, in 2017,
EcoSet’s operations expanded to include reuse solutions for film and television
with the launch of ReDirect — a form of
extended producer
responsibility
service for creative waste in the entertainment industry.
Netflix and HBO are frequent clients for environmentally responsible
asset disposition and storage clear-outs from features, series or pilots. As
part of a final wrap-out process for a canceled streaming series, EcoSet managed
19.4 tons of set dressing, props, wardrobe and production materials. Four
truckloads of items from a storage facility were recirculated, eliminating the
need for five 40-yard dumpsters.
“By using EcoSet to dispose of our leftover set dressing, all of these items
will be reused instead of ending up in a landfill,” said Production Supervisor
Djuna Meyer. “We saved on dumpsters as well as on labor, and reduced our
environmental footprint all at the same time.”
To recirculate entertainment industry materials, EcoSet also operates a
community reuse center called the Materials Oasis
that provides access to production discards. Sets, flooring, lumber, custom
props, plastics, metals, textiles, craft supplies and countless other items are
available at no cost. By giving purpose to surplus, the company contributes to
other creative processes while reducing costs to purchase new items. Teachers,
film students, theaters, artists and event planners benefit from the
recirculated materials. In 2023, EcoSet reported keeping 214 tons of reusable
materials from reaching landfills.
Another major challenge during production is efficiently donating food after
lunch service — so, untouched, still-edible food including catering meals and
food-styling ingredients is commonly discarded. EcoSet partners with Every Day
Action — a nonprofit that redistributes
surplus food from productions in Los Angeles to people in need. Since 2009,
EcoSet has donated 29.5 tons of food — an estimated 45,360 meals served, rather
than discarded.
EcoSet believes that when sustainability is a top-down requirement — included in
the budget and initiated early in the pre-production process — ROI increases.
But relying on department heads and coordinators who lack the experience or
bandwidth to prioritize sustainability during production is not always
effective. There must be a dedicated coordinator and clear guidelines for each
phase of production, buy-in from the department heads early on, and dedicated
facilitators of the action steps to follow. This includes physical waste
management in every zone where people are working.
“Personally, I’m proud to be leading a business that is part of a culture shift
— providing tangible, practical solutions in a challenging industry, and also
contributing to so many people’s creative processes and physical needs,” Barberg
said.
Adaptation and partnerships to scale impact
In 2020, many of the sustainability shifts taking place on sets were greatly
disrupted. COVID health and safety restrictions eliminated water-refilling
stations, reusable bottles, and real plates or cutlery for catered meals on set.
The usage of plastic water bottles and disposable foodservice packaging exploded
during 2020 and 2021. As a result, zero-waste targets of 90 percent diversion
from landfills dropped to 50-70 percent. Barberg said EcoSet is focused on
regaining ground through waste-avoidance strategies and reusables.
“2024 marks 15 years in business,” she said. “We’ve honed our resilient business
model based on adaptation and diversification, staying nimble and pivoting
quickly. We survived 2020 by adding more logistics capabilities to our
wheelhouse and renting out space in our two warehouses.”
To scale circular options in production, one of EcoSet’s warehouses
hosts sets, furniture, decor and hero props for ongoing reuse by advertising
clients that film in LA.
EcoSet recently adopted an asset-management program using a prop-rental platform
called Propcart. The company had been a storage partner
for signature props and sets since 2015 but had no formal tracking for usage and
cost savings. Barberg said Propcart’s digital efficiencies for managing
filmmaking assets have been a game changer — reusing stored filming assets
results in budget savings, time efficiencies and reduced carbon footprint in the
fast-paced, chaotic process of advertising production.
“EcoSet has no shortage of innovative ideas for helping productions reuse
materials and reduce waste,” said Propcart founder Richard
Scotten. “The business case for
efficiencies through reuse is clear given the recent strikes and studio budget
cuts, which are driving new thinking on cost cutting. We are excited to partner
on these digital solutions to help the film industry be a greener and easier
place to work.”
EcoSet continues to build and broaden circularity partnerships for used
materials. Existing partners include Insomniac, an
underground music-event producer that reimagines large props and set elements
from EcoSet into unique event environments and experiences, and
Rewilder — a zero-waste fashion company that
sources design materials from EcoSet’s Materials Oasis.
And as the company continues to grow, it’s also focused on keeping its own
impacts in check.
“This year, we plan to continue electrifying our fleet. Last year, we invested
in an electric Ford Transit for our work on commercial sets. Our next vehicle is
an all-electric Bright
Drop van
that we will call ‘The Showmobile’ — offering pick-up services for film and TV
projects that want a one-stop service to manage reusable cast-offs including
packing materials, soft plastics, foam, scrap fabric and countless other
resources that are hard to recycle,” Barberg said.
EcoSet remains committed to helping the transition to a circular creative
industry and a better behind-the-scenes. As
storytelling
continues forward with new mediums and more inclusive narratives, so too will
the innovation to ensure the production process is done ethically and
responsibly.