Pop music and Hollywood films are not only big business, but also big emitters — so when a famous recording studio adopts carbon accounting, its raises the bar for climate action sector-wide.
UK-based carbon accounting platform Climatise has been selected to deliver comprehensive emissions measurement and reporting services for the world-renowned recording complex at AIR Studios, London.
Originally founded by legendary Beatles producer Sir George Martin, AIR Studios provides recording services for a range of high-profile projects across both popular music and film-score composition.
It boasts a rich history in pop and rock, with recording sessions for artists from Coldplay to Taylor Swift.
The AIR Studios repertoire also extends to significant contemporary symphonic and film work, with a back-catalogue full of recordings made for Hollywood movies such as James Bond, Interstellar and Dune 2.
In tune with sustainability reporting
For AIR Studios, the Climatise platform will support its ambitions around carbon emissions management. The software does this via automated data-collection processes, across both direct operations and the supply chain, providing real-time analysis capabilities that enable prompt action to be taken on emissions.
Climatise will also help AIR Studios meet Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR) obligations, making it one of the first modern major recording studios to embrace sustainability reporting.
Billions of dollars and tons of emissions
As the global music and movie production industries continue to grow, with an annual revenue of $28.6 billion and $36.2 billion respectively, they each face increasing pressure to address their carbon footprints.
The music industry alone is directly responsible for approximately 540,000 tons of carbon emissions every year, according to data and research from analysts at Owl ESG.
The environmental impact of making movies is significant too. Estimates from the Sustainable Production Alliance point to an average of 3,370 tons of carbon and equivalent emissions per large production.
Transparency on Scopes 1, 2 and 3
Carbon emissions from recording are typically lower than other segments of the music and production industries such as touring and filming. Nevertheless, studios can still meaningfully contribute to lower sector emissions by transparently and accurately capturing emissions data to support energy reduction.
Therefore, in addition to reporting both direct and indirect Scope 1 and 2 emissions resulting from daily operational activities, Climatise will support AIR Studios in identifying its Scope 3 emissions, too. These are indirect emissions occurring outside of direct operations, from within the supply chain, for example.
This joined-up approach sets an industry precedent, says Lennon Harding-Wade, COO at Climatise:
“This collaboration serves as a testament to AIR Studios’ commitment to reducing its environmental impact, positioning them as a first mover in the recording industry’s growing efforts to address climate change.”
It helps build momentum on climate action sector-wide , concludes Simon Knee, CEO at AIR Studios:
“Our studios have hosted some of the world’s most influential artists and we recognise our responsibility to lead by example in pursuit of sustainability. Together, we’re charting a course for a greener future in the recording industry.”
From the swinging Sixties to SaaS
AIR Studios is the leading independent recording studio complex founded by Sir George Martin in 1969. It comprises four state-of-the-art studios for all types of recording, from single vocal to full orchestra.
Climatise is a UK-based carbon accounting platform headquartered in London that simplifies and streamlines sustainability reporting. The company’s Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform has been designed to enable organisations to meet their disclosure obligations with ease and precision.
The platform’s data-led approach provides real-time monitoring, actionable insights, and guidance to help organisations effectively reduce carbon emissions and manage sustainability.
Further Reading:
- More about Climatise, UK-based carbon accounting platform;
- More about or AIR Studios; and a selection of its well-known projects for music and film;
- More about the Sustainable Production Alliance, a consortium of film, TV and streaming companies;
- Also on SustMeme, Fans want vinyl to go green as record sales rise;
- Also on SustMeme, Wind power to headline at Glastonbury Festival;
- Also on SustMeme, Calculating true carbon footprint of the World Cup;
- Also on SustMeme, Green art goes under the hammer.
Check out the full archive of stories on the SustMeme Business & Finance Channel, now available to Sponsor.
