If you are a friend of the environment and want to know more about the relationship between the film industry and our environment, you can find the answers to all your questions here.

Mike Wallace, the VP of Trucost, an environmental research organization touches on many topics from making films in an environmentally conscious way to the power of the moving image.

---The Interview---

Can you tell us a little about the mission of Trucost and what initiated the formation of your organization?

Trucost Plc is an environmental research organisation that was established to help companies and investors understand the environmental impacts of business activities. Trucost provides data and analysis on company emissions and natural resource usage and presents these in financial as well as quantity terms, providing the basis for an improved dialogue between companies, investors and other stakeholders.

The external cost methodology employed by Trucost outlines a company's environmental impacts in order of significance, enabling directors and auditors to focus their efforts on those impacts that are likely to be material to the business. This also forms a transparent process by which a company and its auditors can assess whether it should make a public disclosure.

Fund managers and analysts increasingly need to know how environmental issues may have a financially material impact on companies' future earnings and make comparisons between companies in a given sector. Yet their ability to accurately assess this is currently constrained by the lack of consistent or comprehensive environmental data disclosure by companies. Trucost's comprehensive coverage ensures that all companies in an index are included, not just those that disclose environmental information. Trucost provides data and analysis on over 3,200 companies worldwide, including complete coverage of the FTSE All-Share, S&P 500, Nikkei 225, DJ EuroSTOXX and MSCI indices.

How do you view the impact the major motion picture studios and the entertainment industry have on the environment?

Like many industries, the motion picture industry is not seen as a major environmental impact. What we are witnessing, however, is a significant increase in awareness and an overwhelming interest in participating in anything “green”. As this occurs people realize that quantitative data is much more appealing to interested stakeholders. It is more impactful to tell your stakeholders how many tons of waste you’ve reduced, rather than tell them you have a “policy about waste reduction”.

Trucost’s work is based on an Input/Output economics methodology that enables users to obtain an understanding of their industry and then understand their own footprint in comparison to their peers. This is all based on quantified analytical data and enables comparability.

The motion picture industry can (and is) have a positive influence by helping to raise awareness, not only through films and interactions with the end customer, but also through purchasing requirements. There is an astronomical amount of materials and services purchased during any production. Requesting (or demanding) environmentally friendly products and services will send a very loud message through the entire industry. From transportation to and from locations, to lumber used to build and rebuild sets, to organic cloth for costumes and props, to organic food for production catering.

Do you think films can be made in an environmentally-friendlier way in the future?

Digital technology is already having a tremendous impact on the overall environmental impact of the ‘media’. Old style reel films still involve significant environmental impacts. There is always room for improvement. Think of an ‘environmental rating’ stamp on all future films. This is possible and could be done fairly easily. Would the end audience really care?

Would you consider film (narrative films as well as documentaries) an effective tool that draws attention to environmental issues? If yes, can you name a few films that you have seen and thought as powerful and influential?

Most definitely – I’m a documentary junking and as an environmentally oriented person I always relate what I’m seeing back to the environment. Whether it be a mountain climbing movie, or a deep sea sunken treasure movie I think they all build awareness about the wonders and precious aspects of our planet. My tops are The Corporation, Wal-Mart, Who Killed the Electric Car and of course Inconvenient Truth.


Interview by Eren Gulfidan - www.filmannex.com/Eren%20Gulfidan