Siti Syuhaida Mohamed Yunus, EIF Project Research Associate
Priorities in screen production are constantly evolving, as demonstrated by a trend over the past decade for greater attention to, and accountability regarding, environmental sustainability. Trade union Equity’s ‘Green Rider’ campaign, for example, contributes to the industry’s collective efforts to reduce its carbon footprint by asking individuals to add sustainability clauses to their contracts.1, 2
However, there are still many aspects of the screen industries’ environmental impacts that need more attention. In this post, I add to calls for a ‘greener green screen’, i.e. green screen technologies (I write more about them below) that are more sustainably made and then used on set. The development of a ‘greener green filmmaking screen’ has the potential to revolutionise the industry.3
The Green Screen Revolution
Green screens have been a crucial element in sustainable film production for decades. They allow filmmakers to shoot actors, sets, and props in front of a green backdrop, which can then be replaced with any desired background footage. This process enables movies to transport characters to fictional worlds, historical eras, or even distant galaxies – Figure 1 shows a typical set-up for sustainable filmmaking production that uses green screen technology.
However, traditional green screens are made of materials that are effective aesthetically but can be damaging to the environment. The idea of a greener green screen is to address this issue by prioritising sustainability.

Figure 1 – A typical film production set-up that involves the use of a green screen.4
Eco-friendly Materials
A greener green screen uses environmentally friendly materials for the green backdrop. These materials are biodegradable, reusable, and require fewer resources during production. For instance, if you’re looking for the best material to use as a green screen, muslin is a great choice because it doesn’t reflect light, is biodegradable, and is made of 100% organic cotton. Additionally, muslin has an environmental advantage over non-organic cotton fabric, as it emits approximately 1.18 kg of CO2 equivalent per kg of material, compared to non-organic cotton’s 11.5 kg of CO2 equivalent per kg of material.5,6,7 This not only reduces a production’s environmental impact but also encourages responsible material usage in the filmmaking industry.8
Energy-efficient Lighting
The greener green screen incorporates energy-efficient lighting using LED technology. This technology is known for its low energy consumption and long lifespan, making it the industry standard in many other contexts. Using energy-efficient lighting not only reduces production costs but also minimises the carbon footprint. Digital production can harm the environment if not used efficiently. For example, the use of CGI technology during film production can result in higher carbon emissions than practical effects – see, for example, the EIF project’s case study on different iterations of Artoo Detoo. This increased carbon footprint is due to the higher energy consumption involved in digital production. The physical asset contributed lower emissions compared to the digital asset.9
Sustainability Beyond the Screen
The greener green screen concept incorporates sustainable practices throughout the entire lifecycle of materials and equipment used in production, from sourcing to disposal. As an example, research conducted by UCLA on the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of virtual production compared two methods of producing films and television shows – the conventional one that requires all crew to be on set, and the emerging method of virtual production. They also included a green screen and LED volume technology as a part of their study – such as they accounted for the impact of computing that is used in these technologies, which is four PCs used to run the LED volume wall and LED used for the green screen that used during the production.10
Audience Demand
As concerns about climate change and other ecological harms continue to grow, audiences may increasingly prioritise eco-friendliness in their consumption choices and demand more sustainable film production. A greener green screen not only aligns with these values but also showcases the industry’s commitment to responsible practices.
The adoption of greener green screens would show that sustainability and cinematic excellence can coexist. By embracing eco-friendly materials and energy-efficient technology, the industry can not only reduce its carbon footprint but also work toward a more sustainable future.
- Bethany Minelle, “Green Rider: Equity Launch Campaign to Make Film and TV Production Greener,” Sky News, August 21, 2023. https://news.sky.com/story/green-rider-equity-launch-campaign-to-make-film-and-tv-production-greener-12944804. ↩︎
- Josh Wilson, “Film and TV Firms Work towards a More Sustainable Future with New Initiatives,” Forbes, November 7, 2022. https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshwilson/2022/11/04/film-and-tv-firms-work-towards-a-more-sustainable-future-with-new-initiatives/. ↩︎
- “The Evolution of Green Screen: From Early-Stage to Led Blue Screen,” Neweb Labs. Accessed January 29, 2024. https://neweblabs.com/the-evolution-of-the-green-screen. ↩︎
- Ben Collins, “Photo by Ben Collins on Unsplash,” Unsplash, January 31, 2022. https://unsplash.com/photos/a-group-of-people-standing-around-a-camera-3x558DT6wWs. ↩︎
- Ecoinvent, Market for Textile, Woven Cotton, 2023. https://ecoquery.ecoinvent.org/3.10/EN15804/dataset/6756/impact_assessment. ↩︎
- Jeff Foster, ‘Digital Matting Methods and Tools,’ in The Green Screen Handbook, 2nd Edition, 2014. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9781315770833/green-screen-handbook-jeff-foster ↩︎
- Ecoinvent, Market for Fibre, Cotton, Organic, 2023. https://ecoquery.ecoinvent.org/3.10/EN15804/dataset/21539/impact_assessment. ↩︎
- “Welcome to Green Screen,” Green Screen. Accessed January 29, 2024. https://www.green-screen.org.uk/ ↩︎
- Rebecca Harrison and Siti Syuhaida Mohamed Yunus, “Artoo Detoo,” Environmental Impact of Filmmaking project, October 2, 2023. https://eifproject.com/artoo-detoo/ ↩︎
- Esther Cabello et al., rep., Virtual vs. Conventional Production for Film and Television: A Comparative Life Cycle Assessment FINAL REPORT (UCLA IoES, 2023), https://www.ioes.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/UCLA-IoES-Practicum-SPA-Virtual-Production-Final-Report-2023.pdf ↩︎