Nordic Initiative for Sustainable Cultural Production Establishes Itself in Sweden

The cultural sector faces significant challenges in reducing greenhouse gas emissions from its activities, including air travel and consumption. Now, the rapidly growing Nordic initiative Green Producers Club is establishing itself in Sweden, with the goal of transforming an entire industry.

Members of the Green Producers Club (GPC) are committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the Nordic cultural sector in line with the Paris Agreement. The main tool is the climate calculator 'Green Producers Tool', tailor made for cultural productions, and a climate network where members share knowledge and best practices.

"Measuring their carbon footprint is something new for many actors in the cultural sector, partly because the industry has lacked the tools to do so. For example, the fact that companies in the film and TV industry have not engaged in this has made the emissions invisible to us, which explains why many have not come far in implementing climate measures — we have lacked the emission numbers to make decisions," says Ronny Fritsche , representative for the Green Producers Club in Sweden.

Green Producers Tool is the culmination of a three-year development project costing over 25 million Norwegian kroner. It allows producers to both measure and reduce CO2 emissions from all parts of cultural productions and it shows how emissions differ between various alternatives. By adapting to evolving EU legislation and using local-specific data from the Norwegian research institute CICERO - Center for International Climate Research , users can make relevant and well-founded decisions that reduce climate impact from their productions.

"The Green Producers Tool is created by producers for producers to facilitate and make the measurement in our processes as accurate as possible. But measurement itself does not reduce emissions," says Ronny Fritsche. "Therefore, the Green Producers Club is also a movement, where we generously share experiences and expertise at our club meetings, aiming to transform one of society's most influential sectors."

The Green Producers Club has members from several parts of the cultural sector, including film and TV, events and festivals, performing arts, and museums. Among the participants are the Norwegian Opera House, NRK, TV2 Norway, TV2 Denmark, and Viaplay. Several Swedish companies such as Nordisk Film , Rosendal Garden Party , Filmlance International AB , Jarowskij , and Yellowbird are already members and adapting to the Club's goals.

Ronny Fritsche, a renowned feature film producer who has been a trailblazer for sustainability in the Swedish audiovisual sector, becomes the initiative's Swedish representative. An important milestone, according to Mads Astrup R?nning , founder of the Green Producers Club.

"The green transition in the Nordic film industry owes much to Ronny. When no one else talked about environmental issues, he was a pioneer with a commitment that led to an awakening for an entire industry. It's hard to imagine a better partner in Sweden," says R?nning.

Green Producers Club was founded in Norway in 2018 to champion environmental sustainability within the cultural industry. The organization is already present in Norway, Denmark, and Iceland. The Club's Swedish launch meeting will be held on June 4 in Stockholm and is open to all, even non-members.

Registration for the Launch Event in Stockholm can be found here.