JACRO and the environment

Would it be better to stop using film, to just use digital to help reduce plastic use?

This is something that we have thought long and hard about.  Many productions (including those for streaming services, like Netflix) are shot on film  for its inherent qualities.  Everything from feature length films, to series, and even music videos are shot on film, and for the time being that remains the reality.  Even if/when digital can provide a similar look to film, there will likely remain a minority who want to use film for its tangibility, and for the disciplines and excitement of doing so.  Indeed 35mm still film is now very popular with people in their 20s, who are using film cameras for the first time.

The majority of plastic waste is through packaging.  An hour of footage is about enough plastic to fill a shoe box, so the contribution of plastic to the environment is relatively small.  To help minimise this we use only plastic bags that are made from recycled material, and cardboard boxes that include post-consumer recycled waste.

It remains important that the world does not just 'go digital', as working permanently at computer screens is proven not to be good for us, for both our physical and mental health.  Why do people still draw on paper, when surely they could draw digitally, any only print their finished works?  It is important for all of us that our lives are not entirely conducted on a computer screen.

Therefore instead of thinking that by abandoning producing film ourselves we could eradicate the film market, or even that it should be abandoned, we believe that it is better to try to produce the materials it uses in a way that might do the least harm, and encourage all companies in our industry to do so.

To this end we have taken the following steps:
1: Minimising the footprint of our facilities, reducing all of our equipment into a small single building in Herefordshire.
2: Solar panels are installed on the top of our manufacturing facility, and when our current energy contract expires we will be moving to a renewables plan
3: Adjusting the heating in the building to reduce additional heat to spaces that don't require it
3: Minimising travel and using train wherever possible to visit customers

Recycling

All of our clear, hazy and white polyester leader is made of pure PET. This means that it can be recycled, under recycling code '1'. If you have lengths of our leader that needs to be disposed of please contact your local recycling facility to arrange with them to have it recycled as PET plastic.

Unfortunately it is not possible to recycle tape as it is a composite of plastic and adhesive. However, after use it would be in such small pieces that any contribution to recycling would be negligible in any case.

Reuse

We are actively looking for charities that might be able to reuse our 'reject' tapes. If you have suggestions of schools or charities that might be able to use it please contact us through the form on this website.

Offsetting

We recognise the inherent shortcomings of carbon offsetting, and that reducing carbon emissions should ALWAYS be the primary objective. However, while we continue to reduce and improve our own carbon footprint, we make a monthly contribution for each employee at JACRO to https://ecologi.com/ .