As we all face up the challenges of the climate crisis, we’re also gaining a better understanding of humanity’s impact on the planet.
The challenges are great, but the picture is becoming clearer, and it’s shaping the changes that we need to make.
We have more information than ever before as to the long-term solutions that need to be adopted – the effective, lasting changes that can be made at every level that embrace sustainability across every walk of life.
Whether it’s at an individual level or on a structural, systemic scale, these changes can take many forms. It can be the choices we make around our consumption habits, structural processes, how we dispose of waste material, and so much more.
Huge swathes of consumers the world over believe their personal choices can make a difference, but also are demanding greater action from governments, public sector bodies, and private sector companies across the board in delivering widespread, effective change – and the numbers are only increasing with each passing year.
The fact is that we all have a part that we can and should play – and there are many ways to deliver positive change internally and within our respective communities.
To this end, we want to take the opportunity to explore our filmmaking expertise in Sustainability – and demonstrate how we can help do the same for you too!
Our Ethos
At The Edge, we’re deeply invested in sustainability, whether it’s how we operate within our business and our local community, or in how we can use our expertise and processes to enhance on the projects we deliver for our clients.
We consider ourselves to be experts in Sustainability, and you can rest assured we have the credentials to back it up!
We’re incredibly proud to have become the first formally accredited PAS2060 carbon-neutral company in business film production – and we think it clearly shows our commitment to ‘walking the walk’ when it comes to putting our words into practice. We first achieved carbon-neutral status in 2012 and we continue to work hard to minimise our emissions wherever possible across every aspect of our business operations.
We’ve also developed our own bespoke environmental management system alongside specialist tools (such as albert as developed by BAFTA & the BBC) which means we’re able to monitor and measure all emissions and offset unavoidable ones.
Alongside our ISO9001:2015-accredited Quality Management Systems, we’re now working towards gaining ISO14001 accreditation for our Environmental Management Systems and processes to ensure everything we do is in line with the world’s leading standard in EMS regulations.
We’re also proud to support the Darfur Efficient Cook Stove Project, the first registered carbon credit project in Sudan and the first to be developed in a conflict zone.
The scheme was awarded recognition by the UNFCCC for the benefits provided to poorer communities and its contribution to climate change mitigation and adaptation, and we believe our support is a great indicator of our commitment to helping make positive changes around the world.
We believe these changes reflect our desire to become a more sustainable company, especially within an industry which has so much scope to integrate Sustainability across the board.
We’re incredibly proud of the ways we’ve embraced change and lived up to our commitments so far – but we know we can’t stop there. We need to keep pushing for better wherever we can both at home and at work.
Creativity & Variety
The great thing about using film to communicate your Sustainability journey, goals, messaging, or anything else in this space, is that there is no one way to create great content – the creative possibilities are almost endless.
Whether it’s live-action, animation, drama, documentary, or any of the creative options in between or beyond, film provides a unique canvas to bring your messaging to life.
We recognise that every client is different, and every brand has its own unique qualities from which we can draw inspiration. Similarly, every industry has its own Sustainability challenges, solutions, and audiences, so it’s about us working closely with you to determine what you want the film to achieve, how we fit it into your wider campaign, and the right way to bring it to life.
Award-winning Portfolio
Sustainability isn’t just relevant to a select few businesses, industries, or sectors. From Automotive to Telecommunications, from Finance to Farming, Energy to Manufacturing et al, there are Sustainability-focused changes that can be made across every business and industry – and we’ve worked with numerous clients across the board on this vital issue.
It’s helped us become specialists in delivering industry-leading, transformational films focused on Sustainability, and we’ve gained crucial insight and knowledge into how companies and organisations of all kinds can make real, tangible changes that can deliver on their Sustainability goals.
Most importantly, it means we also know how to help our clients communicate their Sustainability messages and goals through the power of film.
As you can no doubt imagine, we love talking about the content we create, but we also love showcasing it, so we’ve included a range of our films across our client base to make our case…
ABB: Two Brothers
ABB is one of the world’s leading automotive & technology companies. Their Sustainability Affairs team wanted a film that would help educate people throughout the business, as well as external audiences including global business leaders, about the importance of ensuring sustainability throughout supply chains and beyond.
Within the business, the film needed to connect with a bespoke e-learning package that would allow ABB people to explore key issues in greater depth. Externally, it needed to appeal encourage audiences to engage with the importance of sustainable business practices and solutions as vital long-term strategies.
Working in partnership with the client team, we opted for an animation visual style to help give the film a different tone to other films in the same vein that explore Sustainability. The film’s narrative is built on a witty script with the feel of a poetic fable that aims to give the film a thought-provoking, funny, and ultimately memorable quality to emphasise the core message: that sustainable, responsible supply chain strategies is both good for business and good for our planet.
Nuveen: Sustainability
Nuveen, the global investment management company, is committed to a long-term programme of sustainability and future-proofing investments for the benefit of both its clients and society as the world pushes towards a low carbon economy.
They wanted a film to demonstrate this commitment and their strategy but wanted something that would help have a different tone to other films concerned with the climate crisis.
An unfortunate consequence of our media environment is that some audiences can feel oversaturated with images of environmental damage and disaster, leaving them feeling numb, cynical, hopeless – and so Nuveen challenged us to propose an alternative creative solution.
We opted for a graphic animation style with an energetic and proactive narrative, developing a caption script that recognised the challenges we all face without the need to refer to adverse environmental imagery. Through this positive tone, we introduce Nuveen’s commitment to tackling the critical issue of our time, and how their strategy is shaped to live up to this commitment, in a credible way that doesn’t feel like lip service but instead a call to action.
Syngenta
We’ve worked with Syngenta for many years to support their communications objectives in a variety of ways – and our film, The Good Growth Plan, is a great example.
The effects of the climate crisis are not just being felt through environmental changes alone; the increased rate of global population growth alongside the disproportionate spread of global food supplies, as well as the increased scarcity of some vital natural resources, is driving food demand higher than ever before.
Syngenta, the global biotechnology company, launched the Good Growth Plan to combat the challenge, and wanted a film to highlight their commitment to tackling the problem. Our solution was to develop a visually appealing in-camera stop-frame animation style to introduce each of Syngenta’s six commitments in a candid, beautiful manner to really highlight what the company hopes to achieve.
We’re very proud of the film for both its creativity and its core messaging, and that it received a Silver award at the New York Festivals Film & TV Awards in the Public Relations category.
Another great example of our work with Syngenta and their Sustainability commitments is our award-winning brand film, We All Have to Eat.
Designed to replace our previous brand film for the company, they wanted an inspirational film to showcase Syngenta’s commitments and objectives in the present and for the future. We filmed extensively across the company’s global operations, showcasing their partners and their products in action, and crafted a concise caption script to provide the film’s narrative structure.
The result is a beautiful, moving film that brings Syngenta’s mission to life and showcases their commitment to Sustainability in a clear and thought-provoking way.
Unilever
We’ve worked with Unilever for over a decade, creating films for a range of communications goals including bringing to life their Sustainability objectives and initiatives.
Our film, One Supply Chain, was one of the first we produced as part of our partnership: a celebrating of the 100,000 people who work for the Supply Chain worldwide and who are the backbone of Unilever, sourcing, manufacturing, packaging, and delivering billions of products a year. They, more than anyone else, help ensure Unilever meets its ambitious targets – including its Sustainability goals.
This film aims to celebrate and recognise the work these people do, and to demonstrate their dedication and determination to deliver in a truly memorable way, demonstrating the interconnectivity of their processes around the world.
Shot in Kenya, Dubai, Mexico, and the UK, we came up with a simple analogy to represent every aspect of the business, showcasing the pride and dedication of everyone no matter their role.
It would go on to win awards from major industry bodies, including a Gold at the New York Festivals Film & TV Awards.
Our film, 100% Zero Waste, is another great example of the work we’ve produced to support Unilever’s Sustainability goals.
They wanted a film to show at a major internal supply chain event. A major initiative had been established to completely reduce all waste from going to landfill across the company’s supply chains operations.
Some sites had still some way to go towards achieve the goal, so the company wanted a film that would motivate those sites still to reach the target, but also celebrate and share the pioneering spirit of those that have achieved their goal in such a short time.
Captured using a down-to-earth, documentary style, we tell the story through pairing two perspectives: someone involved with sites still to meet the goal with someone who oversaw a similar factory reach the target in record time.
Through on-site interviews, Skype interviews, and graphics, we give the film a truly global representation to reflect Unilever’s breadth of operations, and a positive, upbeat tone to help inspire the audience to rise to the challenge.
We’d love to talk to you about your Sustainability goals and how we can help communicate them through our award-winning filmmaking expertise – get in touch today!