Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Pact legally binding?

  • No. The Pact encourages voluntary participation and action towards each pledge.

Does it cost anything to be a signatory of the Pact? 

  • No. Signing the Pact is free. 

My organization signed the Pact. Now what? 

  • Work toward the pledges in the pact. Click here for some ideas for how to get started.

  • Report in even numbered years. The Pact administrators will reach out to signatories in even numbered years to ask about your organization’s progress on each of the goals.

  • Talk about it! Share your story and inspire others to take action. 

What happens to the information we give to the Pact administrators? 

  • This information will be compiled along with information from other signatories in a publicly available report that shows industry trends related to the Pact. This information will help the creative industries to learn from each other and continually improve.

Who contributed to the development of the Pact? Who “owns” it?

  • The Pact is an industry initiative that was drafted by sustainability consulting firm Green Spark Group with input and feedback from over fifty industry stakeholders in ten countries. It is a product of the creative industries, for the creative industries. 

What was the development process for the Pact? 

  • December 2018  

    • Pact concept developed

    • Landscape assessment conducted: 

      • Reviewed pacts in other industries 

      • Reviewed activities in the motion picture industry

      • Reviewed international agreements to inform the Pact

  • January 2019

    • First draft of the Pact written

    • Reviewed with Reel Green Advisory Committee and other key stakeholders

    • Sent for feedback to key stakeholders in the creative community:  

      • Major USA based studios - Amazon, Amblin, Disney, HBO, NBCUniversal, Netflix, Participant, Paramount, Sony, Warner Bros. 

      • Industry associations and organizations - Creative BC, Motion Picture Producers Association (CMPA), Motion Picture Production Industry Association (MPPIA), Producers Guild of America (PGA), Canadian Broadcasting Company (CBC), Directors Guild of Canada (DGC), British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), BBC, Zentropa Sweden, Green Screen Dubai, France Télévisions RSE (France),  Green Film Shooting (Germany), Sardegna Film Commission (Italy), Trentino Film Fund and Commission (Italy), Netherlands Film Commission, Wrap Zero (South Africa)

    • Sent for review and feedback to organizations outside of the motion picture/creative industry, including the University of British Columbia, Yale University, Harvard University, and The World Economic Forum

    • Noted collective action and Pact development at the CMPA PrimeTime conference in Ottawa, Canada

  • February - August 2019

    • Collected feedback on the Pact from aforementioned stakeholders, incorporated into draft version

    • Developed the Pact website

    • Sent the Pact website to industry stakeholders for feedback

    • Prepared for a multi-national stakeholder call to review the Pact and feedback to-date

  • September 2019

    • Hosted and facilitated a call with stakeholders (e.g., SPA/PGA Green, BAFTA, Creative BC, South Africa, Dubai, USA studios, etc.) to: 

      • review Pact purpose (common industry goals, accelerate collective action and industry transition, work toward SDGs and Paris Agreement) 

      • discuss international alignment under a common set of goals

      • review draft Pact line by line and incorporate associated feedback 

      • agree on Pact copy 

      • share intended next steps

      • Discuss collaboration/partnership with the United Nations as a communication partner, endorser, other forms of collaboration

    • Sent to UNEP Geneva for feedback and definition of United Nations recognition process

    • Sent to PEMBINA for external review and feedback 

    • Sent to University of British Columbia, Yale University and University of Edinburgh for external review of the updated draft

  • October 2019

    • Incorporated all stakeholder feedback and sent final version to stakeholders.

  • December 2019

    • Launch the Pact via press release in conjunction with the start of the United Nations Conference of Parties (COP 25) meeting in Spain, December 2-12, 2019.

Who manages administration of the Pact? 

Currently Green Spark Group is providing pro-bono administrative support for the development and launch of the Pact. In the future the Pact will require sponsorship to cover ongoing administration costs (e.g. website maintenance, reporting follow up).

Who can sign the Pact?

Corporations, public agencies, member-based organizations, film schools, film commissions and any organizations working in or with the creative industry that are able to work toward the objectives in the pact.

I’m an individual. What can I do to support the Pact?

Individuals are encouraged to act as ambassadors for the Pact. Individuals can:

  • become ambassadors for the Pact

  • encourage their workplaces to endorse the Pact 

  • speak publicly about industry collaboration and the Pact

Is the Pact affiliated with the United Nations (UN)? 

The Pact is not yet affiliated with the UN. 

To which SDGs does the Pact contribute?

  • 3. Good Health and Well Being

3.9 By 2030, substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water and soil pollution and contamination

  • 4. Quality Education

4.7 By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable developments, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development. 

  • 6. Clean Water and Sanitation

6.3 By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally

  • 7. Affordable and Clean Energy

7.2 By 2030, increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix

7.3 By 2030, double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency

  • 8. Decent Work and Economic Growth

8.4 Improve progressively, through 2030, global resource efficiency in consumption and production and endeavour to decouple economic growth from environmental degradation, in accordance with the 10-year framework of programmes on sustainable consumption and production, with developed countries taking the lead.

  • 9. Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

9.4 By 2030, upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable, with increased resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes, with all countries taking action in accordance with their respective capabilities. 

  • 11. Sustainable Cities and Communities

11.6 By 2030, reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air quality and municipal and other waste management.  

  • 12. Responsible Production and Consumption

12.2 By 2030, achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources

12.3 By 2030, halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels, and reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses.

12.4 By 2020, achieve the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle, in accordance with international frameworks, and significantly reduce their release to air, water and soil in order to minimize their adverse impacts on human health and the environment.

12.5 By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse.

12.6 Encourage companies, especially large and transnational companies, to adopt sustainable practices and to integrate sustainability information into their reporting cycle.

  • 13. Climate Action

13.3 Improve education, awareness-raising, and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning.

  • 14. Life Below Water

14.1 By 2025, prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, in particular from land-based activities, including marine debris and nutrient pollution.

14.4 By 2020, effectively regulate harvesting and end overfishing, illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing and destructive fishing practices and implement science-based management plans, in order to restore fish stocks in the shortest time feasible, at least to levels that can produce maximum sustainable yield as determined by their biological characteristics. 

  • 15. Life On Land

15.2 By 2020, promote the implementation of sustainable management of all types of forests, halt deforestation, restore degraded forests and substantially increase afforestation and reforestation globally

  • 17. Partnerships for the Goals 

17.14 Enhance policy coherence for sustainable development 

17.16 Enhance the global partnership for sustainable development, complemented by multi-stakeholder partnerships that mobilize and share knowledge, expertise, technology and financial resources, to support the achievement of the sustainable development goals in all countries, in particular developing countries  

17.17 Encourage and promote effective public, public-private, and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships

17.19 By 2030, build on existing initiatives to develop measurements of progress on sustainable development that complement gross domestic product, and support statistical capacity-building in developing countries